Adafruit Learning System

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MANUFACTURING

13 GUIDES | 124 PAGES | 0 FEATURED | 2 POPULAR

Metal Parts from 3D Prints

You can make precise, durable, shiny metal parts using a 3d printer and silicone casting - it's easier than you might think.

This is a tutorial on how to cast low-temp metal alloys using 3d printed molds. The process involves common tools and supplies - a 3d printer, silicone rubber, a hot plate, stovetop casting alloy, and a dollar store skillet. I used this process to generate locking plates for my Flat-Pack camera arm, but the same method can be used to cast more than metals - anything from chocolate to plastic, with the accuracy only limited to the precision and resolution of your printer.

How to Sign Windows Drivers & Executables

Be a trustworthy software distributor with signed drivers and software

Make life easier for you and your customers. This tutorial will go thru the steps of signing basic drivers, and even making a fancy installer! You can also use these steps to sign software such as, say, the installer for that driver.

DIY 3D Printing Filament

Turn failed prints into recycled filament!

by Ruiz Brothers

Break down failed prints to make recycled filament. Its all about sustainable 3d printing. recycling parts to make new filaments saves money and reduces waste!

How we designed an injection-molded case

How to make a an injection molded case for your project.

This is the multi step process we went through to create a two piece injection molded case for the Raspberry Pi.

Standalone AVR Chip Programmer

Program without a computer for speed!

Instead of having a computer that talks thru the Arduino to a chip for programming, instead the Arduino itself programs the chip. This means you can program chips without having a computer involved. The good news about this technique is that it is incredibly fast, you can program chips 10x faster than with a computer and without having to type anything in.

Shop Tips & Tricks

Making manufacturing easy

This guide is a series of manufacturing notes. This is where you will find all the stuff we've learned in our short time of running a company, manufacturing in-house electronics and basically having a good time.

KTOWN's Ultimate Creating Parts in Eagle Tutorial

Listen up! KTOWN is going to school you right in EagleCAD!

by Kevin Townsend

Creating parts in Eagle isn't difficult, but you do need to understand a few things about how Eagle organizes things internally. This tutorial will walk you through everything you need to know to start making reliable, manufacturable parts today!

Laser-Cut Enclosure Design

Secret Adafruit ninja design tricks revealed!

by Phillip Burgess

A kit enclosure should be more than just a box. This can be a challenge with laser cutting. Here are some tricks and tips for imparting some elegance while also keeping costs manageable.

Maker Business & Manufacturing Software - Our Tips & Tricks

The software & services we use for business and manufacturing

Adafruit is a high-tech company, run by fairly young people. All of us working here have spent our lives with computers, technology, and the Internet. So it's not surprising that software and software-as-services (SaaS) are an essential part of running Adafruit. We're constantly on the lookout for useful new tools that can help Adafruit run efficiently, and cleanly.

All About Laser Cutters

Free information and resources for laser cutter owners

Everything you wanted to know about this ultra-powerful prototyping and production tool

How to Make a Pogo Pin Test Jig

by Tyler Cooper

If you end up buying a pick and place to assemble PCBs (or even if you're doing it by hand) you'll need to test out your boards! If you have an assembler do it for you, its still probably a good idea to have a jig you can give them. A good jig will tell you whats going right and whats going wrong. In this tutorial I will show how I designed a very basic jig with a "tested good" audible indicator. The board its testing is very simple but the basic premise can be expanded to large projects with ease.

Creating Accurate Footprints in Eagle

by Kevin Townsend

A guide to making footprints in Eagle that accurately reflect the mechanical outline of your parts

SMT Manufacturing

Our mods, hacks, tips and tricks for SMT manufacturing.

Here are a bunch of tutorials for manufacturing small to medium scale (10 - 10,000) piece surface mount electronics.