CNC Machining Resources & Guides

3D Printing Design Guide: MJF with HP PA12 Nylon

Practical 3D printing design rules for MJF with HP PA12 nylon: wall thickness, holes, tolerances, escape holes, nesting and finishing.

3D Printing Design Guide: Nylon Material

Design rules for 3D printing nylon parts: wall thickness, holes, threads, warp control, and when CNC machining is the better route.

3D Printing Design SLS: Guide for Engineers

SLS design rules for engineers: wall thickness, holes, tolerances, powder removal, and when to switch to CNC. Practical limits and trade-offs.

3D Printing Design: Selective Laser Sintering Guide

An engineer's guide to 3D printing design for selective laser sintering: wall thickness, holes, tolerances and when SLS beats machining.

3D Printing DnD Mini: 4 Proven Process Choices

A 3D printing DnD mini guide for engineers: layer height, resin vs FDM, supports, curing, and when a machined metal mini makes more sense.

3D Printing Doll Model Files: 5 Proven Checks Before You Print

A 3D printing doll model buyer guide: 5 checks on file formats, wall thickness, resin choice and print vendors before you send a figure to production.

3D Printing Drawer Slide Guide: Metal vs Plastic

How to design and specify a 3D printing drawer slide: metal SLM vs plastic FDM, load paths, rail geometry, tolerances and when CNC wins.

3D Printing Drawing: 5 Simple Solutions

Five practical fixes for 3D printing drawing defects: stringing, ooze, thin walls, warping and hole roundness. Plus when to switch the part to CNC.

3D Printing Edge Curly Hair: 5 Proven Fixes

3D printing edge curly hair lifts corners off the build plate. Use this troubleshooting guide to find the cause and fix curl before it ruins the part.

3D Printing Equipment: 5 Proven Rules for Tissue Models

3D printing equipment for suspended tissue models: how open microfluidics and degradable walls work, where the method fits, and where it does not.

3D Printing Facilitates Minimally Invasive Pelvic Fixation

How surgeons use patient-specific 3D printed models and drill guides for minimally invasive pelvic fracture fixation, plus the tolerances that matter.

3D Printing Fashion Accessories: 7 Mistakes to Avoid

Seven mistakes that ruin 3D printing fashion accessories, from DFAM and material choice to tolerance, surface finish and total cost.

3D printing field: 7 proven process basics

A practical explainer of the 3D printing field: how the main processes work, where tolerances hold, and where CNC still wins.

3D Printing Filament Recycling: 5 Tips to Cut Costs

Five practical 3D printing filament recycling tips for engineers: sorting, drying, extrusion control, regrind blending, and when to machine instead.

3D Printing File Formats: 6 Essential Formats

A practical guide to 3D printing file formats: STL, STEP, 3MF, OBJ, IGES and AMF, what each one stores, and when to convert before machining.

3D Printing Film Industry Impact: 5 Proven Changes

The 3D printing film industry impact explained for engineers: prop tolerances, materials, lead times, and when CNC machining still wins on set.

3D Printing for Archaeology: Studying Dinosaur Fossils

How micro-CT scanning and 3D printing help paleontologists study dinosaur fossils still locked in albumen-like matrix, and when to switch to CNC.

3D Printing for Breast Cancer: Patient-Specific Parts

How 3D printing supports breast cancer care: imaging files, bolus, guides, and phantoms, plus when CNC machining is the better route.

3D Printing for Small Batch Production: 5 Proven Advantages

5 advantages of 3D printing for small batch production: no tooling, fast design loops, and the part sizes and volumes where it beats CNC.

3D Printing Forecast 2023: Software and Automation

A 2023 3D printing forecast for engineers: where software, print simulation and automation were headed, and how that changed quoting for metal parts.

3D Printing Fuel Cell Parts: 6 Basics That Cut Cost

3D printing fuel cell hardware changes flow paths, seals and bipolar plates. See 6 proven basics for engineers, plus when CNC wins.

3D Printing Gaming Miniatures: 7 Secrets to Perfect Prints

Resin choice, orientation, supports, exposure calibration and post-processing trade-offs for 3D printing gaming miniatures at 28 mm and below.

3D Printing Glock Mag Extensions: Design and Material Guide

How to design and produce a 3d printing glock mag extension: material choice, wall thickness, feed lip fit, and when machining beats printing.

3D Printing Healthcare Forecast 2023: What Engineers Should Know

A 2023 look at 3D printing in healthcare: where additive fits, where CNC still wins, materials, tolerances and the questions engineers ask before production.