The Digital Thread

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satellite in space

How to select the right production partner to get your parts into space

Posted On 13 March 2023 By Protolabs
Selecting the right manufacturing partner is vital to ensure your project's success, but how can you be sure that you are making the right decision? We've listed three things you must consider when selecting your production partner.
3D printed rose dress for met gala

How Digital Manufacturing is more than Fad or Fashion

Posted On 13 March 2023 By Protolabs
Digital manufacturing is fast; it provides excellent process transparency and design flexibility, but how exactly is that impacting the fashion industry daily? This blog takes a look at three trends built on the foundations of digital manufacturing.
sla part being finished

Secondary Services in a Race to Come First

Posted On 27 February 2023 By Protolabs
When working in the Space industry, post-processing options are often the difference between a good idea and a successful project. Whilst most of your focus will be on primary production methods, this blog outlines how secondary services can greatly impact your final project.
aerospace part being taken out of delivery box

Production Methods for the new frontier

Posted On 13 February 2023 By Protolabs
Driving innovation in any industry is difficult, but it’s particularly tricky in the space industry. Parts need to be reliable, withstand increasingly harsh conditions, function for extended periods without maintenance and remain lightweight yet tough enough to withstand the forces of launch and space travel. With these requirements in mind, it's important to select the right manufacturing method.
engineer in product design stage

Cutting edge materials for space

Posted On 30 January 2023 By Protolabs
Material science constantly pushes the boundaries of what is possible in product development, but what materials are making an impact in the space industry? We've compiled a list of cutting edge materials used for space applications to help you make the right decision for your project.
engineer working on satellite design file

The Next Frontier: Space and Digital Manufacturing

Posted On 11 January 2023 By Protolabs
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.
direct metal laser sintered metal braket for automotive use

Aluminium Alloys: Go-to Materials for Automotive, Aerospace, and More

Posted On 09 January 2023 By Protolabs
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.
This plastic moulded enclosure is actually an assembly of multiple parts

Selecting a Manufacturing Method for Electronic Enclosures

Posted On 03 October 2022 By Protolabs
Despite their widely varying applications, many electronic devices have at least one thing in common—the circuit boards and other components that make them work are all in an enclosure.
Selective Laser Sintering – Its advantages and disadvantages.

Selective Laser Sintering – Its advantages and disadvantages.

Posted On 14 September 2022 By Protolabs
Here we take a brief look at selective laser sintering advantages and disadvantages to see if it could be the right choice for you.
Moving 3D Printing into Mainstream Manufacturing

Moving 3D Printing into Mainstream Manufacturing

Posted On 14 September 2022 By Protolabs
In this blog we explore how additive manufacturing is moving beyond prototyping into mainstream manufacturing and how it is solving issues in many industries that other production processes cannot.