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Article
Fictiv’s guide to fasteners for 3D printed parts includes an overview of threaded inserts, self-threading screws, captured hex nuts, as well as how to design threads and cut threads with a tap. In this article, we’ll examine plastic fastening assemblies for CNC machined and 3D printed parts, including: This guide will help you choose the […]
Article
This article was revised by Tessa Axsom in September 2023 Even in 2023, with the rising popularity of model-based definitions, engineering drawings are still a great way to communicate design intent for CNC machined parts that require tight tolerances, material specifications, or other special requirements. That’s why many Fictiv customers in the robotics, aerospace, automotive, […]
Article
A robot performing parkour was impossible 30 years ago, but now, Boston Dynamic’s Atlas robot can traverse an obstacle course gracefully and precisely. Boston Dynamics uses Atlas as an exercise to unlock the next generation of mobility, perception, and athletic intelligence in robotics. The Atlas robot is constructed of a beautiful combination of 3D-printed titanium […]
Article
Foamcore (also known as foam board or foam core) is a lightweight building material typically consisting of an inner foam layer sandwiched by paper or another thin, lightweight material. If you have put together a poster for a school project or a work-related presentation, odds are you’re familiar with rigid foam core poster board. Foamcore […]
Article
This article was originally published in February 2017 by Humberto Villasenor. The content has been updated. Understanding the differences between the mechanical properties of strength vs. stiffness vs. hardness is foundational in mechanical engineering, yet these properties are often confused. These properties are related, but they have important differences: For this article, we’ll review the […]
Article
Springs are common in all kinds of machines — from consumer products to heavy industrial equipment. Take apart anything that involves a mechanism, and chances are, you’ll find a spring inside. Springs are storage devices for mechanical energy, analogous to the electrical storage capacity of batteries. The earliest spring-driven clocks appeared in the 1400s. Fast-forward […]
Article
Fillets are one of those mysterious design features for which there seem to be no clearly defined rules. Either a part is entirely devoid of fillets, and most or all edges are well-defined, or the part’s designer decided to take the opposite route, and every single edge and corner is rounded with some size of […]
Article
When designing plastic components, it’s often necessary to add ribs and gussets to improve the stiffness and strength of load-bearing features. This reduces material volume and optimizes print time for 3D printed parts, since it takes longer to make these features solid structures (print time is largely driven by the volume of material for a […]
Article
This article was originally published in February, 2017 by Jeremy Hill. The content has been updated. Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T or GD and T) is a standardized system engineers and manufacturers use to define and communicate design intent, product geometry, and tolerances to ensure precise control over manufacturing variations. The US military created a […]
Article
Thermoplastics and thermoset plastics are classes of polymers used in injection molding, CNC machining, 3D printing, and urethane casting. Like elastomers, another class of polymer, thermoplastics and thermosets both consist of long, repeating chains of molecules. Under a microscope, the structure of a thermoplastic resembles a railroad track while a thermoset material looks like a […]
