Looking to have a few dozen peices made and figured I'd ask here first. This is for my bro, but I'm trying to help him get something started up and this is the first step.

 

Are you familiar with emachineshop.com? Building small-quantities of machines parts is basically what they do. They give you a free 2d/3d CAD program (you have to use their software), you design the part, upload the file, and they make it. The software provides automatic pricing as well, so you can easily see the effects of different material choices or machining operations on part cost.

I find their CAD program to be slightly annoying to use, coming from an AutoCAD background, but it's something worth looking at. It may be more intuitive to the SolidWerkes crowd.

 

Joe, no I was not familiar with emachineshop until now. Thanks for the link.

I just watched the cute chick give a quick tutorial on how to use the software and now I'm downloading it.

I'm going to give it a try and *** around with it a bit. I've never done any CAD stuff before, so this will be my first.

My brother presented me with an offer to go 50/50 with him on this tool he's been working on developing for the past year, but he wants me to help him do the manufacturing and marketing part of it. I actually used it for the first time today on the job and I was really impressed with it. It worked so well that I knew right away it would sell and I wanted in on his offer. I try not to pass up any opportunities that come my way, so its only fitting I try another side venture.

 

Can you give a teaser of said product?

 

For real. I'm looking to patent the idea and send it to companies.

 

Oooh, she is cute.

I do like that program. Like Joe said, a little annoying to use if you have a true CAD program back ground, but still works. Every time I use it I just end up making the part myself.

Shoulda come to me 1.5 years ago, I was a machinist at a very well equipped shop. Oh well.

Like redturbo said, if you can give us a rough idea of what the parts like, in terms of what machines (lathe, mill, press, key cutter, hob, broach, shaper, grinder, etc), we might be able to help you make it cheaper for a place like emachineshop. I'd highly suggest looking local though, emachineshop isn't the cheapest, and the industry is in the dumps like any other industry, so most places that are still in business are eager for more work.