Field notes
Things we learned at the printer, written down.
May 12, 2025 — 7 min
Tolerances that actually fit: gaps, snap-fits and press-fits on FDM
The clearances we use every week for lids, hinges and press-fit pins — and why 0.2 mm is a starting point, not a law.
April 2, 2025March 10, 2025February 4, 2025January 15, 2025
PLA, PETG or ABS in a Texas summer
A dashboard in a Mueller parking lot hits 70 °C. Here is which plastic survives and which one droops.
What is actually in your quote
Volume, density, infill, layer height, quantity. No mystery multipliers, and here is how each one moves the number.
Planning prototype revisions, from quote to fit check
Organize your files, compare configurations and plan your next revision with shipping throughout the US.
When 3D printing beats injection molding for Austin small businesses
For runs under a few hundred units, the tooling bill rarely makes sense. Here is where the line usually sits.