Exploring our automated sheet metal DFM advisories to improve your parts.

Improve hole designs in your sheet metal parts with guidance from our automated DFM advisories.

Exploring the multiple ways you can lower your part costs at all stages when developing parts.

Resin 3D printing describes a subset of manufacturing technologies that additively build parts by curing liquid resin.

Discover if CNC machining, 3D printing, or injection molding is best for your plastic prototype.

Need 3D printing's geometries but think overmolding is just for injection molding? Try using PolyJet!

Using a lattice interior can help lightweight parts while improving strength and durability.

3DP design for manufacturing (DFM) advisories help avoid production delays and wasted iterations.

Vapor smoothing uses chemical vapors to smooth and remove surface impurities from 3D-printed parts.

Address design change requests related to slot widths and wall thicknesses for molded parts.

Parts turning to piles of rust? These materials can help you avoid the scourge of corrosion.

Safety and longevity are paramount with plastic medical parts. Which work best for your application?

Need long-lasting plastic parts? Take a dive into the world of impact-resistant plastics.

This design tip evaluates UV-resistant plastic options available for injection molding, 3D printing, and CNC machining.

Glass transition temperature (Tg) affects moldability, strength, elasticity, transparency, and more.

Powder bed fusion (PBF) is a 3D printing technology that sinters (fuses) powder particles together.

Melted plastic parts stink. Find out what materials will help you avoid this issue in your products.

Explore your options, including standard and Mold-Tech finishes, for your plastic molded parts.

K-factor, bend allowance/deduction, & outside setbacks all affect sheet metal design. Find out more!

Standard machining tolerances can maximize quality, reduce cost, & simplify designs for your parts.

Try these tips to optimize your design for STL—the common CAD format used in additive manufacturing

Check out these machining and sheet metal finishing options to protect parts and improve function.

Improve part design in 3D printing by adhering to minimum feature sizes, avoiding warpage, and more.

These four things can improve product development and design for aerospace and defense companies.

Explore and try these 11 design tactics that can help you save money on sheet metal parts.

Get quick-turn machined production parts for less & finishing options from a single-source supplier.

Navigate these challenges to improve design, shorten production time, reduce costs on molded parts.

Consider these guidelines when designing for Multi Jet Fusion and selective laser sintering.

Here are eight ways to improve the design, development, and function of medical products and devices.

We’ve compiled six common machining issues to avoid to help you improve part design and reduce cost.

We’ve compiled the most typical sheet metal design issues to help you avoid delays and added costs.

Improve parts with customization, material choices, iterative prototyping, and digital manufacturing.

With a universe of metal and plastic options, let your machined parts function determine material.

Get tips on designing for Carbon, and see how it compares to stereolithography and Multi Jet Fusion.

Designing sheet metal parts requires you to think of them and their features as flat and formable.

Find out why your material’s mechanical, physical, thermal, & electrical properties can be critical.

Improve dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, and mechanical properties on critical metal parts,

Consider hardware material, placement, and other specifications to help optimize sheet metal parts.

Sometimes, combining subtractive and additive manufacturing is great for manufacturing metal parts.

Consider material, hinge length, & bend degree when designing 3D-printed parts with living hinges.

3D printing is a great way to produce irregular, intricate, or smaller jigs and fixtures.

Threading for injection-molded plastic parts is complex—these tips can help you navigate the process.

Secondary operations for commercial-grade 3D printing can improve form & function of additive parts.

Explore how material compatibility, adhesion, friction, and wear affect design of molded parts.

Consider three types of gate options and the placement of those gates when designing molded parts.

Proper design and position of ejector pins helps minimize their effect on injection-molded parts.

Consider material and finishing options along with design elements like bends, reliefs, holes, and slots when developing sheet metal components.

Create complex machined parts faster and more efficiently with a few quick tips.

Create engaging, efficient parts, and reduce costs with these complex injection molding design ideas.

Create functional prototypes and end-use production parts with HP’s popular 3D printing technology.

Overmolding is used to add a second molded part to an existing part, like a grip, handle, or cover.

A combination of both plastic and metal, insert molding can add strength and durability to parts.

Optical liquid silicone rubber is replacing glass in many optical and lighting applications.

Find out how to add threaded features to your CAD and display them in Protolabs’ quoting system.

Consider process, material selection, and part geometry when designing functional 3D-printed parts.

Use PolyJet to combine elastomeric and rigid properties when prototyping two-material components.

Explore your material options for designing elastomeric parts for 3D printing and injection molding.

Additive manufacturing can reduce prototyping & low-volume production costs, if you know the rules.

Selective laser sintering prints durable plastic parts for prototyping and low-volume production.

Compare the array of stereolithography materials with one another & with injection-molded plastics.

Stereolithography, a staple of 3D printing, can deliver complex prototypes quickly and accurately.

Creating Complex Undercuts with Bumpoffs

Cost-effective assemblies require flexible yet simple designs and alternative manufacturing tech.

Liquid silicone rubber is popular among injection molding materials. Explore optimizing LSR design.

Side-action cams, bumpoffs, inserts, & other options help with undercuts on injection molded parts.

Stretch your budget with these injection molding design recommendations. Quick hint: Simplify!

Consider hole depths, threading, wall thickness, and more to reduce production time and expense.

Rapid injection molding can reduce time to market during development prior to production tooling.

Explore and compare how high temperatures affect thermoplastics & thermosets for injection molding.

Learn the key characteristics of common injection molding materials and recommended applications.

Injection-molded parts with colorants and pre-compounds requires knowledge of the base material.

Glass fibers, colorants, and other additives enhance injection-molded parts, but can affect design.

Molded parts can have consistent walls and features with minor adjustments to geometry & materials.

Adding text characters to a part? Be aware of design issues that may emerge. Check out this tip!

Consider these tips for identifying the right surface finishes when you’re designing molded parts.

Eliminate side-actions, and save money, on molded parts if your design can support additional draft.

Shut-offs help engineers and developers solve difficult tooling and design issues in molded parts.

Trouble with press-fit part ejection when the fit is tight? Add crush ribs to solve your problem.

Sharp corners cause trouble when molding plastic parts. Use corner rounding and filleting to help.

With some proper planning for parting lines you can improve both part cosmetics and functionality.

When moving from single- to multi-cavity tooling, parts might behave differently. Plan accordingly.

In some situations, mold modifications can made in the existing mold, saving time and money.

Making modifications and prototyping go hand-in-hand. Here are some ways to save time and money.

Designing one part that mates to its symmetrical self has benefits, as shown in this design tip.

Injection molding can be useful for prototyping optical components but there are a few caveats.

Living hinges—like the flip-top on a ketchup bottle or weekly pillbox—can be challenging to mold.

Use on-demand manufacturing to reduce costs, provide critical inspections, & tame demand volatility.

Learn how to improve your molded part’s appearance and function by avoiding unsightly knit lines.

When injection molding parts, knit lines may be no problem, or can cause a serious structural issue.

Consider gate type and location in molded part designs as it could affect quality and moldability.

Check out these four ways to create channels, tunnels, & holes in your injection-molded part design.

Apply proper draft early and often to injection-molded parts to save production time and money.

Find out how draft, radii, wall thickness and other design factors improve part manufacturability.

Improve the appearance & performance of injection-molded parts by eliminating cosmetic issues early.

Designs for molded parts sometimes require complex features. These mold-making techniques can help.

Well-designed clips on parts handle stress with ease and fully recover after each deflection.

If you design molded parts that must include undercuts, you need to know about side-actions.

A boss is a raised feature, and its design depends on function. Size is critical to avoid sink.

Designing molded parts requires that parts stay in the mold half containing the ejector system.

Designers build strength into part designs by using support features and choosing the right material.

For parts with cylindrical features, as it was in the past, your best option may be using a lathe.

Incorporate these design and material ideas to simplify your CNC machining design, and lower expenses.

Enhance your product development and design efforts by using this primer on 3D CAD programs.

Protolabs' interactive quote system and free manufacturing analysis help you improve your designs.

Flow analysis helps decide gate placement, locate knit lines, and find areas where gas can get trapped.

Direct metal laser sintering brings unprecedented freedom and strategies to traditional part design.

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) reliably produces complex, durable, lightweight metal parts.

Learn how to solve undercut issues during design phase with side-actions, inserts, and shut-offs.

We’ve compiled the most typical sheet metal design issues to help you avoid delays and added costs.