All articles from the author
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一年有什么不同…
Think back twelve months ago. Most hardware companies were reeling from consecutive quarters of sub-par financial performance due to the significant — literally overnight — drop in demand caused by COVID. Previously profitable, growing companies were slashing discretionary spending, completely restructuring, and implementing workforce furloughs and reductions. Survival was paramount. Those worst hit were often […]
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2021 State of Manufacturing Insights: Winning with Analytics, Automation and Innovation
We create Fictiv’s annual State of Manufacturing report to gain insight into the current trends, goals and concerns in the industry. In 2021, our survey of hundreds of manufacturing executives showed that driving supply chain resilience and new product introduction (NPI) are keys to success in a post-COVID world. Because these topics are at the […]
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建筑供应链的弹性：网络研讨会回顾
Recently I sat down with MacroFab CEO Misha Govshteyn to talk about building supply chain resilience, during a webinar hosted by industry journalist Philip Stoten. We looked at supply chains in the COVID-19 era and explored how we got here, then discussed the digitally connected supply chain of the future. How we got here: a perfect […]
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Additive Manufacturing Steps Up: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker
There is no shortage of examples of additive manufacturing, or 3D Printing, helping in the fight against COVID-19. In this Bunker, we talked to executives from two of the companies on the vanguard of additive technology, who are both doing their part to address the COVID-19 crisis. Both Markforged and Carbon have quickly implemented responses […]
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Manufacturing in the U.S., Supply Chain Regionalization and Globalization: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker
As the COVID-19 crisis disrupts the world of manufacturing and supply chain, it challenges our perception of globalization. Governments around the world are acting to reduce dependency on China, with a bill in the United States and Japan providing billions in incentives to move supply chains. What does that mean for manufacturing, and what could […]
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供应链敏捷性和弹性：供应链掩体的笔记
这周我们召集了两位客人not just spent years in the manufacturing and supply chain industries, but who are regularly published as experts in their field. First up was Sarah Barnes-Humphrey, founder and host of podcast and blog “Let’s Talk Supply Chain” (LTSC). With 20 years in logistics and supply chain, Sarah […]
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Supply Chain Trends in Robotics: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker
This week, our focus was on robotics, and our guest was Marco Micheletti, Fresh Consulting’s Director of Automation. Marco has more than twenty years managing engineering teams and driving automation, product development, supply chain and manufacturing for products including the Xbox 360, Nike+ SportWatch GPS, Nike+ Fuelband, Steam Controller, and Steam Valve Index VR Kit. Headlines […]
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Fictiv Donates Tool to Make Millions of Face Shields
Today, Fictiv announced that hospitals and healthcare providers can begin ordering protective face shields in batches of up to 10,000 per order at cost for shipment as fast as one (1) day: //www.ivanegeren.com/covid-19-face-shields. We’re leveraging our global manufacturing network and a newly designed tool to produce millions of face shields to help healthcare workers in […]
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Healthcare Supply Chains in a Time of Change: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker
This week, we focused on healthcare supply chains, with two stellar expert guests. First up, sharing her insight into the latest legislative and administrative issues related to the healthcare supply chain, was Lorraine Marchand, life sciences consultant, speaker, writer, and professor. Lorraine was joined by Greg Schulte, Director of Engineering at Mindtribe (Part of Accenture Industry X.0), […]
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解决全球供应链中断和全球健康需求：供应链掩体的笔记
In this week’s episode, we welcomed two vastly experienced supply chain experts. John Jacobson has held supply chain roles in enterprises and startups, including Cisco and Sonos. John, or JJ to his friends, was joined by Howell Wang connecting live from Shenzhen, China. Thanks for getting up so early, Howell; you’re a star! Howell Wang is CEO of Insight […]
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Fictiv Adds Capacity in US, Taiwan, and India
Since our update last week, the coronavirus situation has regrettably worsened. As of this morning, the number of confirmed cases in mainland China has increased to over 40,000 and the death toll has tragically risen to over 900 people. The Chinese government is currently taking significant steps to prevent the spread of the virus and is doing […]
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Updates on Coronavirus
Last month, we were busy advising customers about the predictable supply chain disruption related to the celebration of the Lunar New Year in China and helping ensure that everyone’s parts could be delivered on time. This week we have seen something unpredictable that will pile on additional disruption at the worst possible time. The WHO […]
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September Hardware Roundup: Chainless Bikes & Liquid Hinges
Our roundup video host this month is Panos, a Technical Project Manager here at Fictiv! He’s adding a multi-language spin to this month’s roundup. We’re diving into chainless bikes, robotic grippers, and the first robot-assisted remote heart surgery. Hardware Knowledge UAV Turbines has successfully completed the first flight of a drone with a microturbine […]
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展望未来：2020年及以后制造业的未来
Manufacturing is a key component of economic growth. However, in August 2019, with the global trade war raging, the direction of manufacturing growth in the U.S. was below the neutral 50.0 threshold for the first time in a decade. The index then fell again in September almost two more percentage points, causing the weakest growth since […]
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August Hardware Roundup: Mega Chips & Origami Robots
Our roundup host this month is Swetha, a manufacturing engineer on our operations team! This month, we’re taking a look at origami robots, stick-on health sensors, and autonomous flight. Hardware Knowledge These origami-like soft robots are fully untethered and move in response to external stimuli. + A tiny, two-legged PCB robot. The Air Force is […]
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July Hardware Roundup: Solar Sails & Robotic Actuators
Our roundup host this month is Drew, our Content Marketing Manager here at Fictiv! We’re diving into brain-machine interfaces, prosthetic arms, and robotic actuators. Hardware Knowledge Tesla is working on building a giant new casting machine to produce the Model Y frame in almost a single piece. Sumitomo has developed an “energy harvester” tire that […]
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June Hardware Roundup: Liquid Motors & Cell Tower Balloons
Our June Hardware Roundup video host is Kat, a Software Engineer here at Fictiv! Our highlights this month include cell tower balloons, unique robotic designs, and tariff tension updates. Hardware Knowledge The time-intensive CNC process behind Apple’s new Mac Pro grille design. + End-of-life AirPod impact. Rivian’s battery system can transition to stationary energy […]
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May Hardware Roundup: Special Hardware News Edition
Our roundup video this month is hosted by Andy, Fictiv’s Director of Supply! We’ll be diving into butterfly mechanisms, digital circuit breakers, and the latest in sanctions. We’ve also included a special section dedicated to the most compelling findings from our State of Hardware report. Hardware Knowledge Apple is tweaking the design of its butterfly […]
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四月硬件综述
Our April roundup video is hosted by Danielle, a Technical Project Manager on our manufacturing team! Be sure to check out our video below to view some roundup highlights. This month’s roundup highlights innovation in aviation, battery pack design, e-recycling technology, and much more. Hardware Knowledge The Tesla Model 3 allows individual battery modules to […]
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March Hardware Roundup
Our roundup video this time is hosted by Mo, a Senior Technical Program Manager here at Fictiv! Check out this month’s video to learn about the latest news in the hardware space. This edition of the roundup dives into the evolution of spaceflight, sustainable technology, and new 3D printed metamaterials. Industry News Private companies are […]
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February Hardware Roundup
We wanted to bring you a new way to experience the hardware roundup this month. Our latest edition of the roundup includes a teaser video hosted by the Head of Program Management on our manufacturing team, Sean! Sean is a hardware enthusiast, and he’ll guide you through trends in global manufacturing, innovative hardware design, and […]
Teardown
Nintendo Controller Teardown Part 2
在本拆卸的第1部分中,我们冒险3 of Nintendo’s first controllers: the NES, Super Nintendo, and (our favorite) the N64. Now we’re making our way towards the present with Part 2, looking at the Gamecube, Wii Mote and finally the latest Wii U Gamepad. (Honorable mentions go out to the Virtual Boy controller and the Power […]
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虚构的在俄勒冈州波特兰的新办公室扩展
Fictiv today announced the opening of its office in Portland, Oregon. The office will serve as a sales center, where Fictiv will hire and develop new sales talent to support the company’s growing business. The office marks the second office expansion in 6 months, following the opening of its China headquarters in Guangzhou, China. “As […]
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Fictiv Raises $15M Series B Funding to Radically Improve Manufacturing Access
Funding to accelerate virtual manufacturing platform’s global expansion and development of workflow optimization tools; investors include Accel Partners, Intel Capital, Bill Gates and FJ Labs Palm Desert, CA – May 8, 2018 – Fictiv today announced from the Intel Capital Global Summit that it closed a $15 million Series B led by Sinovation Ventures […]
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Fictiv Secures $33M in Series C
At Fictiv, our vision has always been to enable product developers to build hardware at the speed of software. Today we’re excited to announce we’re accelerating and realizing this vision with a $33M investment by G2VP, Mitsui & Co., Intel Capital, Sinovation, Bill Gates, Accel, and Tandon Group. Like us, these partners share our vision […]
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哈尔dware Sessions: Waterproofing & Reliability Testing with Hind Hobeika of Instabeat
To gain actionable insights on how real hardware products are developed and manufactured, we interviewed top engineers and designers in the San Francisco Bay Area in our Hardware Sessions series. In this edition of Hardware Sessions, we sit down with Hind Hobeika, a mechanical engineer and founder of Instabeat, a connected accessory for swimming goggles […]
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Democratizing Manufacturing Through Education: Introducing the Fictiv Hardware Guide
In today’s rapidly changing manufacturing environment, engineers are constantly trying to find their way through a very complex ecosystem to gain a competitive advantage and leverage the right tools to build their next product. Just last month, we hosted an event where a Abby Soong, a Mechanical Design Engineer at Momentum Machines, said that her […]
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Prototyping Showdown: 3D Printing vs. CNC Machining [VIDEO]
There are so many different ways to prototype and manufacture physical products, and at times, the list of materials and processes can feel daunting even for the most experienced engineers. At Fictiv, we’re working to give people more streamlined access to the best fabrication technology available. We’re also dedicated to helping engineers learn which fabrication […]
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Building the Future of Democratized Manufacturing
Three years ago, I embarked on a journey with my brother to transform the way people discover and access tools for hardware development and manufacturing. We named our company Fictiv, which means “created by imagination.” Today, Fictiv launches its CNC machining service, providing customers with precision parts fabricated and delivered in just 3 days, all […]
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清洁3D零件的方法
You’ve envisioned it, you’ve modeled it, and you’ve printed it. As it turns out, however, your newly printed prototype may need a bit more TLC before it appears or functions as intended. In this article, we’ll investigate practical methods for cleaning up 3D printed parts, as well as the tools you should have at your […]
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Using the On Track/Off Track Framework to Drive Results
On track/off track is a “get stuff done” framework shared with us by business coach Kate Purmal, to help us drive projects end-to-end and focus on sharing results-based updates. Meeting fatigue infects many companies, stealing valuable time and status meetings are especially ineffective when people spend too much time reporting activities (“Last week, I worked […]
Teardown
Muse Brain Sensing Headband Teardown
For this edition of our Hardware DNA series we’re taking apart a very unique product: The Muse brain sensing headband. What the heck is a brain sensing headband, you ask? Well, essentially it uses sensors to measure brain activity across your frontal cortex and then, using the app, gives you real-time feedback on what’s happening in […]
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3 Steps to Go From Digital to Physical
We talk a lot about iteration here at Fictiv because it’s the foundation for lean hardware development and lean hardware development is the key to bringing successful hardware products to market. Iteration refers to the cyclic process of refining a design until you’ve achieved the established product requirements, outlined in your PRD (product requirements document). […]
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The True Cost of Machine Ownership
One of the most popular questions I get from hardware companies concerns the pros and cons of 3D printer ownership. The question generally goes something like, if i’m iterating all the time, doesn’t it make sense for me to buy my own machine that I can access whenever I need it? That’s precisely the question I […]
Teardown
Nintendo Controller Teardown – Part 1
As a bunch of Nintendo nerds, we’re really excited about this week’s teardown, where we’re looking at the evolution of Nintendo controllers since the very beginning. From the old-school NES controller with only 8 buttons to the game-changing N64 controller with the first joystick to the latest Wii U gamepad with a touch screen and […]
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3 Most Common Product Development Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Every day, we work with young hardware startups to help them bring new products to market. While there is no deficit of passion and motivation in these zealous hardware entrepreneurs, we do see them make mistakes from time to time. Here are the 3 most common mistakes we see and strategies to avoid them so […]
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How Small Manufacturers Can Thrive in a Shifting Industry
The manufacturing industry is a system that’s incredibly difficult to navigate. Engineers are continuously trying to wade their way through the complex landscape of manufacturing capabilities to find the right partner to bring their product to market. One of the biggest challenges here is that the best manufacturing partners are often: hard to find (you […]
Teardown
TiVo Bolt Teardown
Recently TiVo came out with a new set-top box called Bolt and the internet had a lot to say about it. Because, well, it looks like this: Is it winking at us? We’re not sure. But we are sure that we want to further investigate the design of this thing, as well as what lies beneath. Packaging […]
Teardown
击败药丸拆卸
At Fictiv, we’re seeking to uncover, decodify, and share how physical products are made — what we like to call the DNA of hardware development. As part of that mission (and our hardware geekery) we’re starting a new teardown series to reveal in a more tangible way the magic behind a wide variety of amazing hardware products. […]
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3 Best Practices for Digital Design
Just having the right tool doesn’t mean you’re necessarily getting the most out of it. Here are 3 best practices to help you get started using your chosen CAD software effectively. 1. Keep it Simple With digital tools, it’s easy to create intricate features that look great but are unnecessarily, and unrealistically, complex. So before […]
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How to Reduce 3D Printing Costs by Cutting Your 3D Model
We receive a lot of questions about how to reduce the cost of 3D printing. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure your model fits on a smaller build bed to ensure the fastest build time on the cheapest machine available to produce your part. In this article we’ll show you […]
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An Overview of RTV Molds
Injection molding has long been the best method of bulk production, while 3D printing has recently become the best choice for early stage prototyping. But when and how should you make the switch from single volume production with 3D prints to high volume production? With small run production it can be hard to find the […]
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如何设计快照拟合组件
设计组件快速适合可以节省你的time and money in production by reducing material costs and part quantities as well as improving ease of assembly. While in the past injection molding has been the only viable method for producing snap fit joints in plastics, 3D printing opens up new opportunities and challenges in […]
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材料属性面对：重复vs商业3D打印机
We get a lot of questions about the performance of different 3D printed materials and technologies, specifically as it relates to parts printed on hobbyist vs commercial-grade machines. There are plenty of off-the-cuff ways of making such evaluations, but empirical data is certainly better. So we were pretty excited when we came across a recent academic […]
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Most Common Hardware Components for 3D Printers
A 3D printing toolbox isn’t complete without the spare components necessary to build, maintain, and fix a machine. Below we highlight what each of those compnents are and what they are used for. Nuts & Bolts & Washers 3D printers commonly utilize metric components, ranging from M2 to M10-12 components for desktop models. The “M” […]
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How to Prepare Rhino Files for 3D Printing
We recently wrote an overview on How to Prepare CAD Files for 3D Printing, going over some general considerations and steps to properly export your 3D printing files. There are some unique considerations to keep in mind when preparing 3D print files specifically in Rhino, so for this post, we’re going to go into more detail on […]
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How to Start Designing 3D Models
Learn about the best way to start designing 3D models for printing below. There are a number of options for creating both simple and complex models for consumer and professional applications. For more info about how Fictiv can help you, check out the Fictiv Capabilities Guide. CAD Software For Designing 3D Models Below is a […]
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基本3D打印术语的概述
Brim A brim consists of 3D printed material that surrounds and attaches to the base of an object to aid in adhering to a bed/print surface. EEprom EEprom is like RAM for a 3D printer’s electronics. Some values can be stored here and accessed quickly, in addition to what is known in firmware and held […]
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Most Common Tools for Fixing 3D Printers
Building a 3D printer from scratch is hard enough, let alone trying to build it without the right tools. Below we highlight some of the most common tools for fixing and building a 3D printer. Calipers Calipers are used to measure the distance between opposite sides of an object. Although they appear in many industries […]
