Looking for some help...

[Skitsnygg]

Hi,

Looking for some friendly advice here. Apologies if this has already been covered (I couldn't find anything similar using the search).

I'm based in Glasgow and am looking for some help designing & producing a prototype plastic 'widget'. It's a small idea I've had and am wondering how to bring some life to it, since I have no experience in this field.

The actual quality isn't too important at the moment, as I just want to see if there's any feasibility to the product.

Does anyone know where I could go for some help with this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Craig

 

[Pud]

Go and talk to a local moulder.

Most will discuss feasibility with you for free. Most things are manufacturable - it's selling the product which is the tough one.

Cheers

Harry

http://www.tynevalleyplastics.co.uk

It seems to me you have confused a safe drinking limit with what I like to call "lunch"

 

[Demon3]

Contact a company that does rapid prototyping like Stratasys or similar. They can make your part in 3D cheaply so you can test it and show it to potential clients. Different methods have different pros and cons. Methods that give very accurate dimensions and good surface finish tend to have poor mechanicals and vice verse.

Chris

Chris DeArmitt PhD FRSC CChem

 

[patprimmer]

Also get an idea on what moulds costs. depending on size and complexity, they can cost anything from a few thousand to over a million $. $10,000 does not go very far when making moulds.

Do you have the confidence and resources to fund it.

Pud is not all that far from Glasgow.



Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[Skitsnygg]

Cheers for the info folks.

I'm going to talk it over with a moulder to see if it's worth pursuing.

Craig

 

[mcgyvr]

3d printing or machining from a solid block of plastic would be the way to start. I've used First Cut Prototype for machined plastic parts before with excellent results. Like said above 3d printed parts can be quite fragile so if it can be machined go that way. Last thing you want is for it to fall apart in the hands of your potential clients/customers.