A Question for Creators and Inventors
A question many creators and inventors find themselves asking is whether or not to invest in equipment for prototyping at home. Are consumer-grade 3D printers and CNC machines reliable enough to make hundreds of units? Is the maintenance and upkeep worth the convenience of having a unit at home? Are there any services available that can provide parts efficiently and cost-effectively?
Online Ordering to the Rescue
One of our creator friends, Phil, decided to investigate for himself. A newbie to TinkerCAD, Phil wanted to find a service that could provide parts that me his precise specifications, and would work with his software.
“For my current project I needed to make a 58mm disc with a 9.5mm center hole and 8 10mm holes in a circular array around that center hole.”
Lightning Speed, Top-notch Customer Service
His searching led him to SendCutSend. An online metal laser cutting service with prices that fit his budget. Not only did they have 0.074” 304 stainless steel, they also provided assistance in exporting his files. Using an easy-to-follow tutorial, Phil was able to export his design as a .dxf and upload it for an instant quote.
“I literally uploaded to their site and was able to quote many different metals, thicknesses, and see volume pricing without having to call anybody for a quote.”
Phil has since put in multiple orders with SendCutSend. While waiting for an order to arrive, he starts working on another project. There’s no need to order in volume, shipping is free anywhere In the USA, and the staff is always available for any questions he may have.
I can’t imagine being able to produce these parts in volume at the price SendCutSend can. For me it’s not just the price, it’s the headache of owning, maintaining, and running my own equipment. For that matter, even making prototype parts it made sense since they do low volume still at great prices. Given, I have used a couple other online services that weren’t quite as smooth, but this online on-demand production model seems to make a lot of sense, especially when the part is pretty simple. And with the super-fast free shipping, I just work on other parts of my project while I wait. The entire ordering process was so painless I thought it was too good to be true at first.
Conclusion
Why spend time an money maintaining your own equipment when services like SendCutSend exist. The prices are cost effective for both high and low volume runs. Before you start your next project.
