To reduce the time and cost of producing injection molded sample parts, Robert Seuffer GmbH & Co. KG (Seuffer), a German supplier of parts for household appliances and commercial vehicles, has incorporated Stratasys 3D printing in its … [Read more...]
Material Matters: Acetal
Acetal is a high-performance engineering polymer often used for parts that would otherwise be made of metal. Chosen for its distinct characteristics, it is widely used in both machining and injection molding. There are two types of acetal. … [Read more...]
Design tips for injection molding
Follow these tips for injection molding to get better parts faster. It wasn’t so long ago that most injection molds had to be cut manually by machinists who worked directly from drawings. Then CAD and CNC came along, enabling milling work from … [Read more...]
Cut to the Bone–how to remove weight from designs
We’ve all seen cartoons of the caveman with his waist-high stone wheel. It literally weighs a ton and never seems to be attached to anything. We’ve seen images of chest-high, solid wood wheels on a peasant’s lumbering cart; better than nothing but … [Read more...]
Proto Labs initiates public offering
Proto Labs, Inc. announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 4,300,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $16.00 per share. The shares are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on February 24, 2012 under … [Read more...]
Bigger and Better
We’ve posted tips in the past regarding maximum part size, but since our moldable dimensions have continued to increase, we thought it was time for an update. Some of the figures that follow are simple and absolute; others may vary based on multiple … [Read more...]
Tips on Clips Part 2: Make it Snappy
Plastic’s ability to flex without permanently deforming allows molded parts to incorporate a variety of snap fasteners other than the common hooked cantilever clip. These include: • annular (round) snaps • torsional snaps, which store return … [Read more...]
QuicKaddy Design is Latest Cool Idea! winner
A patent-pending hex key case design by mechanical engineer Matt Nestor is the latest recipient of the Proto Labs Cool Idea! Award. Proto Labs will provide Nestor with prototype parts he can use for demonstrations to major tool companies. The part … [Read more...]
A closer look at injection molding
Periodically we will be showing you potential service providers and resources for your rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing needs. Here's an interesting video from a Michigan company, PTI Engineered Plastics. PTI is a full-service thermoplastic … [Read more...]
Round like a Wheel, Not Like an Egg
When making round parts—gears, pistons, plugs, and anything else that needs to fit, seal, or spin—start by asking just how round does it need to be? If the answer is “as round as possible,” you probably need a center gate. In injection molding, resin … [Read more...]
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