Prototypes That Last: Simple Tips for Making Durable Parts, Part 1

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/lyhIWGsrjM8/

http://blog.makezine.com/?p=311281

Advances in low-cost 3D Printing and CNC Machining have made it easy for a growing number of hobbyists to design and manufacture complex parts in the privacy of their homes. But prototypes made out of PLA or machined out of HDPE often prove to have surprisingly little rigidity and strength. As it happens, in most cases, such frustrations can be completely avoided. The manufacturing industry, ever-obsessed with saving time and money, has developed quite a few simple tricks that allow them to routinely tame even the most finicky materials and get precisely the results they want.

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