Draft Is a Budget Item Draft angles are often viewed as a purely manufacturing requirement, but their impact extends far beyond tool design. In high-volume production environments, even small changes to draft geometry can s... Jun 23, 2026 Industrial Applications & Use Cases
Call Out Media-Blast vs As-Printed on the Drawing In additive manufacturing, surface finish requirements should never be left open to interpretation. A single component may contain cosmetic surfaces, sealing interfaces, functional features, and non-c... Jun 23, 2026 Design for Additive Manufacturing
Build Report Basics: What We Share After a Successful Run A successful metal additive manufacturing build is more than a finished part, it is a complete record of the process that created it. Every production run generates valuable information, from machine ... Jun 23, 2026 Repeatability and Process Control
Myth: Post-Processing Is Optional for Production Parts A common misconception in additive manufacturing is that the printed part is the finished part. While additive manufacturing can produce highly complex geometries directly from CAD, most production, g... Jun 16, 2026 Post-Processing & Reliability
Wear-Resistant Nozzle: Printed Core + Coating Extends Life Industrial nozzles operate in some of the harshest environments found in manufacturing. Applications involving mining, abrasive slurries, thermal spraying, material jetting, and high-velocity particul... Jun 16, 2026 Industrial Applications & Use Cases
Forgetting Material Certs and Heat-Treat Callouts in the PO A purchase order is more than a request to manufacture a part, it is a critical communication document that defines exactly what must be delivered. One of the most common sourcing mistakes is failing ... Jun 16, 2026 Repeatability and Process Control
Single Build vs. Staggered Builds: Lead-Time Tradeoffs One of the most important production planning decisions in additive manufacturing is determining whether to place all parts into a single build or distribute them across multiple staggered builds. Whi... Jun 15, 2026 Repeatability and Process Control
Plan Wire-EDM or Saw Tabs to Release Parts Cleanly One of the most overlooked decisions in metal additive manufacturing happens before the first layer is printed: determining how the part will be removed from the build plate. Many teams focus heavily ... Jun 15, 2026 Design for Additive Manufacturing
Finishing Playbook: Bead Blast, Tumbling, Machining, Coatings A metal additive manufacturing project does not end when the printer finishes building the part. In many applications, the final performance, appearance, and durability of a component are determined b... Jun 15, 2026 Post-Processing & Reliability
Myth: Any Alloy That Casts Will Print the Same One of the most common misconceptions in metal additive manufacturing is assuming that an alloy successful in casting will automatically perform well in a powder-bed fusion process. While the chemical... Jun 14, 2026 Materials & Metal Powders
Pump Impeller Prototype: Iterating Blade Geometry in Metal AM Pump impellers are an ideal example of where metal additive manufacturing delivers value beyond simple prototyping. Traditional development often requires expensive tooling, long machining lead times,... Jun 14, 2026 Industrial Applications & Use Cases
Omitting Leak or Pressure Specs on Fluid Parts Fluid-handling components are often designed around geometry, flow paths, and connection interfaces, but one critical detail is frequently overlooked during development: defining leak-rate and pressur... Jun 14, 2026 Repeatability and Process Control