Resources
Engineering programs do a good job of teaching fundamentals—mechanics, materials science, controls, and analysis. What they often can’t cover in depth are the day-to-day constraints that show up once a design has to be manufactured, assembled, and maintained in the real world.
This resource section exists to help bridge that gap.
The articles here are written from the perspective of engineers who design and build custom machinery for a living, and who also spend a great deal of time working directly with machined components. The goal is not to restate theory, but to share practical guidance on questions that come up repeatedly during design reviews and shop conversations:
- What tolerances are realistic and cost-effective?
- How do material choices affect machinability, durability, and lead time?
- What finishes are commonly used, and what problems do they actually solve?
- Where do small design decisions create unnecessary complexity or risk downstream?
Each page is intended to give designers—especially those early in their careers—clear, experience-based context for making better decisions before parts ever reach the shop floor. For more experienced engineers, these resources are meant to serve as quick references and reminders of trade-offs that matter when designs move from CAD to chips.
By sharing how we think about manufacturability, materials, and tolerances, we hope to make the design-to-build process smoother for everyone involved. Better information up front leads to better parts, fewer revisions, and more predictable outcomes—whether a project is being built in our shop or anywhere else.
Table of Contents
- Materials
- Heat Treatment
- Finishing