3D printing has become an increasingly popular solution for manufacturing-related processes, some of which include prototyping, production and the creation of proof-of-concept models. Using a 3D printer, manufacturing companies can build objects from a digitally created model. The object model … Read More

Featuring exterior helical ridges, screws are among the world’s most commonly used fasteners. The exterior ridges, or threading, allow screws to remove material from the object or surface in which they are inserted. As you drive a screw into a … Read More

It’s not uncommon for 3D printers to drip or leak filament. In fused deposition modeling (FDM) — the most common type of 3D printing — the nozzle at the end of the 3D printer’s head will release filament to build … Read More

Not to be confused with investment casting, lost-foam casting is a molding process used to create objects or “castings” from a mold. It involves the use of a polystyrene pellets, which are inserted into the mold cavity. Molten metal is … Read More

Manufacturing companies often use computer-aided design (CAD) files to design, as well as fabricate, products and components. After designing a model and saving it as a CAD file, a worker will upload it to a 3D printer. The 3D printer … Read More

Extrusion is a core component of fused filament fabrication (FFF). During this 3D printing process, a printer will extrude raw material to build the desired object. Most FFF printers use rods or filaments of material. As the material is extruded … Read More

Not all cutting processes involve the use of a physical cutting tool. While lathes and milling machines do, in fact, use a physical cutting tool, laser machines do not. Laser cutting is a cutting process in which a machine projects … Read More