Handheld vs Robotic Laser Welding: Which One Should Your Shop Buy?
A buyer's guide to choosing between a handheld fiber laser welder and a robotic laser welding cell - where each pays off, what the decision turns on, and when a shop runs both.
2026-09-19 · Process choice · 10 min read
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Tolerances, datums and geometry decisions that decide what a part costs.
See all 5 in Design & DFM.
Designing Machined Parts for Tool Access
A feature a cutter cannot reach is a feature that costs money or cannot be made at all. How tool reach, pocket depth and radii decide the price of a part.
Threaded Inserts: Assemblies That Survive Being Taken Apart
A thread cut directly into plastic or thin sheet will strip. Heat-set, moulded-in and press-in inserts, and how to choose the one the joint actually needs.
Fastener and Fitting Selection for Machined Assemblies
Threads, inserts, clearance fits and standard versus custom fittings: how to specify the joints that hold a machined assembly together.
A DFM Checklist to Run Before You Order Parts
Twelve checks that catch most manufacturability problems before they reach the machine shop.
How to Set Machining Tolerances Without Overpaying
Set tolerances feature by feature so you only pay for the precision the part actually needs.
Choosing between machining, moulding, EDM, welding and fabrication routes.
See all 11 in Process choice.
Handheld vs Robotic Laser Welding: Which One Should Your Shop Buy?
A buyer's guide to choosing between a handheld fiber laser welder and a robotic laser welding cell - where each pays off, what the decision turns on, and when a shop runs both.
CNC Machining vs 3D Printing vs Injection Molding: Which Process for Your Part?
CNC machining, 3D printing and injection molding each win at a different volume and geometry. How to pick the process that fits the part you actually have.
Thread Production: Tapping, Thread Milling or Thread Rolling
Tapping, thread milling and thread rolling produce a thread three different ways. How the choice changes strength, tolerance, tool life and cost.
CNC Machining or Casting? Choosing the Route for a Metal Part
Machining and casting trade tooling cost against per-part cost, and differ in tolerance, surface and material behaviour. How to pick the route for a metal part.
Workholding and Fixturing: Holding a Part Without Distorting It
How a part is held decides whether it can be machined accurately. Fixture design, clamping force, datum choice, and the distortion that only appears after the clamps are released.
Laser Cutting or Plasma Cutting? Choosing for Sheet Metal
Cut-edge quality, kerf, thickness window and cost per part decide between laser, plasma and waterjet. How to pick the process for a sheet metal part.
Machining Thin-Walled Parts Without Them Moving
Thin walls deflect under the cutter, spring back after clamping and move again after heat treatment. Where the error comes from and how to design around it.
Bend Allowance and Bend Deduction: Getting the Flat Pattern Right
The flat pattern is not the sum of the outside dimensions. How bend allowance, K-factor, bend deduction and springback decide whether a formed part fits.
Planning a Robotic Laser Welding Cell: Throughput, Joint Access and Payback
A laser welding cell is a robot plus a positioner, source, enclosure and fixtures. Plan it around cycle time and access, not brochure power.
Laser Welding for Sheet-Metal Assemblies
When laser welding beats TIG or spot welding on a sheet-metal assembly, and what to design for.
CNC or Injection Moulding? Finding the Crossover
Volume, geometry and material decide whether machining or moulding is the better route for a plastic part.
Grades, surface finishes and how each one behaves after machining.
See all 4 in Materials & finishes.
Heat Treatment and Hardness: What to Specify and When to Machine
Hardness numbers, heat-treatment sequence and distortion: what to put on the drawing, and why the order of machining and treatment decides the tolerance.
Choosing an Aluminium Alloy for Machined Parts
6061, 6082 and 7075 machine, anodise and distort differently. How to match the alloy and its temper to the part, the finish and the tolerance it needs.
Surface Finish Ra Values Explained
What Ra actually measures, which values are realistic from which process, and when a finish spec is wasted.
Choosing a Finish for Machined Hardware
Corrosion, wear, appearance and cost: how to pick a finish for machined metal components.
Inspection, documentation and traceability for machined components.
See all 1 in Quality & inspection.
First Article Inspection: What to Expect and Why It Pays
What an FAI actually verifies, what to send with it, and how to read the report when dimensions miss.
Quoting, supplier selection and lead-time planning for machined parts.
See all 2 in Sourcing & lead time.
From Prototype to Production: What Changes When a Machined Part Scales
The design that worked as a prototype is not automatically the design that ships. What changes at volume, and which decisions should be made before tooling.
How to Read a CNC Quote (and Compare Two of Them)
What a machining quote is actually telling you, and how to compare quotes that look different.