Machining8 min read
Machining fixture review before the first cut
Most first-run arguments are settled before the spindle turns. Datum, clamping, support and access decide whether the drawing, the setup and the inspection agree.
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Topic hub
Machining, castings and heat sinks
Machined, cast and extruded parts are chosen for geometry, strength and thermal performance. These guides cover process selection, tolerances, finishes, casting defects and the thermal path from a die to the air.
Guides in this topic
Machining9 min read
Aluminium die casting alloys: ADC10, ADC12 and A380
Three common die casting grades, compared by fluidity, strength, machining and finish, with the questions that stop a substitution from becoming a surprise.
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Machining10 min read
Die casting porosity: reading the defect, choosing the test and setting acceptance
Gas, shrinkage and cold shuts look different, form in different places and need different fixes. A practical guide to identifying porosity and agreeing what is acceptable.
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Machining10 min read
Heat sinks for EV chargers and inverters
Dust, rain and a sealed enclosure change the cooling problem. The heat sink has to work with the IP rating, not against it.
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Machining10 min read
Machining tolerances: what to specify and what to avoid
A general tolerance covers most of a machined part. The rest should be a short list of calls that come from the function, not from habit.
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Machining9 min read
Thermal interface materials: pads, paste and graphite
How to choose a thermal interface by gap, heat flux and assembly method, and why the thinnest material is not always the best one.
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Machining11 min read
CNC machining design guide for electrical parts
Practical rules for copper, brass and aluminium parts, from corner radii and wall thickness to burrs that damage insulation.
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Machining9 min read
Die casting wall thickness and draft: the two limits that shape the part
How wall thickness controls fill and shrinkage, how draft controls ejection, and the drawing checks that catch both before the die is cut.
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Machining9 min read
Heat sink machining and interface flatness: milling, skiving and control
How a heat sink face is cut, measured and held flat, and why a flatness callout without a datum or a method is not a specification.
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Machining11 min read
Heat sinks for power electronics and IGBTs
A module has a thermal stack, a mounting pressure and a cycling life. The sink is one layer, and the interface between them decides how long the stack lasts.
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Machining9 min read
Machined parts for sensors and instrumentation: tolerance, finish and stability
Sensor housings and instrument bodies fail on the features that look small: a sealing face, a bore fit, a thread or a surface that moves after machining.
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Machining10 min read
Die casting vs sand casting vs gravity casting: matching the route to the brief
Three casting routes compared on fill, tooling, tolerance, wall and volume, with the part briefs that point to each one.
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