So often, I am asked: “Why must we annotate or tolerance a 3D printed part?” The answer always is “INSPECTION.” Regardless of quality verification for First Article Inspection (FAI) or... read more →
Learning GD&T is just as important as learning trigonometry. After spending 20 years designing advanced hardware, I have some unsolicited advice for new engineers. Although you may be a most... read more →
You've heard the common 3D printing wisdom often enough: set a mesh tolerance fine enough so your printed part doesn't end up looking like bantha poodoo, but coarse enough that... read more →
It's been about a year since we boldly declared drawings dead, and despite citing some major caveats about the accessibility of enabling tools, the conversation nonetheless sparked a wee bit... read more →
If you’ve been following 3D printing’s technological progression over the past several years, you’ll have noticed it has advanced from just making prototypes, to a technology that makes functional, end... read more →
It is abundantly clear that additive manufacturing (AM), whether in plastic, metal, or human tissue, is a manufacturing game changer. But as with any manufacturing method, design for that method... read more →
Last week, we looked at two examples of 3D printed objects with very different tolerances and allowances – a small tree frog and a train console. Since we already covered... read more →
As rapid prototyping techniques evolve from sculpture and form representation into parts that are utilized in the field, the need to convey the CAD designer’s design, manufacturing, and inspection intent... read more →
So that last article was rather frightening for some, you know, with the zombies and the whole thing with engineering drawings not being alive and all that. For some, it... read more →