Humans have envied the flight of birds for thousands of years and we’ve been trying to replicate it for just as long. But it turns out that making a personal flying machine is a very difficult engineering challenge, which has kept this dream frustratingly out of reach for all but a few daredevils.

The advantage of additive manufacturing comes from creating complex structures that vary in complexity, customization, light weight, strength and speed. As additive manufacturing for medical devices continues to gain momentum, there are five main areas where we are seeing the most growth opportunity from this evolving technology. Let’s take a look at how the capabilities of additive manufacturing have become the de facto method of production in these industries.

Surface textures and patterns applied to plastic injection molded parts are becoming more sophisticated and complex. These advancements are exciting because they offer so many new design options for product developers and engineers. But before a finished part can be made, the injection molding tool must first be carefully manufactured. So how do manufacturers apply textured surfaces in a controlled and repeatable fashion to get the results that designers expect?

Modern CNC milling machines are amazing tools, capable of making prototypes and production parts quickly and reliably. To do this they must be able to move along several axes of travel while maintaining dimensional accuracy.

Machine screw threads, along with many other kinds of threaded fittings, are used around us every day in millions of applications. In fact, they’re so ubiquitous that they largely go unnoticed by most of us, and to the inexperienced eye they all look and perform pretty much the same.

All manufacturing tools are subject to incredibly harsh working conditions and must withstand a lot of wear and tear. Tools used for plastic injection molding are no exception, where corrosive resins and abrasive fibers, injected under tons of pressure, can quickly destroy soft or untreated metal.

Prototyping is an essential stage in the design procedure for almost all projects. When developing a product, it is significant to obtain proof of concept and examine the fitment as early as possible. Plastic prototyping in the past included creating a prototype mold to confirm a design beforebeforespending money on production tooling. But, the industry has now changed a lot by the simplicity and speed of 3D printing. It is an influential tool for designers and engineers, but that does not mean there is no longer a requirement for plastic prototypemold building.

In the first article of this series, we addressed the material thickness, bend radii, flange lengths, and K-Factor features that designers should consider when producing sheet metal designs. In this article, we will look at further features and limitations typically encountered when designing sheet metal components. Bend Relief When producing a part with adjoining bends, special cuts must be made into the part to prevent material near the bend from tearing during the bending process. See below an example of an un-manufacturable bend with no relief and a part that has relief accounted for.

Plastic injection molding is an importantprocess in rapid manufacturing. It is a quickly evolving model that enables quicker production to market times. But, the traditional process is not as fast as you would like it. The demands of the plastic market disagree with the production nature, in some ways. The mold design complexity might amplify the time required to build the parts. But, low volume injection mold China helps you address such problems with ease. Here are some key benefits of low-volume manufacturing processes.

Product design is a competitive and fast-changing world in itself as innovations and technology upgrades continue to be introduced to the manufacturing industry. With product lifetimes shortening, manufacturers are steering clear from mass production and shifting to low-volume production. It may produce fewer pieces than usual, but with the right strategies, it can drive business growth and long-term success. Here are five strategies you should know about:

A good assortment of manufacturing techniques can make it possible for a project to succeed. If you are wondering which method to utilize for your company, here’s a comparison of manual machining and CNC machining to help you choose the best option for your prototypes and production parts.

One of the challenges of designing a new product is finding ways to get it into the market ahead of your competition. This is where rapid tooling can help. It can involve one or more prototyping technologies that can help you and your design team during your product development and prototyping stages. The process allows you to develop tangible versions of your idea or design, so you can test, validate, and analyze them before it goes into final production tooling.