Technical insights & field evidence
Content for R&D, operations and procurement teams making practical technical decisions.
Jigs, grippers and fixtures: why 3D printing pays off first on shop-floor tooling — not on the end part
The clearest factory case for additive is often not the serialized component but the tooling that locates, grips, and moves it. A technical walkthrough on conformal fixtures and published industrial benchmarks.
The race to 1,000 parts: when in-house 3D beats molding on the clock — and when it does not
Formlabs pits two Form 4L systems against a real two-cavity mold: hours, dollars, and a break-even point that moves beyond first intuition.
PA6-CF versus 6061 aluminum: choosing beyond Young’s modulus
Fiber-reinforced nylon and a ubiquitous wrought alloy follow different rules: stiffness path, damping, weight, secondary ops, and full cycle cost for jaws, brackets, and end effectors.
When 3D printing leaves the lab: what it means for industrial buyers
McKinsey tracks additive manufacturing moving into real production—not just prototypes—and outlines value levers buyers can put in a business case.
Supply chains and 3D printing: why digital spares are a resilience topic
Deloitte describes the America Makes ecosystem and additive’s role in building industrial flexibility—beyond long overseas batches.
Design for Additive: the win is fewer assemblies and moving mass — not “freeform” alone
EOS outlines the shift from subtraction-first CAD to additive thinking: consolidation, integrated functions, and optimization buyers feel as reliability and total cost.