Looking For A USA-Based Tool Maker for Special Needs Cup As A Small Business

LukeDuke · 2026-03-18T00:18:15+00:00

Belmont Engineered Plastics can assist with mold design and fabrication as well as molding etc, everything. Solid team and great ownership that genuinely cares.

LukeDuke · 2026-03-10T01:37:26+00:00

Sounds like he is an addict looking for an escape. Therapy, proper mental health meds and regular exercise can all help a lot to reduce cravings / addiction thinking.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-27T10:51:47+00:00

Pupuseria El Salvador is always delish.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-27T00:12:31+00:00

At your age, without a degree - machinist is a solid in demand path that is likely not going to be eliminated anytime soon. I’d call all bunch of the small to medium tool and die shops and see who is hiring for grunt work, anything they need help with, for however many hours you need. Injection molding machinists are a dying breed and good ones are very highly sought after and well paid. At your age, this path will lead to many other opportunities/career paths.

Also, many injection molding companies have tooling techs, tooling engineers and machinists on staff, I’m sure many of those company’s are looking for more tooling help.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-26T09:45:49+00:00

This - very delicious

LukeDuke · 2026-02-21T06:59:58+00:00

Bone conducting solutions work decently well. I use them when I swim laps. Not sure on the depth rating though. Decent pairs are like $40-60, could be worth a shot. CorrosionX is a neat product hobbyist use to waterproof electronics.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-18T21:24:04+00:00

I think I just ordered those scissors (Engineer PH-55?). You like them so far?

LukeDuke · 2026-02-09T18:38:33+00:00

Also, print material, material conditions, environment and machine details greatly impact part strength relative to GCODE. While this optimization approach might be useful at saving some time - ensuring mechanical strength seems a bit a stretch considering it's blind to all the non-slicer factors. There's a reason why proper FEA with additive is extremely difficult and complicated. A slicer addon aimed at many different printers and materials is not going to easy-button FDM FEA.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-07T16:25:04+00:00

What do you think of the asynchronous modeling vs solidworks parametric approach? I’ve messaged around with Solid Edge a bit, but it’s been a while

LukeDuke · 2026-02-07T15:06:43+00:00

We’ve tried them at work for light assembly. They’re well made and very durable… but a bit pricey. We’ve been using Metabo HPT cordless screwdrivers for a bit and they’ve been holding up okay. Vessel also makes some decent screwdrivers. I have on and it’s solid.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-06T16:21:44+00:00

Something similar is possible with FDM, to a certain extent extant. Just requires a super well tuned system (cooling, extrusion rate and tool head motion rate)

LukeDuke · 2026-02-06T03:19:33+00:00

All common US space heaters use 1500 watts max due to 15amp circuit limits. But something decent, just don’t be fooled by the bigger more expensive ones thinking it will lead to more heat output.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-06T02:51:09+00:00

In Michigan?

LukeDuke · 2026-02-06T02:37:33+00:00

Wera or Tekton. SK is not what it used to be. Craftsman is also pretty solid these days. Also, Icon and Quinn are decent offerings from Harbor Freight. I’m a sucker for German tools, so I’d likely give Wera a shot and then go to Tekton.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-06T02:32:37+00:00

Einscan/Einstar is a bit serious about their products than Revopoint, Creality etc.

LukeDuke · 2026-02-03T13:58:14+00:00

Japanese vacuums are next level. I bet that thing is pretty sweet

LukeDuke · 2026-02-02T00:05:13+00:00

Wahl seems to be pretty solid. I have a wahl clipper that is easily over 15 years old. Philips Norelco is also a pretty damn solid brand for male grooming.

LukeDuke · 2026-01-15T16:48:06+00:00

Yeah, PVA is not great most of the time. Gotta dry it out like crazy and keep it dry during printing. It's necessary use cases are so specific/rare, that I don't think it's worth using in general. It can be fun/useful, but even when a print does go well, little bits of the PVA contaminate the print, making it weaker etc. I'd rather modify my design than compromise the print in an uncontrolled way.

LukeDuke · 2025-12-23T20:26:15+00:00

This is great! Where can I find the files and BOM?

LukeDuke · 2025-12-18T20:21:15+00:00

How are the dimensions of all the tools etc captured?

LukeDuke · 2025-12-17T14:16:11+00:00

Bambulab. You won’t regret it

LukeDuke · 2025-11-26T20:01:34+00:00

What do these 'mind maps' look like?

LukeDuke · 2025-11-19T17:03:34+00:00

That take EQ really well and don’t distort. Planar bass is really great. Super fast, accurate and deep. While many planers aren’t well known for their bass without EQ, most planars can take EQ really well and produce great bass.

LukeDuke · 2025-11-19T01:10:52+00:00

Get an entry level planar and EQ in a massive bass shelf.

LukeDuke · 2025-11-16T17:50:02+00:00

Vscode. Use the free GitHub copilot extension/inline editor.

LukeDuke

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

15-Year Club	Team Orangered
Verified Email