
Etsy Manufacturing Opens to Designers - hownottowrite
https://blog.etsy.com/news/2015/etsy-manufacturing-opens-to-designers/
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dj-wonk
This is a matching service (e.g. a 'market' in some sense) to find
manufacturers. Note that manufacturers are not vetted by Etsy:

> Manufacturers on Etsy Manufacturing are not vetted, but we do individually
> screen applicants for their fit with the four production categories and for
> in-house production, to encourage a better experience as designers begin
> their search.

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bovermyer
On the one hand, this is a great development for people who want to make more
things, but don't have the bandwidth to do it all themselves.

On the other hand, this seems to move away from the all-hand-crafted
philosophy Etsy has had up to now.

I'm torn.

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paulkaplan
> all-hand-crafted philosophy

I write software for desktop CNC machines, and am a maker myself who
periodically sells his work. I constantly am thinking about what it means to
be 'hand-made'. The machines I write software for can only make one thing at a
time, it isn't large scale manufacturing. The designs are hand-crafted, I
suppose, but they are of course made digitally. The machine is controlled by
the computer, so the process of carving doesn't involve any manual skill.
However a piece is rarely 'finished' the moment it comes off the machine. An
added level of complexity, for myself at least, is that I am writing the
software that controls the machine. Does that make the things my machine
creates any 'more hand-crafted'? I like to think it does, but I'm not sure!

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xrange
I'd say the "source code" for your designs is hand-crafted, but the material
coming off the CNC machine is not. It may not be mass manufacturing, but if
additional copies are essentially a button-push away, I'd say that it wasn't
hand crafted. Now if the setup time on the CNC machine took longer than making
it on a manual mill/lathe, then we might have some grey area. BTW, what are
you using for your "desktop CNC" machine? Do you have any recommendations? And
what materials are you machining? Steel? Brass? Aluminum? Plastics?

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6stringmerc
Interesting development!

As an inventor aiming to build some prototypes, would it make sense to reach
out to some of the 3D printing type companies for mock-ups?

I figure my ideas - consumer devices for home use - don't really fit the Etsy
platform for sales. However, after a couple rejections from investor
platforms, I'm definitely willing to strike out on my own with some patience.
Does anybody think going to one of these entities might be a viable path?

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curiousphil
You might reach out to the mechanical engineering department at a local
university. Boise State University has some pretty nice equipment and they
offer paid 3D printing services to the public. We have used their services
multiple times for prototypes on products we are working on to pretty good
success.

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6stringmerc
Thank you very much, I did not think of that avenue. Considering how many
universities there are within an hour's drive (more than I have fingers!) I'm
hoping one might do such things. Much appreciated.

