This series was filmed and edited by Keaton Bowlby
In chapter 3 lesson 3, Jake explains how different raw material forms, sheet and plate, bar and billet, and tube, affect how you design in CAD. Once you’ve chosen a material, understanding how it’s made and sold helps ensure your parts can actually be produced.
Sheet and plate are flat materials that come in fixed thicknesses, so designs must match standard sizes. They’re typically used for 2D parts with secondary operations like bending or plating. Bar and billet are solid extrusions, ideal for CNC machining, but usually need to be oversized to allow for machining to final dimensions. Tube materials come in round, square, or rectangular profiles with set wall thicknesses, and must also follow manufacturer standards.
The lesson wraps up with a reminder that material plus machine equals reality, knowing your stock forms helps you design smarter and prepare for manufacturing.
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