Injection molding has been the go-to solution for plastic manufacturing. It has been the first option for mass production plastics for many years. A vast number of products we use or see every day around the world are produced via plastic injection molding. However, the molds required for injection molding are usually made of metal […]

For many people, anodizing is simply a process used on some metals to achieve a decorative finish, but it is so much more than that. Anodizing can be defined as an eco-friendly electrochemical process that consists of the creation of an oxide layer on the surface of the metal being treated with the purpose of […]

While 3D printing has been taking an important place in manufacturing in recent years, this technology has also been considered cost-effective only for a group of niche products and prototypes. The main reasons include that additive manufacturing technology still struggles with the consistency needed to manufacture for certain industries. Fortunately, Industry 4.0, deemed the new […]

Quality control (QC) is an important aspect of any manufacturing process, as it is essential to guarantee you get what you requested. To control the quality of your products there are different things you need to do. Among them, ensuring physical and geometrical characteristics match the requirements of the design from prototyping to the final […]

CNC turning is a computerized process that uses a lathe to make circular cuts into a spinning material. The automated CNC process gives a more consistent and precise product than manual machining can achieve, especially with highly detailed designs. This is an efficient method for machining prototypes or other custom-made parts. CNC stands for “computer […]

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. The pandemic has disrupted daily routines, closed businesses and schools, and sent global economies on a rollercoaster ride. But it has also brought out the best in human compassion and innovation. We find one such example in the realm of 3D printing. Mid-march, as the coronavirus raged across […]

We live in an imperfect world where pure exactness is impossible. However, even though “almost” is okay in a game of horseshoes, it is dangerous when designing a car engine. To communicate just how precise a part needs to be, designers and manufacturers use tolerances.The ASME Y14.5 standard, which defines the exact rules for communicating […]

A “one size fits all” approach might work great when mass producing vacuum cleaners, but it doesn’t work so well when it comes to the human body. That is why the 3D printer has found another place to shine—the medical field. Researchers, surgeons, and medical device developers have found unique ways to use 3D printing […]

When technology falls out of fashion, it can get lost in history. The trompe is one of those lost technologies. Around the nineteenth century, if a mine were located near a river, they would install a trompe to use energy from the falling water to isothermally compress air. The trompe provided cold, dry, pressurized air […]

For the last half of July, and if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, look to the northwest in the evening sky to see Comet NEOWISE. Breathtaking photos of the comet are popping up across social media, most of them taken earlier this month when the comet was most visible around dawn. Why all the […]