Rules

Does anyone have information on the new 10% Chinese tarrif EO? Is this on anything imported at any amount by anyone? What about orders made and paid for already?

Hi, New to this Subreddit.

Does anyone know what laser parameters are optimal for laser marking/engraving/etching white PTFE?

I’m brand new to marking plastics and i’m hesitant to start experimenting before I gather more information.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m part of a university thesis project where we contracted a fabricator based in Rizal province to build a custom honey extraction machine. We signed a detailed quotation for PHP 160,000, covering specific functions, materials, and labor. However, after visiting the machine, we noticed several key features, including the filling mechanism and filtration system, are incomplete or not working as intended.

We also received a lump sum invoice, though the fabricator initially offered to provide receipts. We only have a signed quotation worth PHP 160,000 only DR Price (meaning not cleared) and a BOM exceeding PHP 160,000 but lack detailed receipts or material breakdowns, leaving us uncertain about actual costs.

When I raised these concerns, the fabricator mentioned that:

• It’s not standard to request a breakdown, and he will only provide receipts for the whole machine, not individual components.
• He emphasized that making multiple revisions has increased his labor costs, and further changes may require additional payments.

Has anyone here experienced similar issues with contracted fabrication? How should we professionally and fairly resolve this? Side note, the group is at fault for not making a contract/MOA/black and white for this project, we acknowledge that and deeply regret it. Any advice on how to handle the missing features, invoice discrepancies, and how to navigate this with the fabricator would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

https://goblingearclub.com/products/42-2x-super-heavy-duty-elbow-wraps

Hi! I am looking for someone to create HOLLOW pendants and earrings for me. I'm a jewelry designer that works with lost wax casting, but need these pieces to be hollow which calls for too much labor in lost wax for my prices to stay reasonable.

Upon some research, I may be looking for "electroforming"? Or if you have a better idea of how something like this would be made, I would be so grateful! A lot of the vintage hollow pendants I have have one or two holes in them...and if they were able to make these in the 70s surely they can make them, if not better, now.

I am in Los Angeles but anywhere in the US will do!

I run a service that offers sublimation for uniforms for companies and sporting events, including rashguards, polos, and T-shirts. Currently, we work with a manufacturing supplier in Pakistan who has been mostly reliable. However, as we plan to expand, we need a partner that can consistently avoid sizing mistakes. For example, we've received products labeled as M that actually fit like Small.

We tried contacting another company in Pakistan and received a sample from them, but it was atrocious. The sizes were wrong, and the stitching and textile quality were unacceptable.

We’re looking for a reliable manufacturing company with at least a 3-week lead time for orders ranging from 400 to 1,000 pieces. We’re open to suppliers in India, Pakistan, or any other country that can meet this demand with good quality standards.

Does anyone have recommendations or know where I can start looking?

Can anyone recommend a supplier who can shot-peen steel parts (about 2"x2"x2"), preferably located within a 150-mile radius of Chicago?

Hey everyone,

I hope I can get some ideas about the best manufacturing cell layout for a two stream process that comes together at the end with multiple inspection steps in the subassembly streams.

I love a U shape cell design with material flowing in one direction but that doesn't really work in this case as there are two completely separate work flows that then join at the very end of the process.

What do you guys think would be a good idea for a layout?

Looking to find some good manufacturers for my sports clothing brand , looking to explore Vietnam and china, anyone got anyone good ones they work with that they trust thanks.

i am currently using Inventor for a manufacturing factory layout. the file is getting too big (about 4000 IPT parts) to handle and it crashes the system sometimes or loads very slow. There are also lot of parts to be added more which will be mostly mechanical components with moderate details. which software would be a good alternative to Inventor for this? Also, I have to take the existing files (in .ipt and .iam format) with me either by converting in bulk or if possible for direct import

Hello Fello Molecule manufacturers,

Recently, our company is looking to validate market for our research and one of our executives mentioned that we can use IQVIA platform as whole. I tried looking into it but it has way-too-many things on website itself and it all gets very confusing in the end. Hence, If any of you is using any IQVIA solutions, please give me the honest review.

We have requested demo and our e-class is super rigid on buying its license.

We're looking for an MES system to implement, but we're having trouble evaluating one. First Resonance seemed impressive, but the per-seat cost seemed high. Are there other lower cost or lowered features setups people like? Or is it just an expensive category of software products?

Editing to add more comments:

• Quality tracking while assembling it
• Part tracking over its lifecycle, our largest assembly gets reworked often with new parts for upgrades so it'd be useful to see rework/repair and who did the initial work. I know this one is a stretch, ION couldn't really do it.
• Barcode/QR code on all parts would be useful.
• Manual time tracking for assembly costs, doesn't need to be super in-depth for a while
• Good revision management would be nice as well.

1. Hi all! thanks in advance for any of the guidance

I struck out using AI in asking this question, but i wanted to ask y'all:

I'm working on an idea for a residential and industrial use device, around 3-5 feet tall, and before hiring a designer, I wanted to see if AI could help me draft a prototype, with some skteches so I can maybe get a few ideas visually and use them to build pre-market waitlists and hypes for the product.

Do y'all know of any AI websites or tools that can help me design a visual prototype or sketch of the product? If not, any suggestions on where and how to find affordable/free-lance product designers/sketchers?

Hi,

I have been tasked with analysing a fictional company that produces cars. Each car has a number of batteries which in turn have a number of removable and replaceable modules that are used to make up the battery. These modules are delivered to the car company in batches. The supplier of modules might issue recalls for certain batches due to errors on their part. During production at the car company, the normal flow works so that each car only has modules from one specific batch i.e no mixing. In this fictional scenario, the car needs complete batteries to function. Company does not make batteries to stock.

During production or during normal use, these modules might break and need a replacement. If a battery has 5 modules and 1 break, the faulty one can be replaced.

My question would be the implications of replacing the fifth module with that from a different batch, thus having 4 modules from batch A and 1 module from batch B. If I am not completely misstaken, I imagine these potential scenarios for recalls:

• The car company does strictly not mix batches, meaning that if a module breaks for a car and there are no more modules from that batch, the entire car is rendered obsolete. Modules are either scrapped, sent for repurposing or put in inventory for later use. For a recall, all of the modules in the car would thus be recalled.
• The car company mix batches for repair, meaning that a car could have modules from A and B (or even more). If a recall happens for batch B, all cars that have modules from A and B or only B will be recalled. Depending on the mixing, a lot of cars containing both A and B could be recalled thus basically recalling A in vain.
  • To handle a recall of B in cars containing both A and B, I see these possible scenarios:
    • The faulty B's are replaced with modules from batch C. Functioning A's remain in the car
    • All of the modules are replaced with modules from batch C, making it coherent. Functioning A's are either placed in storage for later use, sent for repurposing (e.g energy storage) or scrapped.

Unless I am completely missing something, is the choice somewhat binary between:

a) Having no batch mixing thus risking obsolete cars during production or aftermarket repair and scrapping functioning modules or risk having obsolete inventory when the car is replaced. Should a recall happen, this is relatively cut and dry as 100% of the modules in a car are replaced.

b) Having batch mixing thus being able to produce functioning cars during production or aftermarket repair with minimal module waste. Should a recall happen for modules, this will be more complicated and costly compared to no mixing.

I welcome any critique of the above and any aspect I might have missed.

Is there a place where manufacturers can find people who understand or talk their language, or access a continuous flow of information/updates from the industry? A specific platform exclusively for manufacturing -related conversations? For eg. there's one I know for people who trade for work or are just trading-enthusiasts - there's Trading View and the users on there discuss everything trading-related around the world. Is there something similar for manufacturers and distributors and the likes?

Does anyone have any contacts in South America for core manufacturing? We have having to move our suppliers away from China with the upcoming tariffs. I know trump is buddies with Argentinas president so that is where we are contemplating.

I’d like to reach out to a couple of US manufactures that can product basic plastic toys via injection molding. I wonder how prices compare with China. Any recommendations?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in search of a reliable US-based supplier who can help with the production of a magnesium chloride product under a private label skincare line. Ideally, the supplier would have experience with skincare products and be able to provide high-quality formulations that meet all industry standards.

If you are a manufacturer or know of any companies that can help with the production of magnesium spray, please feel free to reach out or share recommendations. I’m looking for a partner who can support everything from formulation to packaging and fulfillment.

Thanks in advance!

I’m currently dealing with issues related to a hydraulic pipe expansion process in a high-volume manufacturing environment. The setup involves a hydraulic spear that flares six segmented dies outward, expanding the pipe as it’s driven through. However, repeated failures in the segmented dies (made of A2 tool steel) have led to significant downtime.

While I’m addressing the die material and repair challenges, I’m also exploring alternative processes that could replace or improve upon this method entirely. The primary requirements for the process are:

• Precise and uniform pipe expansion.
• Ability to handle high-stress cycles with minimal wear or failure.
• Compatibility with high-volume production.

Are there alternative methods, such as mechanical expansion systems, thermal expansion, or any other process, that might reduce wear on components and improve production reliability? I’m open to insights on cutting-edge technologies or even traditional methods that could be adapted for this application. Obviously I can only choose three of the following: lean, cheap, and reliable

Thanks in advance for your ideas and expertise!

I’ve been running a mid-sized sublimated softgoods manufacturing business for 10 years in Los Angeles. We’ve built a strong operation with streamlined processes and a proven track record in our niche. Recently, we invested in state-of-the-art equipment to speed up production, which has created additional capacity we’re trying o fill.

While we’ve primarily focused on D2C, we’ve had great success with white-label B2B clients—but most of those opportunities came to us organically. Now, I want to actively grow our B2B side, but I struggle with traditional methods like cold calling (which drives me insane) and find LinkedIn too noisy to be effective.

What strategies can I use to attract and secure more B2B clients?

Hey everyone,

I’ve spent the last 15 years in corporate procurement, working directly with manufacturers to get products made. Honestly, one of my favorite parts of the job is getting out on the floor and seeing how things work. Within an hour, I can usually tell if I’m moving forward with a supplier or not—it’s like a sixth sense I’ve developed from years of audits and vetting.

Here’s the deal: when I decide to work with you, I treat your business like it’s my own. I’ll be your internal champion and make sure things get done. But I’ve also seen so many small manufacturers miss opportunities—not because they don’t have what it takes, but because they didn’t know how to navigate the corporate procurement process or avoid those red flags buyers look for.

I’m working on sharing everything I’ve learned over the years to help small manufacturers stand out, avoid the pitfalls, and actually win the business. But before I get too far, I want to hear from you:

What’s something you wish you understood about how corporate buyers think?

Have you run into roadblocks trying to land big contracts?

If you could ask someone like me—someone on the procurement side—anything, what would it be?

I’ve started putting together content on YouTube (still figuring it out as I go!) and want to make sure I’m covering what’s actually helpful. Drop your thoughts here—I’d love to hear about your challenges and questions, and maybe even feature them in upcoming content.

Let’s talk—what do you want to know to better work with the corporate procurement people

Looking for a USA aluminum extrusion company who will make runs of custom profiles.

Profiles will be about 9" long x 1.5-2" tall using 6061-t6. Each part will eventually be about 4" wid after we cut them. Several diff profiles needed.standard aluminum extrusion tolerances apply nothing crazy.

We Order enough to make about 3000 parts at a time from China currently. I contacted a few stateside companies and for some reason get no where... You can get these made easy in China but for some reason no one in the USA wants to make them.

Hi guys,

I’m working on a product that involves a pivoting mechanism, and I need some advice on sourcing the right hardware.

The setup involves a 7/8” diameter (16ga) aluminum tube, and I’m looking for a fitting that:     •    Push-fits snugly into the tube.     •    Acts as a pivot point for a shaft.

I’m considering two options:     1.    A press-fitting with a bearing (similar to a conveyor roller bearing).     2.    A nylon press-fit fitting with a hole to accept a shaft.

The application is not heavy-duty, but it does need to pivot smoothly and reliably. My main concerns are durability, ease of sourcing, and cost.

Does anyone have recommendations for specific fittings, manufacturers, or where to source these? Or are there better solutions I’m overlooking?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

I’ve been looking on Alibaba and google for manufacturers which can make plush bags from recycled materials but haven’t been able to find any. Does anyone know a manufacturer for things like this?

I'm in the infant stages of researching materials for a product I would like to design, and I had an idea of using flat pak sheet 1mm aluminium cutouts. You can bend the aluminium by hand to form a solid enclosure that is relatively strong and is super cheap to produce.

I've only seen 1 product using this approach, the Computer-1 by teenage engineering. Have you guys ever seen aluminium cut in these flat pack foldable cutouts like this? I'm curious to see other companies strategies to producing this style of enclosure.

I aslo have a couple questions about manufacturing aluminium in this way. How is this cut? Using a CNC machine or is this laser/water jet? Also is this going to be as cheap as I think it should be or is there some manufacturing cost that I'm not taking into account. Thanks!

Edit:

A comment I left for further context:

"Ok so I'm going to explain to you what I'm going for since you seem to bring up a lot of good points. 

I am making a controller for a game called smash bros. The controller is a flat pad with buttons on it. Here is an example of what it could look like :  https://frame1.gg

My angle on this product is to reduce the price to something sub 100 euros if possible. I'm really trying to do something minimalistic, and DIY is kind of the aesthetic since I'm selling to hobbyists (letting the customer assemble also reduces on manufacturing steps hehe). The aluminium just needs to sandwich a PCB with keyboard switches on it without flexing too much.

I've found an enclosure that looks very similar to what I'm trying to achieve here : https://teenage.engineering/store/16"

Teenage Engineering Computer-1

I'm a designer looking for a (nice to work with) manufacturer in Los Angeles. They should specialize in creating things like toys, home goods, lamps, things like that. Any suggestions would be so appreciated!