Whitepapers Pageindex=3 | Eureka Knowledge

Plastics That Meet Medical Needs

Published: 01/23

Designing medical parts? Just as there are countless types of medical procedures, there are also countless types of polymers on the market today. Which ones are best for your medical application? Great question. We’ll attempt to provide some guidance in this design tip, but it’s important to start ...

Digital Manufacturing

Manufacturing’s role in the new space race

Published: 01/23

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that the space industry is thriving. The market was valued at $388.50 billion in 2021, with analysts predicting a market value of $1 trillion by 2040.

Digital Manufacturing

How digital manufacturing is making prosthetics more personal

Published: 12/22

Digital manufacturing is shaping the future of prosthetics and orthotics by producing more personalised and comfortable solutions faster and at a lower cost. It is also accelerating the development of new ideas through rapid prototyping to test new solutions.

Digital Manufacturing

Manufacturing Tool Kit for Consumer Electronics

Published: 11/22

Every January, CES in Las Vegas showcases the latest innovations in consumer electronics. As the largest annual consumer electronics show in the world, it is an over-the-top display of gadgets and gizmos and dramatically illustrates how various electronic chips, boards, circuitry, and connections ...

Digital Manufacturing

Selecting a Manufacturing Method for Electronic Enclosures

Published: 10/22

Electronic devices are everywhere, from smartphones and laptops for consumers to sophisticated medical devices, critical aircraft flight controls, as well as safety, performance, and entertainment systems in electronic and other vehicles.

Digital Manufacturing

Speeding up product development for medical devices

Published: 10/22

Getting a new medical device from concept through approval and to manufacture to the deadlines that you and your team expect is a real challenge. Yet something that the recent pandemic has taught us is that it is possible to innovate and achieve production quickly when it is really needed.

Digital Manufacturing

Common Impact-Resistant Plastics

Published: 10/22

Tough. Fracture-proof. Able to withstand punctures and cracks when struck. That’s how some people describe impact-resistant plastic. As you’ll see, however, that term is ambiguous. Just because a piece of chewing gum doesn’t break in two when hit with a hammer doesn’t mean it’s impact-resistant. ...

Digital Manufacturing

3D printing and customised medical implants

Published: 09/22

3D printing is making major inroads into customising medical implants for individuals. It allows implant manufacturers and sometimes even hospitals to create complex geometries and patient specific solutions that saves the surgeon time and improves a patient’s outcome.

Digital Manufacturing

Selecting a Material for Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing

Published: 09/22

Many factors come into play when comparing the material properties of thermoplastics found in injection moulding versus “thermoplastic-like” materials used in an industrial-grade 3D printing technology like stereolithography (SLA).

Digital Manufacturing

Digital manufacturing and the future of dentistry

Published: 08/22

Major dental work traditionally takes days of time and effort but as technology evolves even complex treatment is possible in just a few hours thanks to digital technology.

Digital Manufacturing

Evaluating UV-Resistant Plastic Options

Published: 08/22

Everyone knows they should apply sunscreen when lying on the beach or spending a lazy Saturday afternoon fishing. That’s because the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can wreak havoc on unprotected skin, causing a painful sunburn or worse. Polymers suffer similar damage from UV radiation, albeit more ...

Digital Manufacturing

Life-cycle Analysis (LCA): Challenges and Solutions

Published: 07/22

What is Life-cycle Analysis (LCA)? Life-cycle Analysis (LCA) is the comprehensive analysis of a product’s entire life cycle system in terms of sustainability.

Digital Manufacturing

Glass Transition Temperature of Polymers

Published: 07/22

There’s an important but often overlooked material consideration when designing parts for plastic injection moulding. It’s called Tg, short for glass transition temperature. We’ll get into the science behind it all later, but for now, just know that there is a temperature where amorphous materials ...

Digital Manufacturing

General Drones: Saving lives at sea with support from Protolabs

Published: 06/22

Reduced rescue times with Protolabs' MJF and SLS technology.

Digital Manufacturing

Challenges on the Horizon

Published: 06/22

The Aerospace industry is no stranger to innovation, but the twin challenges of the pandemic and the ongoing needs to address carbon emissions has left it with some difficult challenges on the horizon. These were clearly recognised from a Protolabs research project two years ago, Horizon Shift, but ...

Digital Manufacturing

Understanding Powder Bed Fusion Technology

Published: 06/22

Powder bed fusion (PBF) is an additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, technology that uses a heat source—typically a laser—to sinter or fuse atomised powder particles together. Like other additive processes this is done one layer at a time until the part is completed.

Digital Manufacturing

Choosing a Heat-resistant Plastic

Published: 05/22

If you’ve ever left a food container in the microwave a bit too long, you’re aware that some plastics don’t handle high temperatures too well. Depending on the vintage and type of container, you might be storing last night’s dinner in polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), or polyethylene (PE), ...

Digital Manufacturing

Advantages of Aluminium for CNC machined parts

Published: 04/22

Aluminium is one of the most popular materials for CNC machined parts – here are six reasons why.

Digital Manufacturing

3D Printing in New Industries

Published: 03/22

When we usually think of 3D printing our minds turn to a handful of familiar areas, such as intricate medical devices, hi-tech automotive parts or rapidly prototyping products that are going to go into mass production. However, over recent years we’ve seen the advantages offered by this technology ...

Digital Manufacturing

Picking the best material for CNC

Published: 02/22

If the sheer amount of choice between the different materials for CNC machining leaves you confused, then find out how you can hone the number down to a more manageable shortlist in this blog.

Simulation

Motors

Bonding & Assembly

Motion Control

Digital Manufacturing

Design Software

Software Automation

Why 3D Print?

Published: 01/22

Over the handful of years that it’s been in use, 3D printing technology has come from a fringe technique to a process used by countless businesses across the world. If you aren’t familiar with the technology yet, it might be difficult to understand this rapid rise in both uptake and success.

MJF vs SLS 3D printing – A head-to-head comparison

Published: 12/21

At first glance the relatively new 3D printing technology Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) may appear to be a replacement for selective laser sintering (SLS) after all both build parts from thermoplastic nylon but MJF is faster, more precise and produces more consistent mechanical properties throughout the ...

Digital Manufacturing

How to Design STL Files for 3D Printing in Your CAD Program

Published: 11/21

We know you have a range of CAD programs and file format options to choose from when designing and sharing your part designs. The STL file, short for stereolithography, is the primary CAD file format that’s used for additive manufacturing (3D printing) design projects. This tip covers how to ...

Digital Manufacturing

Protolabs’ One-stop Guide to Digital Manufacturing

Published: 11/21

?What is Digital Manufacturing? It’s the complete digital integration of automation and advanced technology throughout the manufacturing process – from the moment you upload a 3D CAD model to when we ship your physical parts out the door.

Digital Manufacturing

Fine-Tuning Tolerances for CNC Machined Parts

Published: 10/21

Over stringent tolerances may require secondary processes, which drive up costs. Tolerances that are too loose can foul on assembly. Understanding when and when not to use tolerances will optimise your designs: as standardised tolerances can improve quality, iterate quickly and reduce manufacturing ...

Digital Manufacturing