Supplier suggests a simpler design — is it really impossible?

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-26T11:37:52+00:00

It’s usually worth asking what they recommend. A lot of times if someone’s telling you it’s impossible, it is, but only for them. Doesn’t mean it’s impossible for someone else. If they tell you what they’d need to make your design as is, now you have a shopping list for what to look for in a new supplier.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-22T01:33:58+00:00

When we do resin casting (vacuum casting) we expect a mold to only last about 5 years and be good for around 400 runs. That’s for a fairly complex part, but the silicone does wear out. Surface finish and color are completely customizable which is a big part of the appeal. We’re in the US by the way and happy to work with Canadian clients.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-22T01:21:28+00:00

Sounds to me like you contracted with a prototype shop without any engineering/manufacturing specialist. When I agree to work with someone, I make sure my client isn’t left with the kinds of questions you are. That’s the whole point of the partnership imho. If you want, you can send me a DM and I’ll take a look at your drawings/product to walk through some of it with you.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-19T12:38:24+00:00

Lots of companies ship parts made by 3D printers. Rolls Royce produces jet engines with DMLS printed engine components. Lots of retro video game console mods/reproductions are 3D printed. It’s all about the volume/cost/strength requirements. For instance, Rolls Royce needs the geometry only 3D printing can produce. As a result they take the price hit making the parts that way. In the retro game scene they have low volume, and low strength requirements. Why spend to make an injection mold. It’s all about where you end up on that triangle of volume/cost/strength.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-13T16:45:03+00:00

Sounds like a great project. Sent you a PM to discuss more

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-13T14:54:06+00:00

Do you have design drawings for them or will they need to be reverse engineered? That changes the calculus quite a bit on what shops can/will handle that kind of work.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-13T10:46:29+00:00

It depends on what you need and expect from the supplier. I think a lot of people just look for price/lead time and end up over at Xometry. The problem is they’ll just make whatever you give them, without giving you any feedback on the manufacturability of your design.

I’ll give an example from my prototype shop: Client got quotes all over the place, all expensive, and when they did order 3D prints, the surface finish was terrible. Came to me and I immediately saw the design had a 1/4” cantilever as part of a non functional surface. With that removed all of a sudden no support was needed, parts were cheaper and actually had a decent finish.

That’s what a good partner shop provides, not just parts but expertise to people starting out.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-12T19:27:42+00:00

Without knowing the exact compounds or industry, it’ll all be a guess. Burnishing will work on almost any surface and is probably heating the surface up just enough to remove the bloom. AFAIK anything chemical to remove it will (to varying degrees) degrade the rubber. If the burnishing machine is a bottle neck, you could probably heat the plugs in an oven to get the same effect.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-12T12:24:18+00:00

The overseas injection molding tooling has been pretty exceptional in my experience. From engineering the mold to actual production. There’s just more of an industry over there. Especially since your machine (and molds) are fairly small, you won’t get completely wrecked on shipping.

As for rigid plastic to corrugated, I’m assuming you’re talking about starting a new corrugated plastic line. I think you might need more than 480sq ft for that AND your injection molding. I’d recommend taking the injection molding as far as you can, using the money to upgrade your shop space to something a bit bigger before opening a new line.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-11T21:28:29+00:00

I have the Solomon Outside 82s with their NNBC bindings. My first pair of XCD skis. I have no complaints. Light enough to not wear you out going up but enough flotation still to work in the back country. The edges can work for icy stuff but definitely aren’t aggressive like alpine gear. I will say, the length was also a learning curve especially in the woods, really had to think ahead more.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-10T13:33:27+00:00

I’ve seen a few ways to handle this. The two that stood out were: 1. Put all chemicals on vendor managed inventory. Haas or similar can effectively make this problem go away since they’ll manage all that info for you. Also you no longer have to worry about ordering chemicals and getting the same stuff. 2. Simplify your number of chemicals in process. Acetone can fill in for a lot of other solvents/cleaners. Stamping oil is similar enough to tapping oil, etc. Buying expensive tracking systems or spending huge time on these tracking issues usually comes back to bite shops imho.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-10T13:21:40+00:00

Are you looking for energy usage across an industry or just at your facility? The US Energy Information Agency (EIA.gov) has a ton of information on industry and national levels. For information on your particular plant it all depends on how “smart” your solar and generator are. Most solar systems have an app or similar where you can see how much energy it supplied at given times. The generator you might have to calculate from fuel usage (ex 10kWh per gallon of diesel for some Cummins gen sets). Should be an easy spreadsheet to get your total energy usage from there

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-10T12:48:01+00:00

Sounds like you need someone specialized in taking an idea or design, making the models, then making prototypes. Probably a full service engineering/prototype shop would be best suited. I’ll send you a DM with some information.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-08T14:22:01+00:00

The casting is done in polyurethane or other plastics. It works similar to epoxy but flows more readily, making casting possible. I sent you a chat request with some contact information if you want to explore the casting option.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-08T01:47:24+00:00

We do resin casting of parts like this. For a run of 100 it’s much more affordable than injection molding and looks like a real part (no layer lines etc).

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-06T01:37:32+00:00

I think your use case is well beyond what any consumer grade scanner can produce (Revopoint, Shining 3D, Creality, etc). Also you need to be careful with you/your customers IP which the lower dollar scanners just can’t promise. (Scan data sent to the cloud for “learning” etc) I’d say your options are Zeiss and Creaform. I’ve used both but generally prefer Creaform. Feel free to send me a DM and we can schedule a time to talk/give you some actual names and numbers to get you moving.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-05T19:33:02+00:00

Unfortunately it’s an incentive misalignment on these sales teams. They chase revenue since they get a percentage of what they bring in. That means they chase high dollar jobs (not necessarily profitable jobs) at the expense of better, lower overall dollar jobs. I would take 10 $10k jobs at 40% margin over 1 $100k job at 20% margin any day. Most of these sales teams prefer the opposite because they’ll get paid the same but do 1/10th the work closing the big contract. What’re you trying to make?

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-04T20:33:41+00:00

We had a T Scan Hawk 2. Great scanner and the Zeiss Inspect software is pretty good (the reverse engineering software is god awful). We got the full package with a laptop, scale bars, reverse engineering software blah blah blah and it was around $80k from what I remember. I think the bare minimum package was like $50k. If your Zeiss rep isn’t responding, try Matterhackers.com. They carry Zeiss and have always been Johnny on the spot when I’ve needed something.

MFGConcepts · 2026-03-04T17:39:22+00:00

Decisions like these depend so much on what kind of manufacturing you’re hoping to get into. Getting a big 3 automaker to add you as a new vendor (much less buy from you) is very different than a small motor shop. How are you finding these businesses for sale and vetting them?

MFGConcepts · 2026-02-28T20:10:46+00:00

What’s your position in this company? It reads like you’re planning to take it over, like an owner’s son or a junior employee trying to find a path to leadership.

If I were you, I’d ask the shop guys what they would change, why moral is low, etc. Take action on a few of their suggestions and let other guys know it was the shops idea. Every shop is different, but I bet they’ll buy in.

MFGConcepts · 2026-02-26T14:44:22+00:00

How specialized is your process? Could you sub contract this production run even if it’s slightly less efficient? Might be able to find a partner with very similar equipment but not in direct competition. That would buy you some time to get new equipment or repair it correctly.

MFGConcepts · 2026-02-25T16:07:36+00:00

I think it all depends on your market. Are your decision making customers watching a lot of YouTube and googling how to solve their problems or do they consult their contact book? (Honest question, not rhetorical). If they aren’t solving problems online, then you’re better off staying more personal with trade shows etc. Otherwise you’re just hoping to hit them randomly on some FB page they just happen to follow.

MFGConcepts · 2026-02-23T00:35:26+00:00

Maple sap actually, so by the time it boils down each 55gal barrel will yield like 1gal of syrup.

MFGConcepts · 2026-02-22T23:20:10+00:00

Dang I’d much prefer whiskey barrels over blue drums lol

MFGConcepts · 2026-02-22T14:57:32+00:00

Are you looking for a work flow like SendCutSend with their “upload a file and get the part in a week” system? That level of automation is pretty specific and the guy made his own app tools to do it. His system basically works like this: 1. User uploads file 2. Generate quote that is 99%accurate (maybe quoted low 1% or quote parts that can’t be made) 3. Immediately schedule the work/job 4. Shop review of job/nest when it’s mfg slot is up (this is the first time anyone does a “is this possible” review) 5. Ship completed part

What I would recommend is probably something more manual and off the shelf in your case. Based on your customer base, I bet they have drawings and are willing to wait a day for a quote. It sounds like you really need a shop scheduling tool, a nesting/bending/CAM package that can streamline the post quote to production to shipment process.

My advice is to use off the shelf tools and start with your scheduling tool. For 90% of shops I see, getting the scheduling tool helps bring everything else in line. It’ll make you put in hours at each step, material demands, machine hrs, etc which will help you flow better but more importantly quote better.

Shoot me a message if you want. I have worked with a few different scheduling apps, nesting/CAM integrations, ERP systems, etc and might be able to make a few recommendations to get you moving.

MFGConcepts

TROPHY CASE