Manufacturing Resources

Check out our library of free manufacturing resources—from technical white papers to quick design tips to insight videos.

Guides and Trend Reports

Product Development Outlook Cover

Product Development Trends in 2024

Innovation challenges of today and the future
Learn More arrow_right_alt
Thermoplastic materials

Material Alternatives for Plastic Injection Moulding

During shortages, use these substitutes for ABS, PC, PP, and other commonly moulded thermoplastics
Read White Paper arrow_right_alt
Manufacturing Robotics Report mockup

Manufacturing Robotics Report

An engineer's guide to understanding the state of the art in hardware, materials, and the future of robotics manufacturing.
Read White Paper arrow_right_alt
Designing for Mouldability: Fundamental Elements

Designing for Mouldability: Fundamental Elements

Our comprehensive Designing for Mouldability white paper is a quick reference guide to wall thicknesses, surface finishes, tolerances, materials, and other thermoplastic moulding insights.
Read White Paper arrow_right_alt
illustration of cnc machining threaded holes

CNC Machining for Prototypes and Low-Volume Production Parts

How to create efficient, manufacturable metal and plastic parts through design considerations, material selection, and streamlined machining processes.
Read White Paper arrow_right_alt
Scientific Moulding

Scientific Moulding Helps Ensure Repeatable Part Function

How to create consistency in injection moulding part production through detailed, scientific processes
Read White Paper arrow_right_alt

Design Tips

Glass Transition Temperature of Polymers

Glass Transition Temperature of Polymers

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 or Tg.
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt
Improve parts for aerospace products

Manufacturing Tool Kit for the Aerospace Industry

These four things can improve product development and design for aerospace and defense companies.
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt
injection moulding surface finish colour-coded sample

Sorting through Surface Finishes

Sorting through Surface Finishes
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt
draft angles of varying degrees

Design Essentials for Injection Moulding

How draft, radii, wall thickness and other design factors improve part manufacturability
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt
5 Ways to Improve Part Mouldability with Draft

5 Ways to Improve Part Mouldability with Draft

Apply proper draft early and often to injection-moulded parts to save production time and money
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt
Undercut part design infographic

6 Ways to Achieve Undercut Success in Moulded Parts

If your part design requires undercuts, consider side-action cams, bumpoffs, inserts, and other complex injection moulding techniques.
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt
Tolerances for machined parts

Fine-Tuning Tolerances for CNC Machined Parts

Maximize part quality, navigate design challenges using standardized tolerances on machined parts
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt
Injection moulding material recommendations for your parts

Popular Injection Moulding Materials and How to Select the Right Plastic for Your Part

Common injection moulding plastic materials for Your Parts
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt
plastic comparison chart

Selecting a Material for Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing

Compare materials for stereolithography with one another and with injection-moulded plastics.
Read Design Tip arrow_right_alt

Insight Videos

What is anodising - Insight Presentation

Anodising - Protecting and Finishing your Aluminium Part

This week we are taking a closer look at anodising aluminium parts and why it is a great way to protect this metal or to add a decorative finish.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt
Insight

Insight: Bump Off

Bump-offs are a clever technique used when wanting to create a part with some kind of undercut, but still want the simplicity of a straight-pull mould. Normally these undercuts would catch on the mould when you were ejecting it, but with the right material and the right design we can make parts that work just fine and don’t need the use of any side actions.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt
Insight

Insight: 3D Printing Living Hinges

Living hinges are flexible hinges that are made of the same material as the pieces it connects to. This video will talk about making them working when using 3D Printing.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt
Insight - SLS Materials

SLS Materials

In this video we explore Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) materials and their suitability for functional parts that require greater toughness and higher impact strength. We cover a range of materials including: PA12 white, PA11 black, PA 12 40% glass filled, polypropylene, PA 12 flex black, PA12 carbon filled, and TPU 88A black; assessing what each one can bring to your project.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt
Insight - DFMA - Design for Manufacturability

Insight: DFMA - Design for Manufacturability Analysis

DFM analysis helps to ensure you get quality parts without production delays.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt
Insight

Ejector Pins

Ejector pins are the silent helpers of the injection moulding world. They’re utterly vital to the process of creating parts, but if all goes well, they leave barely a mark on them. Sometimes this is not the case and there can be a bit of evidence left behind. In this video we talk about how design and position can minimise this kind of thing, considering shape and specific qualities of the part.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt
insight undercut fundamentals

Undercut Fundamentals

This video will look at a common problem when designing parts for injection moulding, undercuts. The most common piece of advice you will get, is avoid them if you can, but sometimes you can’t. With this in mind, we will give a handful of tips that can help alleviate design issues caused by them.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt
Stereolithography Material Selection

Stereolithography Material Selection

Stereolithography is an excellent choice for rapid prototyping and project designs that require the production of very accurate and finely detailed parts. It also offers a broad range of different materials with a range of tensile strengths, flexibility and elongation to break point.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt
Insight - TPU MJF

TPU MJF

In this video we start with a recap on why you would choose MJF rather than other 3D printing technologies. And we explore TPU, looking at the advantages of the material and how it can be used.
Watch Video arrow_right_alt

Design Aids

Injection Moulding Design Cube

Injection Moulded Design Cube

The design cube, however simple, demonstrates what you can expect to achieve, with some helpful guidance to support you.
Get a Free Design Cube arrow_right_alt
3DP material selector

3DP Material Selector

Our pocket-sized Material Selector is a quick reference guide to help you identify the right thermoplastic-like and metal materials for your next 3D printing project. It lists specific measurements like resolution, tensile strength and hardness to ensure you have the most suitable material and additive manufacturing process for your part’s application.
Get a Free 3DP Material Selector arrow_right_alt
Injection Moulding material selector

Injection Moulding Material Selector

We stock numerous thermoplastic resins and liquid silicone rubber (LSR) materials. Each one is suitable for specific part applications and industries, so our pocket-sized Material Selector is a useful reference guide to help you choose the right material for your project. It details some of the key technical property variations so that you can quickly make an informed decision. In addition to this, the Selector includes information on maximum dimensions for plastic injection moulding, LSR moulding, and overmoulding & insert moulding.
Get a Free Injection Moulding Selector arrow_right_alt
CNC Machining material selector

CNC Machining Material Selector

We stock numerous materials for your CNC machining project, with multiple grades of plastics and metals available. Our pocket-sized Material Selector is a quick reference guide to help you choose the right plastic or metal material to suit your requirements. It lists specific measurements like heat deflection, tensile strength and hardness to identify the most suitable material for your part’s application, along with its suitability for milling and turning.
Get a Free CNC Machining Selector arrow_right_alt
design

Educational Hub

Whether you’re teaching a class of future engineers, prototyping in a university laboratory, or expanding your manufacturing knowledge with continued learning, you’ll find a mix of valuable resources here covering digital manufacturing, 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection moulding.

On this page find CPD accredited resources, other certified resources, educational tools and much more.

See More