The Knowledge Base

Your complete, practical resource for everything digital manufacturing

Digital manufacturing is a complex topic. There’s always more to learn, especially as designers and engineers develop astounding new technologies and manufacturing processes evolve (and automate). The more you know about manufacturing technologies like 3D printing, CNC machining, injection molding and sheet metal fabrication, the better equipped you are to design products that can be manufactured easily and at the price point that works for you.

For nearly a decade, Protolabs Network has worked to produce comprehensive resources to help you develop revolutionary products. These include The 3D Printing Handbook, our complete guides on every Protolabs Network technology and the Knowledge Base, a growing collection of articles for new and seasoned engineers. The Knowledge Base is a tool for learning about manufacturing technologies, how to design for every process, key standards and best practices and a lot more.

The manufacturing knowledge in this resource will help you develop products faster and more cost-efficiently, advising on custom part sourcing for any stage of the innovation process. Whether you’re creating an initial prototype, sourcing parts for a more functional prototype, looking to scale toward full production or making parts to bring an older product back to life, the Knowledge Base is here to guide you.