Injection molded plastics have revolutionized design, innovation, and manufacturing in the 20th century. Before 1950, most products were manufactured in stamped steel, die-cast aluminum, zinc, and ...

In part one of this two-part article, design engineer Michael Paloian outlined the first four milestones of a product-design project, ending with the “cornerstone” of the product-design cycle — ...

Injection-molded plastic part design is a lot like parenting. The job falls into your lap, you have zero qualifications, and yet, you are supposed to do it perfectly while blindfolded. It's difficult ...

Injection molding is a highly-engineered process that demands careful planning and attention to detail if the finished product is to achieve its full potential. The tips in this article should help ...

Editor's Note: An updated version of this information can be found here. What exactly is computer-numerical-controlled (CNC) machining? It’s a means to make parts by removing material via high-speed, ...

Designers of composite parts can choose from a huge variety of fiber reinforcements and resin systems. Knowledge of material properties is a prerequisite to satisfactory product design, but cost is a ...

Thanks to a team of mechanical engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, design engineers now have Web access to 3D design-optimization software that will help them more quickly create parts ...

OpenSCAD has a lot of fans around these parts — if you’re unaware, it’s essentially a code-based way of designing 3D models. Instead of drawing them up in a CAD program, one writes a script that ...

Design patents for component parts are an appealing option for many automotive manufacturers. A design patent is a form of intellectual property right that protects “any new, original and ornamental ...