The Digital Thread

3D printing is often a great entry route to prototyping plastic parts mainly because it is a quick, flexible, and cost-effective process. But what happens once you are ready to move forward with your product development plan?

In recent years there has been an increase in the utilisation of robots and AI, the pandemic has only propelled this. This blog touches on some of the current robotics and AI trends.

With analysts predicting a market value of $1 trillion by 2040, the space industry is thriving. But what are the key trends that need to be on your radar?

As the Space sector continues to innovate and develop, adoption of digital manufacturing technologies to support speed, repeatability, and consistency are key to the future success of the industry. In this panel discussion, three of our in-house experts answer your questions on key materials, options for meeting critical quality standards, the future technologies of the industry, and more.

Aluminium is a common and popular metal that’s found everywhere and used in a stunningly wide range of parts and products: automotive parts, aerospace components, boat and marine gear, consumer electronics including smart phones, industrial machinery parts, HVAC systems, the list goes on. In this blog we look at why aluminium is so commonly used, why there are so many aluminium alloys, and take a brief glimpse at the main alloys we use at Protolabs.

Doing the right things in the prototyping phase is a bit more complex than it looks at first glance. Hardware requires special rules to get the results you need.

In this blog we look back on the last four years of manufacturing - the challenges that were overcome, and how this has prepared the sector to meet new challenges head on in the future. Results are reflective of the yearly manufacturing survey sent out to the community in partnership with IMechE.

What’s hot at the moment if you are a start-up business? What's important is what your solution is.

Forming the right partnerships in the early days could make the difference between success and failure.  This blog explores where you can go for help from the early stages of your business through to manufacturing.

This blog explores what you need to consider before you invest in equipment and machinery.