Know what applies.
Keep a material’s grade and condition beside its properties. Keep process guidance beside its assumptions.
Fabrication OS / The knowledge foundation
Manufacturing
Ontology
Manufacturing knowledge, connected.
Start with five areas. Open the sphere to explore the complete Manufacturing Ontology—from a part’s requirements to the physics and sources behind a decision.
Or try the physicsA map of how knowledge connects. Select a concept to follow its relationships.
01 / The big picture22 concepts · 66 relationships
All concepts
Drag or use arrow keys to orbit · Tap to pulse
The geodesic mesh guides the eye. Colored nodes and highlighted lines show the ontology; select a concept to follow its connections.
The value of a shared foundation
Keep the knowledge.
Keep the reasons, too.
A useful source of truth connects a fact to its origin, its scope, and what remains unknown. The ontology gives that knowledge a consistent home—so a material value, a design tip, and a supplier claim retain their meaning.
01 / The physical world
Change one detail.
Feel the difference.
Physics explains why a design choice matters. The ontology connects the material properties and conditions a calculation needs. Try this small, transparent example.
Try a simple cantilever
A strip held at one end. The same material and width. Change one thing and compare how much it bends.
0.75×2× reference
0.75×2× reference
0.5×2× reference
Geometry changes the answer01 / Bending
1.00×
the reference deflection
The same amount of bending as the reference.
Length and thickness enter the calculation to the third power. Double the thickness: one-eighth the deflection. Double the length: eight times the deflection.
See the calculation and its assumptions +
Tip deflection = FL³ / (3EI). For a rectangular section, I = width × thickness³ / 12. Holding width and elastic modulus constant gives the relative result: load ratio × length ratio³ ÷ thickness ratio³.
This teaching model assumes a uniform, slender beam, small elastic deflection, a fixed end, and a point load. It does not check yielding, fatigue, joints, or manufacturability. The drawing exaggerates movement; the number is the calculated ratio.
Purdue University · Beam deflection equations ↗02 / Knowledge you can inspect
Follow the answer
back to its source.
A number on its own leaves too much unsaid. Explore a real design guideline from the knowledge collection—and see what stays attached to it.
A machined metal wall
0.4 mm2.0 mm
At or above the guide’s recommendation. Still review the part and setup.
Follow the evidence
A number needs its context.
- The guidance
- 0.8 mm recommended minimum
- Applies to
- Metal walls in general CNC machining guidance.
- Why it matters
- Thin walls can deflect and vibrate during machining, affecting accuracy.
- What it means
- A published design recommendation. It does not establish a universal process limit or qualify a shop.
- The source
- Protolabs Network · CNC design guide ↗Section: Thin walls · Checked September 25, 2026
Changing units changes the expression, not the requirement. The original scope travels with the value.
03 / One foundation, connected decisions
From understanding a part
to asking a better question.
Ask with context.
Connect a manufacturing question to the relevant materials, methods, and sources in Graph.
Carry the right requirements.
Explore advertised capabilities in Network, with a clear distinction between a promising lead and a qualified supplier.
Knowledge worth building on.
Explore Fabrication OS and the foundation behind its manufacturing answers.
The map is an interactive explanation of the ontology’s structure. The examples use a published guideline and an educational calculation; they do not analyze an uploaded part.