

Ask HN: How do I get a physical product manufactured? - dshipper

So I have an idea for a simple physical product with a fairly straightforward design that would be made out of plastic. Does anyone know where I can go to get that manufactured? I've looked around but haven't found anything that fits what I'm looking for. Does anyone have any experience with this?
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HeyLaughingBoy
Are you in a big city in the US and need thousands or tens of thousands? Look
through Yellow Pages (online, of course).

Just need a handful made? Post your question here:
<http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/> in the General section _and make it clear
that you intend to pay the going rate_ if you want to be taken seriously.
There are a few guys there who can do small quantity injection molding.

It's a hobbyist board, but people there are quite used to the machinist's
equivalent of "I'm a business guy and just need a cheap programmer to
implement my idea." They will respond the same way you would to that
sentiment.

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retroafroman
I've designed a few molds for injection molding processes, but never actually
made the parts. Begin with contacting local mold making and plastic injection
molding companies and ask if they do small runs. If not, ask if they know
anyone who does. Thomasnet ([http://www.thomasnet.com/products/plastics-
injection-molded-...](http://www.thomasnet.com/products/plastics-injection-
molded-short-run-95924106-1.html)) has a decent directory of these types of
manufacturers. Be prepared to give them CAD drawings of your part (or at least
engineering drawings), any manufacturing process plans, product requirements,
preferred material (specify a type-ABS, HDPE, LDPE, etc), and probably some
other things I can't remember. They usually aren't product design firms, they
make molds and then use those to make parts. They may be able to help you
select which resin to use, but do not depend on it.

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rusbravo
The main thing is the quantity. if you need prototype to small volumes look at
quickparts.com. they have a $150 min order last time I quoted a rapid
prototype. Next step would probably be Protomold, they do injection molds out
of aluminum with high speed CNC machines and can do a 1 day turnaround if you
have the money. There's another company I've worked with called Vista
Technologies (vistatek.com) out of Minneapolis that did prototypes and then
production parts. If you're going to higher volumes you can go to pretty much
any injection molder and have them make you parts, some will roll the cost of
the tooling into the per part cost. oh yeah, vista will also do urethane
castings for low volumes of parts, like less than 100.

I would recommend getting a rapid prototype made out of a material that is
close to what you want the final product to be. prototype early and prototype
often, what looks good in our heads or on the computer screen often isn't
quite right in the for-reals. Use quickparts, vista, or shapeways. Pokeno is
still working the bugs out of their 3d printing, give them a couple of months.
Shapeways requires you to submit a .stl file of your 3D model. Quickparts and
Vista are a little more flexible. I would not recommend a home brew 3d
printer, the resolution and the material choices aren't as good. Also, you
just want your part not to screw around with a machine.

I've worked as a manufacturing engineer and as a design engineer, product
development is what i do for a living. If you would like to talk things over
some more, I'd be happy to sign an NDA and maybe point you in the right
direction... at least a direction anyway.

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beagle3
If you're still at the idea stage, you will want to prototype first. If it's
small enough, you can print it with a MakerBot (Desktop 3D printer for $1200
or so). Alternatively, you could use ShapeWays (the "fedex/kinkos" of 3D
printing). Until you actually have production volumes in the hundreds (perhaps
thousands) of units, this will be the cheaper, faster, easier option.

~~~
limedaring
Is the MakerBot $1200 for the printer, or $1200 to print one thing?

~~~
beagle3
The printer. raw material is then 50cents/pound or so, and it basically all
goes to use.

It's a kit, not hard to build from what I've seen and heard, but still you
have to be willing to spend those few hours tinkering (or find someone else
who does).

It takes 20-30 minutes to print a nontrivial object, but it can run
continuously for hours, so it's good enough to prototype with and get the
first 20 made.

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eande
If you want to build some volume product you will need some kind of drawings,
get a steel mold, find a place for production, quality inspection, packaging,
marketing, sales ... and so forth. As you can see that is not a simple answer.

You can check out quirky.com maybe that is a way to go for you.

Or read this blog indicating the effort you will have to put in place

[http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/10/going-it-alone-how-
to-m...](http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/10/going-it-alone-how-to-make-your-
stuff-in-china/)

[http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/11/going-it-alone-how-
to-m...](http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/11/going-it-alone-how-to-make-your-
stuff-in-china-part-2/comment-page-2/)

~~~
dshipper
Thanks I read this a while ago and was trying to find it - this is exactly
what I was looking for :)

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hypotenuse
Curt (<http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=curt>) has a lot of experience with
this process. Here's a thread he posted a few months ago that's full of great
information: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1840896>

------
tst
You will find a lot of (US) companies at <http://www.thomasnet.com>

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Mz
If all else fails, pick up a copy of the book Fab, which is about personal
fabrication -- ie "printing" plastic and such with your computer. I read it
about 4 to 5 years ago and at that time a lot of the ideas were pretty cutting
edge and not really available to the public. I bet a lot has changed in that
time.

[http://www.amazon.com/FAB-Revolution-Desktop-Computers-
Fabri...](http://www.amazon.com/FAB-Revolution-Desktop-Computers-
Fabrication/dp/0465027458)

And good luck.

