Knowledge base
Design for manufacturing
Walls, tolerances, file formats and the checks that save a remake.
Surface finishes and what they add to cost
As-printed, sanded, bead blasted, dyed, vapour smoothed, painted, anodised and powder coated: what each finish does, which parts it suits, and how it is priced.
Design for manufacturingMinimum wall thickness by process: FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF, metal, CNC, sheet, moulding
Typical minimum walls for FDM, resin, SLS, MJF, metal printing, CNC, sheet metal and injection moulding in one table, and why height and material matter too.
Design for manufacturingSTL vs STEP vs 3MF (and OBJ, DXF, IGES): which file to send for a quote
Which CAD file to send for a manufacturing quote: what STL, STEP, 3MF, OBJ, DXF and IGES each carry, what they lose, and which one each process needs.
Design for manufacturingDesign for sheet metal: bend radii, reliefs, hole distances and flanges
Sheet metal design rules that stop parts cracking or distorting: bend radii, reliefs, hole-to-edge and hole-to-bend distances, flanges, and a worked flat pattern.
Design for manufacturingDesign for CNC machining: the rules that cut cost
Internal radii, pocket depth, thin walls, holes, threads and tolerances: the CNC design rules that decide machining time, and how to apply them to a real part.
Design for manufacturingDesign for 3D printing: walls, overhangs, holes, clearances and orientation
The design rules that decide whether a 3D printed part works and what it costs, with typical limits for FDM, SLA, SLS and MJF in one table.
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