Designing in a Vacuum: Creating CAD Without Knowing the Specific Machine or Press Size the Part Will Run On A CAD model can be geometrically perfect and still be impossible, or unnecessarily expensive, to manufacture if it is designed without considering the equipment that will produce it. Every manufacturi... 2026年7月1日
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... 2026年6月23日
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 ... 2026年6月15日
Designing Captive Volumes That Trap Abrasive Media Complex internal geometries are one of the biggest advantages of additive manufacturing, but they also introduce unique post-processing challenges that are often overlooked during design. Enclosed cav... 2026年5月19日
Large Flat Panels Without Ribs or Relief Large flat surfaces are one of the most challenging geometries in metal additive manufacturing. While they may appear simple in CAD, they are highly susceptible to warping, distortion, and internal st... 2026年5月5日
Use Standard Hardware (Pins/Inserts) to Simplify Design One of the most common mistakes in additive design is trying to print every feature directly into the part, including threads, alignment pins, or wear surfaces. While this may seem efficient, it often... 2026年4月28日
Over-Designing Threads Instead of Using Inserts Designing threads directly into 3D-printed parts may seem like a convenient solution, but it often leads to weak and unreliable connections. Additive processes struggle to produce high-quality interna... 2026年4月14日
Design for Manufacturability: What’s New This Year Design for Manufacturability (DFM) has evolved from a reactive step into a core part of modern product development. In today’s fast-paced environment, manufacturability must be considered from the ver... 2026年3月31日
DFM & DfAM Review: Our Checklist A structured Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) review is essential to ensuring that parts move efficiently from concept to production. Rather than identifying... 2026年3月24日
CNC-Level Tolerances on As-Printed Faces One of the most common misconceptions in additive manufacturing is expecting CNC-level precision directly from as-printed surfaces. While metal AM offers incredible design freedom, it inherently produ... 2026年3月17日
Conformal Cooling: When It Truly Makes Sense and When It Doesn’t Conformal cooling has become one of the most talked-about advantages of additive manufacturing in tooling, but its application should be driven by engineering need, not by trend. While the ability to ... 2026年3月17日
Why 80% of Injection Problems Start with Cooling Design Cooling is often the least visible component of injection mold design, yet it has one of the largest impacts on production stability. While operators may adjust temperature, pressure, or cycle times t... 2026年3月10日