Category: Manufacturing Services

Controlling The 6 Factors That Affect Manufacturing Costs

Product developers need to have a clear and complete understanding of the expenses involved in making their products before they commit their resources.  Some costs are relatively fixed and therefore predictable. These fixed costs can be carried by the manufacturer, the customer, or both. Other costs are more variable and depend on a number of […]

Porosity in Pressure Die Casting and How To Control It

Pressure die casting is the fastest and most cost-effective way to make high volumes of parts in aluminum, zinc or magnesium. Die cast parts have excellent surface finishes, maintain consistent features and tolerances, and waste little raw material. Pressure die casting is used to make engine blocks and motor housings, appliance parts, heat sinks, fittings, […]

The Top 7 Ways to Make Rapid Prototypes

Rapid prototypes are an essential part of the product development journey. They are used for functional testing, proof-of-concept, sales demonstrations and as master models for casting and other manufacturing processes. There are now many rapid prototyping technologies available, both additive and subtractive. Here is a look at the seven most common and how they might […]

8 Design Tips to Improve Metal 3D Printed Parts

Additive manufacturing offers exciting design opportunities for next-generation parts that need to be strong, complex and lightweight. You can design and build parts that are virtually impossible to make conventionally or that would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. However it’s not quite plug-and-play. You should be aware that designing for a metal part is much […]

Infographic – The CNC Machine

We use multi-axis CNC machines every day to perform a variety of milling, cutting, turning and drilling functions. They are accurate workhorses used to make countless products for every conceivable application. Because of their versatility, CNC machines can be configured in a number of ways. Regardless of their configuration or the products they make, most […]

How To Talk About Surface Texture Like A Pro

As a product designer you know that your choice of a surface texture goes a long way towards determining how your product looks, feels and performs. However, you may not realize that there’s a specialized vocabulary used by manufacturers when they make and describe surface textures. If you become familiar with these terms and how […]