The ACP Blog
Practical guides on designing, quoting, and ordering custom parts, written from real specs, not marketing fluff.
Which process fits your part, and why ACP running both changes the answer.
Waterjet or Laser? How to Pick the Right Cutting Process
Thickness, heat, and material, the decision in plain terms, using ACP real specs.
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Why Waterjet Leaves No Heat Affected Zone, and When That Matters
Waterjet cutting uses cold abrasion, so there is no heat affected zone. Here is when that protects your part and when a laser is still fine.
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Cutting Thick Metal: Where Waterjet Pulls Ahead of Laser
There is a thickness where laser cutting runs out and waterjet takes over. Here is how to tell which process fits your plate, with ACP stock ranges.
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Is Laser Cutting Cheaper Than CNC Machining?
For flat metal parts, laser cutting is usually faster and cheaper than CNC machining. Here is when each wins and how to design so you do not overpay.
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Kerf Explained: Why Your Cut Part Is a Hair Smaller
Kerf is the width of material a cut removes. Here is what it means for hole size, tight fits, and why the machine, not your CAD, handles it.
Read article →Design choices that keep parts off the custom quote pile and out of rework.
The Complete Guide to Designing Sheet Metal Parts
The design rules that make parts cut, bend, and assemble right, with diagrams for each.
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Designing Sheet Metal Parts That Bend Right the First Time
The CAD stage rules that prevent nearly every bent part problem.
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What Is K Factor? Bend Allowance in Plain Terms
K factor explains why a bent part is not just the sum of its walls. Here is what it means and why your CAD flat pattern depends on it.
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Bend Radius and Minimum Flange: Two Rules That Save Reworks
Most bent part problems trace to inside radius and flange length. Here are the two rules to design by, plus ACP forming ranges.
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Designing Parts for Tapping: Callouts That Get It Right
Tapped holes need the right drawing callout to come out correct. Here is how to specify threads for sheet metal, with ACP standard tap sizes.
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Designing With Press In Hardware (PEM Style Fasteners)
Press in nuts, studs, and standoffs add strong threads to thin sheet metal. Here is how to design for them and what ACP needs to install them.
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What Tolerances to Expect on Cut and Formed Parts
Standard tolerances for laser and waterjet cutting and press brake forming at ACP, so you know what to put on the drawing and what needs a custom quote.
Read article →Choosing metal, and the reference tables you keep coming back to.
How to Choose the Right Metal for Your Part
Compare steel, aluminum, stainless, and galvanized by strength, corrosion, and cost.
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5052 vs 6061 Aluminum: Which to Use for Sheet Metal
5052 bends without cracking, 6061 is stronger and machines cleaner. Here is how to choose between the two aluminums ACP stocks.
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304 vs 316 Stainless: Which Grade to Cut
304 stainless covers most jobs, 316 buys extra corrosion resistance for marine and medical. Here is how to choose, with ACP stocked thicknesses.
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How to Keep Cut Steel Parts From Rusting
Bare carbon steel starts rusting fast. Here are practical ways to protect laser and waterjet cut steel parts, from material choice to coating.
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Sheet Metal Gauge Chart (Inches and Millimeters)
A quick sheet metal gauge to thickness chart for steel, galvanized, and stainless, plus why the same gauge is a different thickness per material.
Read article →From a clean file to a box on your dock, in days.
The Complete ACP Order Guide: From CAD File to Shipped Part
Every step of ordering online: upload, price, add operations, choose a lead time, and ship.
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How to Export a Clean STEP or DXF for Instant Quoting
Step by step exports from SolidWorks, Fusion 360, and Onshape, plus the clean DXF rules.
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From CAD File to Shipped Part: How Instant Quoting Works
What actually happens between your upload and the box on your dock.
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Custom Metal Parts in Massachusetts, Shipped in Days
ACP cuts, forms, and ships custom metal parts from Littleton, MA. Waterjet, laser, and bending under one roof for New England teams and beyond.
Read article →Reading done. Parts next.
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