What are your experiences working with contract manufacturers?

Here's a good read for those of you who haven't paired up with contract manufacturers before: http://ow.ly/ZaRx30ndDOq

 

The information you share is quite interesting.

In particular, I have suffered some of the cases number 3 and number 5 that are listed in the article. That is why, many companies are generating their own prototypes in 3D printers, because it gives them the flexibility to print several times a model to improve the design, at a much lower cost than with a contractor.

 

The place where I did my internship, my boss was so fed up with the contract manufacturers that he decided to pay 1000 usd or lower (800 something euros+taxes+shipping) and get a 3D printer. Its small. The stage is not very big I guess 20 cm x 30 cm. but it did the job. He now only uses manufacturers for few times a month and also it’s a big save because the manufacturer was based in another city 5 hours away and everytime the manufacturer would mess up (That is almost everytime) my boss would drive all the way, stand there while they are doing to job and get it done himself. Also because it was a startup no other engineer had a car and paying them to go and get the job and come back it would cost him more so he preferred going himself.

3D printers are such a normalty these days. My fellow masters students have 3D printers in their room that they use to print anything they like. One of them even doesn’t buy cups. He prints them.

 

Yeah, I've worked for clients who have their own 3D printers loads of times now. If you use them a lot then they soon pay for themselves. Same with laser cutters, and to a lesser extent basic CNC machines.

I'm not sure about regularly drinking from a 3D printed cup though (unless you can find some FDA approved material)!