Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
If your search for references comes up dry, you may have to do things the hard way, by
visiting a website such as thomasnet.com (the old Thomas Register), alibaba.com, or
MadeInChina.com. You might also consider hiring an agent to find factories for you.
Make sure the agent has local offices near you and in the location of your factory. You'll
be spending a lot of time working with the agent throughout your production process, and
most likely spending a lot of money on the agent as well.
As you compile a list of possible manufacturers, the best way to assess their ability to
deliver the product that you want is to visit the manufacturer's office in person, tour its fa-
cilities, and see samples of what the company has made. If you can't visit the factories,
then getting samples of parts made by each factory is critical. After you've gotten hold of
samples, the factory background check begins.
Evaluating a prospective manufacturer involves answering the questions:
Does it make things that are similar to what you intend to manufacture?
Who are the manufacturer's other customers (that it can tell you about)?
Does the manufacturer have experience working with the materials that you'd like
your product to be made from?
Do the samples have a similar number of parts and level of complexity compared
to your product?
Is the surface finish quality what you are looking for?
Do the parts have the same level of precision and fit that you desire?
Which CAD file formats does the factory use?
Does the factory employ engineers who will work with you to see your product
through to production?
Is the factory responsive to your requests?
This is not an exhaustive list, but it's enough to get you started and keep you out of
trouble later on! Appendix D provides a more complete manufacturing checklist.
If you do have the opportunity to visit the factory, another important consideration is
the quality of the factory itself, and the workers inside it. In addition to not wanting to
support sweatshops and dangerous work conditions, a clean, well-run factory with well-
treated workers is a good sign that you will also be treated with respect as the customer.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to assess the quality of the factory without making a site vis-
it.
After you've done your evaluation and background check of several manufacturers, the
fun begins. It's time to make some stuff.
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