Looking for Manufacturers - From Small Scale to Wide Scale

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hello there !<br /> <br /> As the title says, I&#039;m looking for tips/ways/threads that can help me and that process. I have created a product, that can be 3D printed, and most probably be mold injected (a unit is 15cm Hx 6cm Wx 2cm T), working on a 3D design on Focus 360 as I type this). With everything I saw, regarding mold injecting, it&#039;s extremely expensive, and I can&#039;t afford to go there, yet.<br /> <br /> How and where do I start, for like the first 1 to 100 units (I&#039;m considering 3D printing, as of right now) ? I can&#039;t believe that, to test a product, I have to go straight balls to the wall and throw 25 000$ at a mold and see if there&#039;s a market after that !<br /> <br /> I have started the process to look locally (Quebec, Canada) for 3D printers, to get my first units, and start advertising it (maybe Kickstarter too ?), to see if there IS a market (mock-up website, running ads, see the feedback/lack of it, etc),<br /> If yes, then what ?<br /> <br /> I just email MFGs and be like &quot;hey I have this product to make, it needs to do X Y Z. What kind of polymer do you guys recommand for the requested applications, and at what cost ?&quot;<br /> And in general, do I just go Google &gt; &quot;Mold injection manufacterers China&quot; &gt; boom get a quote &gt; ?????<br /> <br /> I&#039;m somewhat lost here.<br /> <br /> Anything can help ! Throw it at me, let&#039;s have a discussion !<br /> <br /> Thanks for the help, and for your time <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /><br /> <br /> (I can give a description of my product as well, in a following message, if it can help)</div>

 

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[Lyinx]

<div class="bbWrapper"><div class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--unfurl is-pending is-recrawl js-unfurl fauxBlockLink" data-unfurl="true" data-result-id="155035" data-url="https://www.3dhubs.com" data-host="www.3dhubs.com" data-pending="true"> <div class="contentRow"> <div class="contentRow-figure contentRow-figure--fixedSmall js-unfurl-figure"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hubs.com%2Fimages%2Fsocial-snippet-image.jpg&amp;hash=0f7ed658c5f27de8b5d11fb56b5f72d5&amp;return_error=1" loading="lazy" alt="www.3dhubs.com" class="bbCodeBlockUnfurl-image" data-onerror="hide-parent"/> </div> <div class="contentRow-main"> <h3 class="contentRow-header js-unfurl-title"> <a href="https://www.3dhubs.com" class="link link--external fauxBlockLink-blockLink" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-proxy-href=""> Protolabs Network | On-demand manufacturing for custom parts </a> </h3> <div class="contentRow-snippet js-unfurl-desc">Hubs is now Protolabs Network. Manufacturing capabilities for complex custom parts–from prototypes to production. 3D printing | CNC machining | injection molding.</div> <div class="contentRow-minor contentRow-minor--hideLinks"> <span class="js-unfurl-favicon"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dhubs.com%2F&amp;hash=c4479e1c5a6bfa3d4c2b3cc2318c8f4e&amp;return_error=1" loading="lazy" alt="www.3dhubs.com" class="bbCodeBlockUnfurl-icon" data-onerror="hide-parent"/> </span> www.3dhubs.com </div> </div> </div> </div> I&#039;ve seen other sites that people print from their garage and ship to you... or consider going to a makersspace in your local area (if you can get in) and printing there... <br /> I don&#039;t have a lot of info, but sharing what I can... I&#039;ve had products molded with $14,000 molds... the cost is pennies per pc... so it quickly becomes worthwhile instead of paying $.75 + per pc to have it 3d printed</div>

 

[BrianLateStart]

<div class="bbWrapper">There&#039;s other methods between getting it 3D printed and injection molds. Difficult to say without seeing how complex your parts are or what their function is. Urethane casting is a way to get parts similar to injection molded at a much cheaper price. Might be an option for small batches.</div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 73436" data-quote="Lyinx" data-source="post: 924749" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924749" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924749">Lyinx said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> <div class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--unfurl is-pending is-recrawl js-unfurl fauxBlockLink" data-unfurl="true" data-result-id="155035" data-url="https://www.3dhubs.com" data-host="www.3dhubs.com" data-pending="true"> <div class="contentRow"> <div class="contentRow-figure contentRow-figure--fixedSmall js-unfurl-figure"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hubs.com%2Fimages%2Fsocial-snippet-image.jpg&amp;hash=0f7ed658c5f27de8b5d11fb56b5f72d5&amp;return_error=1" loading="lazy" alt="www.3dhubs.com" class="bbCodeBlockUnfurl-image" data-onerror="hide-parent"/> </div> <div class="contentRow-main"> <h3 class="contentRow-header js-unfurl-title"> <a href="https://www.3dhubs.com" class="link link--external fauxBlockLink-blockLink" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" data-proxy-href=""> Protolabs Network | On-demand manufacturing for custom parts </a> </h3> <div class="contentRow-snippet js-unfurl-desc">Hubs is now Protolabs Network. Manufacturing capabilities for complex custom parts–from prototypes to production. 3D printing | CNC machining | injection molding.</div> <div class="contentRow-minor contentRow-minor--hideLinks"> <span class="js-unfurl-favicon"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dhubs.com%2F&amp;hash=c4479e1c5a6bfa3d4c2b3cc2318c8f4e&amp;return_error=1" loading="lazy" alt="www.3dhubs.com" class="bbCodeBlockUnfurl-icon" data-onerror="hide-parent"/> </span> www.3dhubs.com </div> </div> </div> </div> I&#039;ve seen other sites that people print from their garage and ship to you... or consider going to a makersspace in your local area (if you can get in) and printing there...<br /> I don&#039;t have a lot of info, but sharing what I can... I&#039;ve had products molded with $14,000 molds... the cost is pennies per pc... so it quickly becomes worthwhile instead of paying $.75 + per pc to have it 3d printed </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Thank you for the ressource ! I will definitively add this to my research ! <br /> <br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 68489" data-quote="BrianLateStart" data-source="post: 924766" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924766" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924766">BrianLateStart said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> There&#039;s other methods between getting it 3D printed and injection molds. Difficult to say without seeing how complex your parts are or what their function is. Urethane casting is a way to get parts similar to injection molded at a much cheaper price. Might be an option for small batches. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>The majority of the product is pretty simple, but there&#039;s a jaw-like part, that doesn&#039;t move at all, but you could think of it like a opened mouth velociraptor (I know, it&#039;s weird but it&#039;s the easiest way to vaguexplain), so it has &quot;teeth&quot;. Could it be too complex for that production method ?</div>

 

[BrianLateStart]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 84955" data-quote="HellaSiccEtienne" data-source="post: 924779" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924779" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924779">HellaSiccEtienne said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> so it has &quot;teeth&quot;. Could it be too complex for that production method ? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Probably not too complex. The real problems are when the part has to have certain physical properties that the cast material isn&#039;t capable of. A cast plastic part might not have the strength or durability needed. Or the real parts need to be food safe plastic or dishwasher safe. If the part isn&#039;t performing any difficult physical need then it would probably work just fine. <br /> <br /> Xoemetry says they can give instant quotes for urethane castings and other processes. I&#039;ve never used them, but I did use Fictiv to injection mold 3 covers and a spacer for my production parts. When you upload the parts, it will give suggestions as to what geometry in your model may make the mold more expensive (needing slides and lifters to product mold). The molds weren&#039;t as expensive as I was expecting them to be.</div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 68489" data-quote="BrianLateStart" data-source="post: 924785" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924785" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924785">BrianLateStart said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Xoemetry says they can give instant quotes for urethane castings and other processes. I&#039;ve never used them, but I did use Fictiv to injection mold 3 covers and a spacer for my production parts. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Thank you so much for the information ! I will (once my 3D modelling technics are refined, and my design is adequate to start a small scale production) contact them !</div>

 

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[Kid]

<div class="bbWrapper">Yes, you can ask Chinese for quote.<br /> Write, ask and see what they&#039;ll say.</div>

 

[BrianLateStart]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 84955" data-quote="HellaSiccEtienne" data-source="post: 924799" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924799" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924799">HellaSiccEtienne said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> once my 3D modelling technics are refined, and my design is adequate to start a small scale production </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> It may benefit to upload models early to find areas you may need to fix before you get too far along. It&#039;s an automated system, you&#039;re not wasting someones time. I upload my models all the time as a design check. With Fictiv, someone from sales will send an email (pretty sure it&#039;s automated too), but they&#039;re very low pressure</div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 68489" data-quote="BrianLateStart" data-source="post: 924873" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924873" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924873">BrianLateStart said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> It may benefit to upload models early to find areas you may need to fix before you get too far along. It&#039;s an automated system, you&#039;re not wasting someones time. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Oh yes, that will help a lot, actually.</div>

 

[maverick]

<div class="bbWrapper">Another avenue would be to create a project on Upwork and search for a 3D modeller that has access to their 3d printing facilities. You can get them to just create a small batch for your to validate your idea.</div>

 

[maverick]

<div class="bbWrapper">Not knowing the product but I&#039;ve validated a business idea I had. I wanted to create a foldable soccer goal similar to <a href="https://www.bazookagoal.com/" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">Shop BazookaGoal | Solid Frame, Pop-up Soccer Goals</a><br /> <br /> What I did was:<br /> <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sketch out the most important features of the goal (e.g. should be portable, not too heavy, should not fall over when you score a goal, should never be caught by the wind). Your requirements as you will.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Post a project on Upwork looking for a smart inventor / 3D modeller that can take your requirements and submit their ideas on how to satisfy all of the requirements. I&#039;ve attached the PDF that I got when I was working through this example.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Work together to determine which one makes the most sense to test. Maybe you choose multiple. Get them to build a 3D model out of it including all hinges etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Create the prototype. Again, dependent on what the product is, you can select the material to use for it. If you just want to validate an idea you can use cheaper materials (e.g. plastic). I used 3d printed parts to test concept 1 and 2.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Get the parts 3D printed at your local 3D printer. This will cost extra but printing is cheap anyway. You will find out what works and what doesn&#039;t work for your prototype. My hinges were no strong enough, the screws were too short and all sorts of other issue. Iterate over this a few times until you have a solid prototype. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Get the prototype in front of your customer. Search for a real customer, don&#039;t just ask your parents / brother / uncle because it&#039;s convenient. Find someone that has a vested interest in finding a product that will solve their issue. If your product is not solving an issue, I can&#039;t save you lol.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Have some fun - the journey is the best part.</li> </ol>My product never made it to production. I made 25 prototypes which I sold for under cost price. Getting the product manufactured at a price point that made sense would have cost me 30-40k to set-up the molds etc so I looked for a different opportunity.</div>

 

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[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 12664" data-quote="maverick" data-source="post: 924965" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924965" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924965">maverick said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Not knowing the product but I&#039;ve validated a business idea I had. I wanted to create a foldable soccer goal similar to <a href="https://www.bazookagoal.com/" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Shop BazookaGoal | Solid Frame, Pop-up Soccer Goals</a><br /> <br /> What I did was:<br /> <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sketch out the most important features of the goal (e.g. should be portable, not too heavy, should not fall over when you score a goal, should never be caught by the wind). Your requirements as you will.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Post a project on Upwork looking for a smart inventor / 3D modeller that can take your requirements and submit their ideas on how to satisfy all of the requirements. I&#039;ve attached the PDF that I got when I was working through this example.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Work together to determine which one makes the most sense to test. Maybe you choose multiple. Get them to build a 3D model out of it including all hinges etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Create the prototype. Again, dependent on what the product is, you can select the material to use for it. If you just want to validate an idea you can use cheaper materials (e.g. plastic). I used 3d printed parts to test concept 1 and 2.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Get the parts 3D printed at your local 3D printer. This will cost extra but printing is cheap anyway. You will find out what works and what doesn&#039;t work for your prototype. My hinges were no strong enough, the screws were too short and all sorts of other issue. Iterate over this a few times until you have a solid prototype.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Get the prototype in front of your customer. Search for a real customer, don&#039;t just ask your parents / brother / uncle because it&#039;s convenient. Find someone that has a vested interest in finding a product that will solve their issue. If your product is not solving an issue, I can&#039;t save you lol.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Have some fun - the journey is the best part.</li> </ol>My product never made it to production. I made 25 prototypes which I sold for under cost price. Getting the product manufactured at a price point that made sense would have cost me 30-40k to set-up the molds etc so I looked for a different opportunity. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Yes ! A 100% yes ! I&#039;m currently working with a technician in industrial design, step 1 - 3 is going well. Now I&#039;m mostly looking for the best way to start a very small sample, to test, as you said, 3D printing is the way to achieve that. Then ya, next step will use 3D printing as well. Its probably is the most reliable and cost-efficient way to make my first like 100 units, which I will use to put my product in front of several potential customers/leads that I have. Thanks for the answer, I really do appreciate it <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /></div>

 

[maverick]

<div class="bbWrapper"><i>Good work on getting started. Keep us up-to-date as you progress!</i></div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper">I took some time to get some quotes from 3 recommanded sites : Xeometry, Fictiv, 3DHubs, here&#039;s the results :<br /> <br /> Xoemetry : do not ship to Canada.<br /> Fictiv : do not ship to Canada.<br /> 3DHubs : 128.45$, for 5 units, shipped to my door. In Prototyping PLA (using FDM), which is good enough, for a 1st prototype.<br /> <br /> I&#039;m still just waiting on my personal contacts to tell me what&#039;s the prices from their shops. Then I will go forth with the best option to test out my design ; if the way I designed the damn thing accomplishs the purpose. <br /> <br /> Then, if the prototype doesn&#039;t work ---&gt; rework the design, rince and repeat<br /> If it works, then I will invest in a better material for it (most probably ABS, for 3D printing small batches). <br /> <br /> And then party&#039;s starting, cause thats my field of expertise : sales and marketing <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /><br /> <br /> Once that side of things&#039; secured, there&#039;s a large change that I will invest in a mold injection production line, cause it does seems, at this point in time, that it is the most reliable way to mass produce the product. I will make sure it is, when I get there, anyway. <br /> <br /> Thanks for all your advices, your support, and your time, Maverick, BrianLateStart and Lyinx ! I will keep posting updates in this thread, as the project goes forward.</div>

 

[jpanarra]

<div class="bbWrapper">I have a couple 3d printers and my brother is 3d print guy on IG and knows Uncle Jessy. <br /> <br /> Shoot me a PM and I&#039;ll do it for free for a first few models. It&#039;ll be a fun project for me.</div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 20899" data-quote="jpanarra" data-source="post: 925042" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=925042" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-925042">jpanarra said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I have a couple 3d printers and my brother is 3d print guy on IG and knows Uncle Jessy.<br /> <br /> Shoot me a PM and I&#039;ll do it for free for a first few models. It&#039;ll be a fun project for me. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Thanks for the offer, but I found another way to make it happen ! <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /></div>

 

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[evanwilson]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 84955" data-quote="HellaSiccEtienne" data-source="post: 924714" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924714" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924714">HellaSiccEtienne said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Hello there !<br /> <br /> As the title says, I&#039;m looking for tips/ways/threads that can help me and that process. I have created a product, that can be 3D printed, and most probably be mold injected (a unit is 15cm Hx 6cm Wx 2cm T), working on a 3D design on Focus 360 as I type this). With everything I saw, regarding mold injecting, it&#039;s extremely expensive, and I can&#039;t afford to go there, yet.<br /> <br /> How and where do I start, for like the first 1 to 100 units (I&#039;m considering 3D printing, as of right now) ? I can&#039;t believe that, to test a product, I have to go straight balls to the wall and throw 25 000$ at a mold and see if there&#039;s a market after that !<br /> <br /> I have started the process to look locally (Quebec, Canada) for 3D printers, to get my first units, and start advertising it (maybe Kickstarter too ?), to see if there IS a market (mock-up website, running ads, see the feedback/lack of it, etc),<br /> If yes, then what ?<br /> <br /> I just email MFGs and be like &quot;hey I have this product to make, it needs to do X Y Z. What kind of polymer do you guys recommand for the requested applications, and at what cost ?&quot;<br /> And in general, do I just go Google &gt; &quot;Mold injection manufacterers China&quot; &gt; boom get a quote &gt; ?????<br /> <br /> I&#039;m somewhat lost here.<br /> <br /> Anything can help ! Throw it at me, let&#039;s have a discussion !<br /> <br /> Thanks for the help, and for your time <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /><br /> <br /> (I can give a description of my product as well, in a following message, if it can help) </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Really amazing post you provide regarding your 3D design and products, and you have mentioned all possible points to sell your products and generate revenue, you mentioned like website design or advertising, ads etc.<br /> I think if you get the best-targeted data to get your clients, it will probably benefitted because you know very well your product&#039;s selling areas, customer demands, and their types. If you will reach your specific industries then I thought it will easy for you to generate the business orders and demands but the main point is you have to get best data to reach your customers, So some reputed company will help you to generate your revenues, one of them Scott&#039;s Directories in Canada.</div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hello again ! <br /> <br /> Current actions : <br /> <br /> 3D printing ! My friend&#039;s brother has one, and was willing to help me out, for free (yay) ! My very 1st prototype unit, in ABS, on top of it ! Much faster, much cheaper, loving it. I have made a list of all the things I need to test with, and bought everything I need to do so. <br /> <br /> I&#039;m preparing, for this spring, a list of 4-5 questions that I will ask my neighbors. Yes, I go door-to-door, to survey. It&#039;s somewhat annoying, but there&#039;s just some infos I don&#039;t see any other ways to get em. (I won&#039;t release the questions because it kinda points directly to my product. Trust me, I have looked for those specific informations, they&#039;re not available.)<br /> <br /> Last night, I had a flash of an idea for ads. A quick 20 seconds videos that I can mostly shoot by myself. Something quick, to the point, somewhat funny, not with jokes but the way it&#039;s presented, anyway. I will work on a barebone script, and flesh it out later. Again, I have many steps to climb before needing to shoot ads and stuff. It will wait.<br /> <br /> Talking about things I can do right now, but mostly can wait. I just did it for fun : creating a logo, and also fixing the name I was using to refer to the project. It was bad. It&#039;s as if I wanted to refer a screw, by calling it a stud. Anyway, now it&#039;s better. There&#039;s still room for improvement. Whatever, it&#039;s not really important, for now.<br /> <br /> That&#039;s what is going on right now,<br /> <br /> Etienne</div>

 

[Lyinx]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 84955" data-quote="HellaSiccEtienne" data-source="post: 925237" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=925237" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-925237">HellaSiccEtienne said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Hello again !<br /> <br /> Current actions :<br /> <br /> 3D printing ! My friend&#039;s brother has one, and was willing to help me out, for free (yay) ! My very 1st prototype unit, in ABS, on top of it ! Much faster, much cheaper, loving it. I have made a list of all the things I need to test with, and bought everything I need to do so.<br /> <br /> I&#039;m preparing, for this spring, a list of 4-5 questions that I will ask my neighbors. Yes, I go door-to-door, to survey. It&#039;s somewhat annoying, but there&#039;s just some infos I don&#039;t see any other ways to get em. (I won&#039;t release the questions because it kinda points directly to my product. Trust me, I have looked for those specific informations, they&#039;re not available.)<br /> <br /> Last night, I had a flash of an idea for ads. A quick 20 seconds videos that I can mostly shoot by myself. Something quick, to the point, somewhat funny, not with jokes but the way it&#039;s presented, anyway. I will work on a barebone script, and flesh it out later. Again, I have many steps to climb before needing to shoot ads and stuff. It will wait.<br /> <br /> Talking about things I can do right now, but mostly can wait. I just did it for fun : creating a logo, and also fixing the name I was using to refer to the project. It was bad. It&#039;s as if I wanted to refer a screw, by calling it a stud. Anyway, now it&#039;s better. There&#039;s still room for improvement. Whatever, it&#039;s not really important, for now.<br /> <br /> That&#039;s what is going on right now,<br /> <br /> Etienne </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>your friends brother, please, for his sake, make sure to take something along for him each time that you go.... coffee/donuts/entergy drinks... whatever is up his alley... don&#039;t just be a freeloader..</div>

 

[Joevil]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 84955" data-quote="HellaSiccEtienne" data-source="post: 924714" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=924714" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-924714">HellaSiccEtienne said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Hello there !<br /> <br /> As the title says, I&#039;m looking for tips/ways/threads that can help me and that process. I have created a product, that can be 3D printed, and most probably be mold injected (a unit is 15cm Hx 6cm Wx 2cm T), working on a 3D design on Focus 360 as I type this). With everything I saw, regarding mold injecting, it&#039;s extremely expensive, and I can&#039;t afford to go there, yet.<br /> <br /> How and where do I start, for like the first 1 to 100 units (I&#039;m considering 3D printing, as of right now) ? I can&#039;t believe that, to test a product, I have to go straight balls to the wall and throw 25 000$ at a mold and see if there&#039;s a market after that !<br /> <br /> I have started the process to look locally (Quebec, Canada) for 3D printers, to get my first units, and start advertising it (maybe Kickstarter too ?), to see if there IS a market (mock-up website, running ads, see the feedback/lack of it, etc),<br /> If yes, then what ?<br /> <br /> I just email MFGs and be like &quot;hey I have this product to make, it needs to do X Y Z. What kind of polymer do you guys recommand for the requested applications, and at what cost ?&quot;<br /> And in general, do I just go Google &gt; &quot;Mold injection manufacterers China&quot; &gt; boom get a quote &gt; ?????<br /> <br /> I&#039;m somewhat lost here.<br /> <br /> Anything can help ! Throw it at me, let&#039;s have a discussion !<br /> <br /> Thanks for the help, and for your time <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /><br /> <br /> (I can give a description of my product as well, in a following message, if it can help) </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote></div>

 

[Joevil]

<div class="bbWrapper">Get a decent mockup from fiverr.com. Fiverr-industries-architecture-3D model and render. Take it to kickstarter and indiegogo and see how they like it. If they do, then money is no object.</div>

 

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[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hello there ! <br /> <br /> I haven&#039;t posted in a while, and its because things moved, a whole lot. I took a free 120 days class on how to launch a business, here in Quebec, to help me fill out my business model (31 pages pain-in-the-a$$ document filled with researchs, stats and other somewhat dumb stuff) that is required to apply for most loan, incubators and accelerators. This class also provides a coach and free counselling with lawyers, accountants and other experts, which is worth a whole lot, for me. <br /> <br /> One of my friends is a mechanical engineer, helped me out a whole lot to help finalize the design, and is now hooking me up with his shop&#039;s industrial 3D printer for prototyping, and its local too ! <br /> <br /> I&#039;m currently looking into the financing opitions that my gouvernement and local municipalities offers, as well as GoFundMe/Kickstarter/general crowd funding. I&#039;m also wondering if any of you have a recommandation for one of them ? <br /> <br /> So yeah, project is very alive and well. As soon as the prototyping is over, the whole thing is going out in public. <br /> <br /> Thank you for reading, have a great and succesfull day ! <br /> <br /> Etienne B)</div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 73436" data-quote="Lyinx" data-source="post: 925608" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=925608" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-925608">Lyinx said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> your friends brother, please, for his sake, make sure to take something along for him each time that you go.... coffee/donuts/entergy drinks... whatever is up his alley... don&#039;t just be a freeloader.. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I bought him a whole lotta ABS plastic, so that he doesn&#039;t need to buy some for a while ! <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /><br /> I dislike freeloaders, and always make sure that I don&#039;t look like one <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-tongue.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":P" title="Stick Out Tongue :P" data-shortname=":P" /></div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 64280" data-quote="Joevil" data-source="post: 925891" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=925891" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-925891">Joevil said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Get a decent mockup from fiverr.com. Fiverr-industries-architecture-3D model and render. Take it to kickstarter and indiegogo and see how they like it. If they do, then money is no object. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Its definitively on the road, I&#039;m getting prototyping done, then that&#039;s the next step</div>

 

[HellaSiccEtienne]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hey, so I have been away for a while now. If, after giving advices, you think I left to never come back, think again. <br /> Here&#039;s a recap of where I&#039;m now : <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-slap-6-months-later-procrastination-confort.100862/" class="link link--internal">EXECUTION - The Slap - 6 Months Later - Procrastination &amp; Confort</a></div>