Engineering Guides & References
Practical design-for-manufacturability guides and technical references, grounded in the same rules our DFM engine checks and the published standards behind them.
Capabilities Sheet
A two-page summary of MASA FabWorks: all six processes with their key specs, how we work, and who we work with. Easy to share with your team.
Engineering Calculators
Work out a number rather than read about it. No sign-up, and the sheet metal limits come from the same rule set our automated DFM review runs.
Bend Allowance Calculator
Calculate bend allowance, bend deduction and flat length from thickness, inside radius, angle and k-factor. Checks the radius against forming limits.
Open the calculatorTap Drill Size Calculator
Find the tap drill for any metric or unified thread at a target percent of thread, with the nearest stocked drill and minimum thread depth by material.
Open the calculatorSurface Finish Converter
Convert Ra between micrometers and microinches, and cross-reference RMS, Rz, VDI 3400 and SPI mold grades, with the processes that reach each value.
Open the calculatorISO Fits and Tolerances Calculator
Compute ISO 286 hole and shaft limits at any nominal size, with max and min clearance and whether the fit is clearance, transition or interference.
Open the calculatorDesign Guides
Per-process design-for-manufacturability guides, with the numbers our DFM engine checks and the standards behind them.
Designing for CNC Machining: A DFM Guide
The design rules that matter most for CNC milling and turning, with the numbers we use and why: walls, radii, pockets, holes, tolerances, and finish.
Read the guideDesigning for Injection Molding: A DFM Guide
Wall thickness, draft, ribs and bosses, undercuts, gates, and tolerances for injection-molded parts, keyed to resin, with the numbers we use.
Read the guideDesigning for Sheet Metal Fabrication: A DFM Guide
Bend radius, flange length, hole placement, K-factor, cut methods, and tolerances for sheet metal parts, with the numbers we use, keyed to material thickness.
Read the guideDesigning for 3D Printing: SLA, SLS, MJF, FDM, and DMLS
How to choose among SLA, SLS, MJF, FDM, and DMLS, with minimum wall and feature sizes, overhang and orientation rules, drain holes, and achievable tolerances.
Read the guideDesigning for Die Casting: A DFM Guide
Wall thickness, draft, fillets, ribs, bosses, parting lines, and tolerances for aluminum, zinc, and magnesium die castings, with the numbers we use.
Read the guideDesigning for Vacuum Casting: A DFM Guide
How urethane casting works and the wall, draft, undercut, tolerance, and resin rules for realistic cast-plastic prototypes from a silicone mold.
Read the guideTechnical References
References on materials, tolerances, finishes, fastening, inspection, and cost that apply whatever the process.
The DFM Checklist and Defect Catalogue
A cross-process pre-quote checklist and a catalogue of the common manufacturing defects, what causes each, and the design change that prevents it.
Read the guideMaterials Selection Reference: Alloys and Resins
The metal and plastic families we work in, the properties that separate them, and how to narrow from a family to a grade that both performs and manufactures cleanly.
Read the guideGD&T, Tolerances, and Fits: A Primer
General tolerances, the GD&T controls and feature control frame, material condition and bonus tolerance, and how to choose an ISO 286 fit, with achievable bands by process.
Read the guideSurface Finish Reference: Ra, SPI, VDI, and Coatings
How surface finish is measured (Ra, Rz, Rq), the SPI and VDI mold-texture scales, and how to match platings and coatings to aluminum, steel, and stainless.
Read the guideMetrology and Inspection: How Parts Are Verified
The inspection workflow, the measurement equipment (CMM, optical, roughness, hardness, XRF), how to choose an inspection level, and the documentation you can receive.
Read the guideThreads, Inserts, and Fastening
Cut threads vs thread-milling, minimum thread engagement, and when to use heat-set, press-fit, or self-clinching inserts so a joint holds and survives reassembly.
Read the guide3D Printing Post-Processing and Finishing
Support and powder removal, bead blast, dyeing, vapor smoothing, and painting across SLA, SLS, MJF, FDM, and DMLS, and what each finish does to dimensional accuracy.
Read the guideHow to Choose a Manufacturing Process
How material, volume, tolerance, and geometry point to CNC, sheet metal, 3D printing, vacuum casting, injection molding, or die casting, with a quick decision path.
Read the guideDesign for Cost: The Levers That Set Part Price
The design decisions that drive part cost most, tolerance, geometry, material, finish, and volume, and how to spend cost only where it buys function.
Read the guideMaterial Certifications and Compliance
RoHS, REACH, biocompatibility, material certificates, and the quality systems behind them: what you specify, what the facilities hold, and the documentation you receive.
Read the guideFrom Prototype to Production
Scaling a part from a 3D-printed prototype through a vacuum-cast or machined bridge run to injection-molded or die-cast production, and designing for the whole path.
Read the guideTolerance Stack-Up and Assembly
How tolerances accumulate across mating parts, worst-case vs statistical stacking, and how to design the chain down so assemblies go together the first time.
Read the guideCross-Border Delivery and DDP: One Delivered Price
How a part made overseas reaches your dock, what DDP and DAP mean, and why FabWorks delivers one all-in price with freight, customs, and duties handled.
Read the guideSee How Your Parts Get Made
Short films from the floor, and from inside the workspace where design problems get caught before anything is cut.
4 short films
CNC machining and 3D printing on the floor, with more on the way.