Injection molded plastics have revolutionized design, innovation, and manufacturing in the 20th century. Before 1950, most products were manufactured in stamped steel, die-cast aluminum, zinc, and ...

One of the greatest advantages of designing plastic parts is the vast number of assembly options a designer can apply to his or her design. The most common among these options is the use of screws.

Injection-molded plastic part design is a lot like parenting. The job falls into your lap, you have zero qualifications, and yet, you are supposed to do it perfectly while blindfolded. It's difficult ...

Editor's Note: An updated version of this information can be found here. What exactly is computer-numerical-controlled (CNC) machining? It’s a means to make parts by removing material via high-speed, ...

Designers of composite parts can choose from a huge variety of fiber reinforcements and resin systems. Knowledge of material properties is a prerequisite to satisfactory product design, but cost is a ...

Industrial transportation supplier Hutchinson (Paris, France) developed front and rear axles made from glass-reinforced composites for the Peugeot 208 FE, a hybrid electric concept car. The switch ...

OpenSCAD has a lot of fans around these parts — if you’re unaware, it’s essentially a code-based way of designing 3D models. Instead of drawing them up in a CAD program, one writes a script that ...

When it comes to creating miniature parts, innovative cutting and machining processes continually make more intricate features and precise geometries possible. Although advanced machining can create ...

In the first of a multi-part series on how to design a custom chip for under $1,000, our Analog Editor gets you started with a Magnificent 7 list of textbooks. TinyTapeout offers a course that ...