Sponsored by Xometry is a one stop shop for manufacturing on demand and produces custom parts through a nationwide manufacturing partner network. Xometry capabilities include CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and urethane casting. The Xometry online quoting experience is available as a free Add-In within SOLIDWORKS! “The Add-In is all about efficiency,” said Xometry’s Director of Project Engineering, Greg Paulsen. “The quoting process has typically been a very labor intensive and time consuming endeavor, especially for complex orders like end-use CNC machined parts or higher volume orders, but we have removed the inefficiencies and can provide an accurate lead time and price in just seconds – all within…

Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or modeling up a 3D storm, consider these tracks as a tool for your process. This week we’ll kick it off with a little new school with “Rats in the Walls” by Strung Out and even out the rock with some Death from Above 1979, Rooney, and Mr. Gnome, mix in a little Deadmau5, CSS and…

Mondays might not be your favorite day of the week, but the good news is that we’re all in this together ladies and gentlemen. As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Each Monday, we’ll link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed, pocketed, or what have you. Be sure to check in each Monday morning for a new crop of freshly sprouted words curated straight from the source of your favorite homegrown ‘Smack.…

I’ve been self-employed for over eight years. For those who’ve never tried, it’s way harder than you think. But it’s worth it. 10am Lunch I can work anywhere. A month in Hawaii? Aloha. Six weeks exploring Greece? Pass the souvlaki. Six months in the UK? So long as there’s Wifi, cue the dancing beefeaters. I can work anytime. If I crack all eight knuckles at four in the morning or drag in my sagging glutes at eleven, nobody cares. If I feel like a bowl of ice cream at 10am and choose to call it lunch, it need only muster the strength to walk to the fridge. If I’m feeling…

The rows and stands were lined thick with flowered vines, a wind catching their petals from time to time. We would step slowly, but knew the rust on their belts would be heard well before they attacked. Still, we wrapped the bands tight and readied these links. Braxxy – Crashed ships, alien landscapes and plenty of interplanetary adventures await you in the art of this Munich-based Concept Artist. Muscle Up – Ooooo. The flight of the world’s smallest cinema drone at Muscle Beach. Before stabilization and outtake footage almost as good. Vivaldi – The browser done right. Now I’m asking myself why I didn’t switch sooner. Uses fewer resources, has…

“I got two words for you brochacho, CARBON FIBER.” Some 3D printers can print in carbon fiber, but this 3D printer is made from carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is an increasingly popular material in the 3D print world, due to its low weight and high strength. Multiple 3D printers now have the capability of 3D printing objects using carbon fiber-infused filaments. However, this machine is made from carbon fiber, at least partially. The Filament Innovations BFP475 is a larger format unit that’s sold as a kit for onsite assembly – and it carries a very good price. https://vimeo.com/215591688 According to founder Mike Gorski, the origin of this machine was based…