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Protolabs

Halesfield 8
Telford
Shropshire
TF7 4QN
United Kingdom
www.protolabs.co.uk
01952 683 047

customerservice@protolabs.co.uk

Content Partner News

Plastics for Medical Devices and Applications

Published: 12/24

Safety and longevity are key to this list of medical-grade plastics.

Digital Manufacturing

Create Production Parts with Carbon 3D Printing

Published: 12/24

Tips on how to design for Carbon’s additive manufacturing technology, and how Carbon stacks up against stereolithography and Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing.

Digital Manufacturing

Checking the Boxes on Your Approved Vendor List

Published: 11/24

To make it as painless as possible to add Protolabs to your company’s approved vendor list—and streamline part ordering as a result—we pulled together some of the most important areas that procurement and supply chain teams often look for when sourcing a manufacturing supplier.

Digital Manufacturing

3D Printing Functional Parts with Selective Laser Sintering

Published: 11/24

Sintering is the process of applying heat and/or pressure to fuse bits of metal, ceramic, and other materials into a solid mass. It’s nothing new. Nature has been fusing sedimentary minerals into slate and quartzite for eons, and humans began using similar methods to make bricks and porcelain millennia ago. Today, sintering is used to produce everything from gears and connecting rods to sprockets and bearings. It’s also used to 3D print parts.

Digital Manufacturing

PEEK, PEI, LSR, and Other Material Options for Medical Prototyping

Published: 11/24

Developing parts for the medical device industry is a high-stakes process, and material choice is an important decision to make at the outset of the project. Five strong contenders include PEEK, PEI (Ultem), and PPSU; polycarbonates; medical-grade liquid silicone rubber (LSR); and 3D-printed titanium and ABS-like WaterShed XC 11122. The specific requirements for the part or device being developed will help steer the decision .

Digital Manufacturing

9 Mistakes to Avoid When Designing Injection Moulded Parts

Published: 10/24

Navigate these challenges to improve design, shorten production time, and reduce costs on injection moulded parts.

Digital Manufacturing

Comparing the Cost between Injection Moulding and 3D Printing

Published: 10/24

Explore key components such as build time, material cost, and part complexity, which can add or reduce cost to your part.

Digital Manufacturing

How to Avoid ‘Over-Engineering’ Your Next Part Design

Published: 09/24

When you hear the term “over-engineering,” you probably think about all of those overly complicated products we’ve all encountered that seem too complex relative to their intended use. The confusing shower controls. The washer or dryer with a dizzying array of counter-intuitive buttons and settings. Your new car’s baffling audio setup. Well, you get the idea.

Digital Manufacturing

The Benefits of Design for Manufacturability Advisories

Published: 09/24

How DFM guidelines save money, reduce lead times, and deliver better products.

Digital Manufacturing

Top 5 Gaming Trends: How Manufacturers Can Help Level Up The Industry

Published: 08/24

Staying ahead of the latest tech and software is crucial in the dynamic gaming industry. Gamers get it, but others might fall behind. This blog bridges that gap, offering key insights into the top five gaming trends and showcasing how partnering with manufacturers can drive these exciting advancements.

Digital Manufacturing

A Guide to Manufacturing Aerospace Parts

Published: 08/24

4 ways to improve product development in aerospace and defence using speed, component reduction, multiple manufacturing methods, and quality assurance.

Digital Manufacturing

An A to Z Guide of 3D Printing Terminology

Published: 07/24

For the layman, we imagine 3D printing to be simple. It's the same as opening a document and hitting print, right? In reality, 3D printing is immensely technical and requires considerable knowledge to create, set up, and finish a complete 3D printing product. This blog explores some of the most common technical terminology in 3D printing, including the intricacies of Additive Manufacturing, CAD, G-Code, Extruders, and more.

Digital Manufacturing

How Have Aluminium Mould Tools Reshaped the Manufacturing Industry?

Published: 07/24

Injection moulding dates back to the 1920s when a man named John Wesley Hyatt used celluloid (an early plastic) in a mould and used heat and pressure. This was the first injection moulding machine, and out popped the first ever injection moulded part. It wasn’t until the 1940s, when World War II happened, that everyone scrambled to try and find efficient ways to mass-produce parts, and injection moulding came back to the forefront.

Digital Manufacturing

Aerospace Manufacturing in 2024

Published: 07/24

In 2024, a joint survey from the RAeS and digital manufacturing experts, Protolabs, revisited a 2023 questionnaire on the top concerns and issues for those in aerospace manufacturing. One year on, what were the fresh findings of this updated industry snapshot? TIM ROBINSON FRAeS reports.

Digital Manufacturing

How to Reinforce Parts with Support Features and Durable Materials

Published: 07/24

Build strength into your part design by incorporating strategic support features and selecting the right thermoplastics

Digital Manufacturing

Injection Moulding Defects and How to Prevent Them

Published: 06/24

In the world of injection moulding, overlooking proper mould design and maintenance can lead to defects that can ultimately wreak havoc on your production processes and end product quality.

Digital Manufacturing

The Difference Between Jigs and Fixtures

Published: 06/24

Jigs or fixtures? The two terms are easy to confuse. You’ll often find them paired together and despite sharing similar functions, the two are not interchangeable. Let’s learn the subtle differences between these manufacturing tools by examining how they are used to improve manufacturing quality, reduce production costs, and automate work.

Digital Manufacturing

Resin 3D Printing: Use Cases and Key Benefits

Published: 06/24

Many people in the manufacturing industry associate the term “rapid prototyping” with the invention of stereolithography (SLA). First commercialised in 1986, this resin-based printing process soon became a favourite of product developers looking for fast and accurate 3D models of their designs.

Digital Manufacturing

An A-Z Guide to CNC Machining Technology

Published: 05/24

CNC machining where precision meets innovation. In this blog, we'll explore the macroscopic number of technical terms that shape the landscape of CNC machining and dismantle them - to gain a true understanding of their meaning.

Digital Manufacturing

Robotics and automation: what lies ahead?

Published: 05/24

The UK is the 8th largest manufacturing nation, however, the UK comes in at number 25 on the robot density league table. What are the barriers to adoption and what opportunities does robotics and automation open up?

Digital Manufacturing

How a Modified Just-in-Time Manufacturing Approach Evolved for Supply Chains

Published: 05/24

Remember the news coverage a while back showing cargo and container ships near the ports? Some of which were at dock loading or unloading and others were anchored off the coast for days on end?

Digital Manufacturing

How Much Does 3D Printing Cost? Key Factors to Consider

Published: 05/24

No one wants to spend more money than necessary on parts development. Customers often think their choice of material has the biggest effect on cost, but while material does have some influence, the main cost drivers for additive parts are build time and finishing time.

Digital Manufacturing

The Route to Success: Critical Factors for Achieving Sustainable Mobility

Published: 04/24

​Sustainable Mobility can be defined in many ways. Is it a concept for transforming how we transport from an ecological standpoint? Is it taking into account the accessibility of travel with a particular focus on more vulnerable people within society? All are correct, and whilst some may debate the definition of the umbrella term, its growing influence is undeniable.

Digital Manufacturing

Understanding Injection Moulding Tolerances

Published: 04/24

While injection moulding is a relatively precise process, there may be very slight variations between your design and your finished part. Tolerance is the range of deviation in specifications that still allows your part to function as needed. This is especially important when your project involves multiple components that need to fit together during assembly. If critical tolerances aren’t met, your parts won’t fit or perform correctly.

Digital Manufacturing

Comparing the Cost between Injection Moulding and 3D Printing

Published: 04/24

Applications for 3D printing are expanding rapidly in response to new materials, technologies and secondary processes announced seemingly daily. We now see additive manufacturing being used for not only prototyping, but also production parts to reduce assemblies and fabricate complex geometries.

Digital Manufacturing