Engineering Filaments for 3D Printing: Carbon Fiber Nylon, Polycarbonate, ASA, and TPU Explained
Engineering filaments for 3D printing let FDM printers produce parts that go well beyond basic PLA prototypes. Materials such as carbon fiber-reinforced nylon, polycarbonate, ASA, and TPU can handle heat, impact, sunlight, and repeated flexing. Choosing the right one turns a printed part into a functional tool, bracket, or end-use component. Here is a practical […]
Jewelry Repair and Restoration with CAD: Rebuilding Broken Prongs, Worn Shanks, and Missing Parts
Jewelry repair and restoration with CAD gives jewelers new options when a piece is too damaged for traditional bench repair alone. Worn-down shanks, broken prongs, missing components, and damaged settings can be digitally rebuilt and then produced through printing and casting. Our jewelry services team in Los Angeles supports jewelers and clients with CAD-based restoration […]
Laser Engraving Anodized Aluminum and Powder-Coated Metal: Crisp, Durable Branding
Laser engraving anodized aluminum and powder-coated metal is one of the most effective ways to add logos, labels, serial numbers, and designs to metal products. The laser removes the colored surface layer and exposes the bright metal underneath, creating sharp contrast that lasts. Our laser engraving studio in Los Angeles engraves coated metals for product […]
Designing a Product for Kickstarter: CAD, Prototypes, and Manufacturing Readiness Before You Launch
Designing a product for Kickstarter or any crowdfunding platform is exciting, but many campaigns run into trouble after they are funded, when the product has to be manufactured at scale. The best campaigns are built on solid product design work done before launch. Our product design team in Los Angeles helps inventors and startups get […]
3D Scanning for Industrial Equipment Retrofits: Designing Guards, Brackets, and Upgrades That Fit
3D scanning for industrial equipment retrofits helps manufacturers and maintenance teams design upgrades for machines that have no usable drawings. Older equipment, custom-built machinery, and heavily modified production lines often have dimensions that exist only in the physical machine. A scan captures that reality so new guards, brackets, mounts, and components can be designed to […]
3D Printing Miniatures, Figurines, and Collectibles: Detail, Materials, and Painting Prep
3D printing miniatures, figurines, and collectibles has opened up a world of possibilities for artists, game designers, toy creators, and small brands. Today’s resin printers can reproduce fine facial features, textures, and tiny accessories that were once only possible with traditional sculpting and casting. Our 3D printing studio in Los Angeles prints figures for prototyping, […]
How to Brief a CAD Designer: What to Prepare Before Your Product Design Project Starts
Knowing how to brief a CAD designer is the single biggest factor in whether a product design project runs smoothly or stalls in revisions. After more than two decades doing product design and CAD work for inventors, startups, and manufacturers across Los Angeles, we can say with confidence that the projects that finish on time […]
3D Scanning File Formats Explained: Point Clouds, STL/OBJ Meshes, and CAD Models
One of the first questions we get after a 3D scanning job is “what exactly will I receive?” The answer depends on what you plan to do with the data. 3D scanning file formats fall into three broad tiers: raw point clouds, polygon meshes such as STL and OBJ, and parametric CAD models such as […]
How Accurate Is 3D Printing? Tolerances by Technology (FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF, DMLS)
“How accurate is 3D printing?” is one of the first questions we get from engineers and product developers, and the honest answer is: it depends on the technology, the geometry, and the material. With the right process, a printed part can hold tolerances tight enough for snap fits, press-fit inserts, and assemblies that mate with […]
3D-Printed Jewelry Prototypes: Why a Fit Model Before Casting Saves Money and Rework
A 3D-printed jewelry prototype is the cheapest insurance policy in custom jewelry. Before we cast a single gram of gold, silver, or platinum, we print the design in resin so the customer can hold it, try it on, and check the proportions against a real hand, ear, or neckline. After 22+ years of running a […]