By Jack Rulander, Senior R&D Engineer, Protolabs Injection molding is responsible for bringing us many of the products we rely on daily, from children’s toys to household items and smartphones. Working for a digital manufacturer that serves nearly 50,000 product developers annually, we see countless CAD files for injection molded parts big and small, representing […]

Digital manufacturing leader Protolabs has again expanded its CNC machining capabilities to allow for accelerated anodizing and chromate plating on aluminum components. From time of quote to manufacturing to shipping, customers can now get custom machined parts with plating in as fast as four days. “While traditional finishing processes like anodizing have been around for…

More engineers are embracing design for manufacturing (DFM) to streamline production workflows. Industry leaders such as Apple, GE, and Samsung have already adopted DFM as part of their standard practices. If you’re using the “over the wall” engineering strategy — in which the design team completes their work and then tosses it to the manufacturing […]

With the AMUG Conference and Rapid+TCT under our belt, the AM industry has already covered a lot of ground in 2023. So far this year, we’ve seen an uptake in interest across all sectors on how 3D printing technology can boost production, transform business models, and support sustainable manufacturing. Aerospace, defense, and medical are still […]

The Space Enterprise Berkeley (SEB) team successfully launched their first-ever liquid-fueled rocket, Eureka-1, which reached 11,024 ft in December last year. The collegiate team partnered with Protolabs to create parts for Eureka-1’s plenum and complex parachute system using selective laser sintering (SLS). “3D printing made sense for creating a part that could combine functionalities. It […]

Protolabs has invested in a new manufacturing model that will help its growing customer base access advanced production capabilities, reduced part costs, and, importantly, higher volumes. Protolabs has combined its own, state-of-the-art digital factories in the UK and Europe with a distributed network of manufacturers that is powered by Hubs, transforming the way production at…

Protolabs has launched Design for Manufacturability analysis for 3D printed parts, offering peace of mind to manufacturers across Europe. It is a significant advancement to the 3D printing offering as it provides added assurance that a part is suitable for manufacturing before committing to production, all entirely online in a matter of seconds. Protolabs have […]

3D printing/additive manufacturing can help designers simplify a part, reducing assembly steps in many cases, and creating a better end product. Is it possible, though, to over engineer a part? 3D printing engineers like Eric Utley of Protolabs see situations where a part was over engineered. Here are some tips to help reduce excessive engineering […]

The votes are in and the winners of the 2021 LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) were announced in a digital ceremony with products across multiple categories, including Software. Critical to LEAP’s success is the involvement of the engineering community. No one at WTWH Media selected the winners. Instead, our editorial team did the…

Digital manufacturing leader Protolabs announced that The BOOM has been selected as a winner of the Cool Idea Award, a manufacturing grant used to help accelerate the development of innovative products. The BOOM is an organization that empowers kids to develop skills and hands-on experience to build a brighter future. Piloting in the close-knit Bayview […]

The aerospace industry was an early adopter of additive technology, followed by the automotive industry. Where do these industries stand in relation to additive technology today? In a recent interview, David Giebenhain, global product director at Protolabs, shares his thoughts. Design World · Trends in aerospace and automotive additive manufacturing The aerospace industry has been […]

Brothers Barry and Jered Dean didn’t set out to start a company. But nothing on the market solved their problem: Keeping Barry’s daughter, Katherine, safe in her power wheelchair. Users can get hurt if the devices, which weigh hundreds of pounds, tip over or run into objects. That happened to Katherine, who was born with…

By Jon Eric Van Roekel, Protolabs Advancements in 3D printing have made it a proven, industrial-grade manufacturing practice for end-use parts that is shaping product design. At Protolabs, we are seeing this evolution firsthand as customers are leveraging new additive manufacturing (AM) processes and expanding material options to make a more complex, lightweight, or sustainable […]

A key metric for Oil & Gas and the wider energy sector, this certification will provide important assurances around part performance and equipment safety for the demanding conditions of the sector. Protolabs, a world leading digital manufacturer, has worked closely with DNV to achieve ‘Qualification of Manufacturer’ certification. Protolabs is among the first manufacturers in […]

Digital manufacturing leader Protolabs has launched its new digital quoting and design analysis platform to its U.S.-based customers, following a successful launch late last year to its European-based users. “Protolabs was founded on a digital manufacturing model that would dramatically reduce the time it took to get parts—and it was a success. Twenty years later, […]

Proto Labs, Inc., a global technology-enabled digital manufacturing leader, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 3D Hubs, Inc. (“3D Hubs”), a leading online manufacturing platform that provides engineers with on-demand access to a global network of approximately 240 premium manufacturing partners. The transaction creates the world’s most comprehensive digital manufacturing offer for custom […]

Listen as Greg Thompson of Protolabs discusses how service bureaus are helping in the battle against the Coronavirus with their ability to offer a range of prototyping and manufacturing capabilities. Welcome to Technology Forward. In addition to additive vendors’ efforts to help healthcare workers, service providers are also doing their part. Today, I’m here with […]

Digital manufacturing leader Protolabs announced that Tozuda is its latest Cool Idea Award winner. Attached to sports helmets, the head impact sensors made by this Philadelphia-based company of the same name change color to bright red when they experience an impact potentially strong enough to cause a concussion. Protolabs’ Cool Idea Award provides in-kind manufacturing…

In 2008, 38-year-old ‘Monster’ Mike Schultz from St. Cloud, MN suffered a knee injury during a snowmobile competition, resulting in the amputation of his left leg above the knee. The prosthesis Schultz received after his accident didn’t perform as he needed for competitive, rigorous sports. Using his knowledge and experience of fabrication and tuning suspension…

It’s been a long, long time in coming. But the dream of making millions of unique, individual products is getting closer to reality.  And that’s a good thing as consumers continue to search for and demand products that meet their individual preferences. At this year’s CES show, a survey by CITE Research and Dassault Systemes […]

Today’s volatile market – no matter the industry – wreaks havoc on even the best inventory strategies. On-demand manufacturing, though, gives engineers a way to use their inventory model to create the parts they need, when they need them. No more managing excess inventory or tying up cash flow in products that won’t be sold […]

Machining?  Injection molding? Additive manufacturing? Sheet metal fabrication? Engineers and product designers have several manufacturing choices to consider these days during the design and prototyping stages of making a part. Machining and injection molding have common recommended design practices, known as Design for Manufacturing or Manufacturability (DFM), which can guide the design of a part […]

The Cool Idea Award: Healthcare Grant is an extension of Protolabs’ flagship Cool Idea Award program. Protolabs recently announced two winners of this grant—MedStar Health and Cleveland Clinic Innovations for a device that improves NICU feeding and a feeding tube that enhances the quality of life for patients, respectively. These grants provide in-kind manufacturing services […]

Backed by powerful software, the nūrio EEG device gives one an in-depth look at the activity of the mind anytime, anywhere. It uses AI algorithms that let users transform thoughts into commands to control things, such as IoT devices connected to the nūrio cloud. The proprietary architecture allows Brain-Computer Interfaces to control most devices with…

For a little fun and relaxation: The Hacksmith used Protolabs’ CNC machining services to recreate the blade handguard and handguard spacer from the movie Avengers: Endgame.   Protolabs www.protolabs.com