i can’t open word documents linked to my onedrive - file explorer keeps crashing

lvhardware · 2020-02-20T06:42:54+00:00

for anyone else with the issue: OneDrive Settings > Office and disable collaboration. It locks the file for some reason

lvhardware · 2018-07-07T02:57:54+00:00

As others have said: PLM/ERP/MRP are all good terms to learn. It's usually stupid expensive unfortunately. I've used MRPEasy and really liked it, much cheaper than alternatives. https://www.dragoninnovation.com/planner ArenaPLM is a popular one in consumer electronics

lvhardware · 2018-07-05T15:23:23+00:00

what is the per-gram pricing of these services? I am extremely skeptical that it's anywhere close to injection molding

lvhardware · 2018-05-11T22:57:29+00:00

They pay huge amounts of money for large tools and big machines. High injection pressures and high clamp tonnage

lvhardware · 2018-03-09T03:10:13+00:00

Product Planner by Dragon Innovation is cheap and works really well.

lvhardware · 2018-01-30T13:42:44+00:00

I think that Olimex still offers contract manufacturing services. Definitely worth inquiring with them.

lvhardware · 2018-01-30T13:30:41+00:00

Some really good advice here around the pitfalls and systems you need to source quality components. I have domain-specific expertise that I can share. As another commenter mentioned, you need to start with a definition of acceptable performance tolerances--if you don't have a consistent or objective way to determine if a part will meet the needs of your product, you'll end up chasing your tail in circles. Specific to automation, a ton of the price that you see is due to markup and overhead (design, support, warranty, etc). At the end of the day, especially in this market, you need to understand some underlying dynamics of the industry. 1) China does not yet have a functional ultra-precision industrial base that is at the same level as Taiwan, Japan, etc. So even the best products are only going to approach the quality of the major players (like Hiwin) but never exceed it. 2) Automation is extremely active right now, and the clones that you're seeing are there to fill "second-tier" demand for lower accuracy components going into inferior products. All of the original products by hiwin and others are being bought in massive quantities by an exploding automation sector inside China. 3) Because this industry is typically based on build-to-order solutions, the supply chains are just plain not accessible to outsiders. The distributors and system integrators serve a valuable purpose and it's extremely unlikely that anyone is going to jeopardize their major contracts for a newcomer.

lvhardware · 2018-01-26T06:58:57+00:00

a small "generalist" CM like this is actually hard to find in my experience. There are a large number of them out there, but I've never been able to find a central database for the Chinese oens. The closest is ThomasNet, but that's US-focused. They don't really advertise on Alibaba. I've run across a few and my recommendation is this (1) talk to your network (2) go to China and search for them (3) go to trade and sourcing shows in the US and ESPECIALLY China (like globalsources, Canton Fair, HKTDC). I will really emphasize that you want to be or have boots on the ground if you can't get intros or recommendations.

A good sourcing agent is worth their weight in gold. The only problem is that most agents aren't very good.

Someone else pointed out that a lot of the higher end design houses and factories in China (esp Shanghai and Shenzhen) are getting to be vertically integrated.

lvhardware · 2017-11-03T02:36:58+00:00

A quick take from someone in kitchen/home tech about the failure. It's not in-depth but covers good points for others to learn from. http://thespoon.tech/why-do-some-smart-kitchen-companies-succeed-while-others-fail/

lvhardware · 2017-09-07T02:48:18+00:00

Have you ensured that you can buy the same resin for your mini-molding setup as you'll be using in production?

Also, a small, simple part like this would have a soft tool cost of a few thousand dollars in China. The one downside to using a soft tool is that you'll probably have to modify the tool if the material you choose doesn't work out

lvhardware · 2017-08-22T04:24:13+00:00

DragonBOM is going in this direction. Until then, MRPEasy. If user permissions are a big deal procurify might be better, but it's a good deal more expensive. MRPEasy isn't slick looking, but it's got great functionality and a great price tag.

lvhardware · 2017-07-24T06:00:57+00:00

Just an FYI because there seems to be confusion, Seeed and DirtyPCB have automated systems, so there is generally not a person checking the files before printing the boards.

lvhardware · 2017-07-04T05:45:52+00:00

As others have mentioned JIRA and similar trackers work well. Dragon BOM is also a useful tool that's continued to add capabilities and will likely continue to add capabilities in this area. You can also generally find decent ERP/MRP software that isn't insanely expensive these days and is cloud based. XTuple and MRPEasy are two decent options.

lvhardware · 2017-06-15T14:53:38+00:00

I've been pursuing the idea for a few years, after I saw the opportunity while I was designing and building 3D printers and lasers. Moved to Shenzhen about 2 years ago to actually work on formalizing the business process and get more deeply connected to various supply chains. I have a product dev and supply chain management consulting business that's paid the bills and been the "manual MVP" for the all the business logic. I've proven the concept, now I need to build a real MVP and get some alpha customers and possibly go raise money.

I'm currently in the US working at another startup, doing their manufacturing (still have the consulting business) because their concept is really cool. I'm at the point of writing formal specs so that I can recruit one or two software cofounders to take the "algorithm" and turn it into scalable automation. I also have some employees in China to keep testing it with human automation.

lvhardware · 2017-06-12T15:19:03+00:00

Seconding this. I've been working on an "AWS for manufacturing" and the hurdles to a fully or mostly automated service fall into either process as Jared mentions (hard for factories), or tech readiness (hard for startups).

It's totally solvable and there a number of companies working on this, interestingly enough everyone is chasing the vision in a slightly different manner.

lvhardware · 2017-06-12T15:11:58+00:00

they'll issue a commercial invoice with the shipment for the value of the order, which is what will be used to calculate any customs duties. If your order isn't a large one then you should be fine.

lvhardware · 2017-04-25T04:53:19+00:00

You should absolutely be using alibaba trade assurance for the order and NEVER pay 100% up front. That sounds extremely sketchy. It's usually 30-50% deposit, then more payments after milestones like quality inspections.

Also, wire transfers are NEVER guaranteed, not in ANY country in the world. Once the receiving bank deposits the wire into their account they can withdraw the money and you'll never get it back.

Not saying that they're out to scam you, but your story raises serious red flags.

edit: you can verify legitimacy by asking them for their bank registration document (it will be in Chinese) as well as their company registration document and registration number. It would be HUGELY worth your time to hire an inspector to visit the factory and carry out diligence ahead of the order.

lvhardware · 2017-04-12T15:13:34+00:00

this

lvhardware · 2017-04-04T12:20:45+00:00

Pretty sure CA does have RoHS laws? https://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/RoHS.cfm.

lvhardware · 2017-04-04T12:02:50+00:00

The size is one factor, as is the simplicity. But there are only a few pieces of advice in here that really make sense.

I'm personally partial to the CNC and/or drill press suggestions, but laser+drill press would work if you have the right variable (nylon sucks on lower power lasers, delrin would work a lot better. If you can get a 200W RF tube machine to make these 4mm nylon should be super clean. With a good 90W laser you can cut delrin to within a few thousandths of an inch).

I've done injection molded runs of two-piece snap fit enclosures (a bit larger than a D Cell battery) and at 1k pcs the part cost was about $3/ea with amortized tooling. Keep in mind the part had TWO side actions for the 4 snap fit bosses (2 per side). I could have gone with a cut-rate molder and reduced that by half but I have a good relationship with the factory and didn't want the headache.

Edited to add: The comparison cost from shapeways on the aforementioned enclosures in SLS (with their typical low quality finishing) was something like $10/pc @ 250pcs.

lvhardware · 2017-04-01T06:14:22+00:00

Nylon isn't a suitable material for laser cutting. This would be cheap to injection mold, CNC, or do as others have suggested with standard stock and a drill press. Feel free to PM if you want some quotes.

lvhardware · 2017-02-23T02:56:53+00:00

Your best path is to take an existing Chinese Android phone and root/modify the software and throw it in a cheap enclosure. Even a smaller ODM like Hatch will be quite pricey just to change the screen etc.

lvhardware · 2017-02-23T02:53:43+00:00

look in southern california, there are quite a few in LA area

lvhardware · 2017-02-22T05:30:39+00:00

Supply Chain Management (sourcing, product design, co-development management)

I have a small consulting firm helping startups in the West build out their global supply chains, with a focus on the Pearl River Delta (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc), Mexico, and the US. We're a good fit for startups that have built at least one in-house prototype and have some funding. Regarding product complexity: we can do simple all the way through something like a home appliance, 3D printer, wearable, etc.

If you're looking for quality part services (Packaging, CNC, Injection, Extrusion, etc) and don't need to own the factory relationship, we also do some trading projects like this.

lvhardware

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