Stop Rust & Pitting: An Engineer’s Guide to 18/10, 18/8 & 18/0 Steel
It’s one of the most common questions I get, and it comes from everywhere—from startup founders designing a new piece of kitchenware to plant managers trying to figure out why a new stainless steel tank is showing rust spots after a month. They all point to a number stamped on the metal, a code like […]
Stop Print Failures: An Engineer’s Guide to DMLS vs. SLM
Feature DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) SLM (Selective Laser Melting) Core Mechanism Sintering: Laser heats powder to the point where particle surfaces fuse. Melting: Laser fully melts the powder into a liquid that solidifies. Material Compatibility Best for alloys with a wide melting range (Inconel, Tool Steels). Best for pure metals or alloys with a single melting […]
Fix Bad Holes: to Using a Reamer Correctly
Quick Answer: What is a Reamer? A reamer is a precision rotary cutting tool used to enlarge a previously drilled, bored, or cored hole to an exact size while leaving a smooth, clean internal finish. Unlike a drill bit, which is a roughing tool, a reamer is a finishing tool. It removes only a small […]
Why Standard Gears Fail: A Guide to the Industries That Depend on Custom Gearing
For over 25 years, I’ve been a partner at RM, a factory that solves mechanical problems. Day in and day out, clients bring us their ambitions, their challenges, and, quite often, their expensive failures. And in a surprising number of those cases, the root of the problem is a single, deceptively simple component: the gear. […]
Stop Gear Failures: An Engineer’s Guide to Choosing the Right Material
Quick Answers: Choosing Your Gear Material The Challenge: The Solution: Material Quick Select: Clive’s Bottom Line: There is no sound on a factory floor more expensive than sudden silence. I heard it fifteen years ago. A deep, percussive CRACK that echoed off the concrete walls, followed instantly by the high-pitched scream of a 200-horsepower motor […]
Stop Product Failures: An Engineer’s Guide to TPR Properties
Quick Answers: The Core Properties of TPR Property Description & Value Rubber or Plastic? It’s both. TPR is a polymer alloy that combines the properties of plastic (easy to process) with the performance of rubber (flexible and soft). Is it Soft? Yes. It’s available in a huge range of hardness levels, from gel-like soft to […]
Stop Product Failures: An Engineer’s Guide to TPR vs. PVC
In my 25 years of running a factory that turns raw plastic pellets into finished products, I’ve learned that the most expensive mistakes often begin with the simplest questions. A client will walk in, point to a CAD model of a handle grip, and say, “We want this part made from a cheap rubber.” That […]
Fix Burnt Edges & Bad Cuts: An Engineer’s Laser Cutting Guide for Metal & Paper
In the 25 years I’ve been running this factory, I’ve seen technologies come and go. Fads flare up, promise to change everything, and then fade into obscurity. But the industrial laser cutter? It’s different. It’s the one tool on my floor that has become more essential, more versatile, and more profitable with each passing year. […]
Stop Stripped Heads: An Engineer’s Guide to Countersink vs. Counterbore
Feature Counterbore Countersink Purpose Seats a cylindrical-head fastener below the surface. Seats a tapered-head fastener flush with the surface. Hole Shape A cylindrical, flat-bottomed hole on top of a thru-hole. A conical/tapered hole on top of a thru-hole. Fastener Type Socket Head Cap Screw (SHCS), Hex Head Bolt Flat Head Screw (FHS), Countersunk Screw Key […]
What is the difference between PLA and PET filament?
Feature PLA (Polylactic Acid) PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol) Primary Use Case Rapid Prototyping, Visual Models, Hobbyist Prints Functional Prototypes, Mechanical Parts, End-Use Items Strength & Durability Stiff and rigid, but brittle. Snaps under stress. Less rigid, but much tougher. Flexes before breaking. Heat Resistance Very Low. Warps above 60°C (140°F). Good. Stable up to 80°C (175°F). Ease of Printing […]
