The Upload

Your blog feed for digital manufacturing resources, in-depth features, and industry news.

Latest Posts

HDPE resin pellets closeup
Materials Science
September 7, 2022

Translucent and Clear Plastic Injection-Molded Parts

Choosing the best translucent material for your molded parts isn’t always crystal clear. There are quite a few things to think about before making your final choice of materials and design.
By Protolabs
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3D Printing and Customized Medical Implants
medical
September 4, 2022

3D Printing and Customized Medical Implants

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.
By Protolabs
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Metal part
Tech Tips
August 15, 2022

How and When to Add Bend Reliefs to Sheet Metal Parts

We often see designs come to us that don’t include bend relief. To ensure that we can successfully create your part, we add relief to your design.
By Protolabs
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A pile of white Nylon Resin pellets
Materials Science
August 15, 2022

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Glass-Filled Nylon

Making nylon parts stronger isn’t difficult. All it takes is the addition of glass to your base material. Explore the pros and cons of glass-filled nylon.
By Protolabs
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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Stereolithography
MFG 360
August 10, 2022

Stereolithography advantages and disadvantages

Stereolithography advantages and disadvantages
By Protolabs
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Cargo ships loading at a port
Supply Chain
August 9, 2022

Onshoring Supply Chains Help Relieve Supply Pains

You know about black swan events: those unpredictable forces that can lead to potentially devastating consequences. They’ve been swooping in with disturbing regularity. Past trade wars with and tariffs on China. The lingering pandemic. The stuck container ship blocking the Suez Canal. Clogged ports. Container shortages. Trucker shortages. Geopolitical uncertainty including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Surging inflation. Ongoing natural disasters and climate-change factors.
By Rob Young
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Clear ABS resin pellets
Materials Science
August 4, 2022

ABS vs. PC: Comparing Two Common Thermoplastics

Choosing to use ABS, polycarbonate (PC), or combining them is a popular way to get strong machined, printed, or molded parts. There are a lot of similarities, but also some significant differences that might help you find just the right one for your parts.
By Protolabs
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Cobot
Digital Manufacturing
August 4, 2022

Decoding Fourth Industrial Revolution Buzzwords

Industry 4.0. is unfolding in real time and the conversation on digitization, automation, and the present and future state of manufacturing is generating quite a buzz. Let’s unpack some common buzzwords we hear on the subject and how they relate to digital manufacturing.
By Protolabs
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This plastic molded enclosure is actually an assembly of multiple parts
Tech Tips
August 1, 2022

Selecting a Manufacturing Method for Electronic Enclosures

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.
By Protolabs
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mold base size
MFG 360
July 20, 2022

Estimating Mold Cost and Eliminating Cost Drivers in Injection Molding

When comparing potential manufacturing processes against criteria like price and lead-time, there are many things to keep in mind. Different processes require different processing times, different types of materials, and most likely, different part design requirements and considerations. Today, we’re going to cover part design cost drivers.
By Rob Young
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John Deere Autonomous Tractor. Photo courtesy Deere and Co.
Eye on Innovation
July 8, 2022

EVs, AVs Take Flight, Sail the Sea, and Work the Farm

The automotive industry’s accelerated move to a future of software-based, battery-powered, electric and autonomous vehicles (EVs, AVs) has been well documented.
By Protolabs
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sheet metal sketch
Tech Tips
July 6, 2022

Optimizing Sheet Metal Technical Data for Fast, Accurate Quotes

When it comes to getting a fabricated sheet metal part that is consistent with a complex set of technical requirements, ensuring that a supplier has all the necessary information to generate an accurate quote is the first (and most important) hurdle to cross.
By Jamie White, Scott Trecartin
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