Crutchfield engineering is equipped with conventional fabrication and machining equipment. Welding of stainless steel and aluminium.

Crutchfield Engineering is has the capability to zinc plate mild steel components with a solution bath of 300x300x200mm deep. In general, the process begins by cleaning the surface of the metal with an alkaline detergent solution to remove oil, other materials or debris. The item is then treated with an acidic solution to remove rust or surface scales.

After cleaning, the actual zinc plating process can commence. The item is immersed in an electrolyte solution containing dissolved zinc. A DC electric current is then introduced into the solution, which deposits the zinc onto the cathode — the less chemically active item, or part being plated. This procedure is known as electrodeposition. The zinc serves the role of the anode, or the more active component.

Zinc has the inherent ability to form corrosion byproducts that can significantly reduce the corrosion rate of ferrous metals. Thiszinc layer, serve as a protective barrier on metal surfaces. They help keep out the moisture that can significantly speed up the corrosion process. Depending on environmental conditions, zinc can corrode at a rate of up to 100 times slower than other metals.

A technology also used in traditional rapid prototyping, uses a nozzle to deposit molten polymer onto a support structure, layer by layer.

Fused deposition modelling, which is often referred to by its initials FDM, is a type of additive fabrication or (sometimes called rapid prototyping / rapid manufacturing (RP or RM.)) technology commonly used within engineering design. The technology was developed by S. Scott Crump in the late 1980s and was commercialised in 1990.

Like most other additive fabrication processes (such as 3D printing and stereolithography) FDM works on an “additive” principle by laying down material in layers. A plastic filament or metal wire is unwound from a coil and supplies material to an extrusion nozzle which can turn on and off the flow. The nozzle is heated to melt the material and can be moved in both horizontal and vertical directions by a numerically controlled mechanism, directly controlled by a computer-aided design software package. The model or part is produced by extruding small beads of thermoplastic material to from layers as the material hardens immediately after extrusion from the nozzle.

Stereolithography is a common rapid manufacturing and rapid prototyping technology for producing parts with high accuracy and good surface finish. A device that performs stereolithography is called a SLA or Stereolithography Apparatus.

Rapid prototyping is the automatic construction of physical objects using solid freeform fabrication. The first techniques for rapid prototyping became available in the late 1980s and were used to produce models and prototype parts. Today, they are used for a much wider range of applications and are even used to manufacture production quality parts in relatively small numbers. Some sculptors use the technology to produce complex shapes for fine arts exhibitions.

Crutchfield Engineering owns The Dimension Elite 3D Printer . This provides engineers and designers stronger, functional models with finer feature detail and improved surface finish. The Elite features an 8 x 8 x 12-inch build envelope and uses a new, stronger ABS material, ABSplus. ABSplus is on average 40 percent stronger than standard ABS material, making it ideally suited for testing the form, fit and function of inherently fragile, fine-featured models.

The use of ABS plastic makes it possible to produce mechanically stable parts.