Top Resources to Get Your Hardware Startup or Medical Device Company Off the Ground
3D Design Software (CAD Software)
SolidWorks - Professional Engineering CAD software. Many add-ons to for simulations and flow analysis
Pro/ENGINEER - now called PTC Creo Parametric
Autodesk - 2D and 3D software, Free Trial
OnShape - Cloud based 3D CAD Software, from the founders of SolidWorks
TurboCAD - Full featured CAD program that offers both Windows and Mac versions
DraftSight - Cheaper alternative for CAD software. Allows access to DWG files and creation of new files
CAD Model Libraries
Grabcad - Over 1 million free CAD files uploaded by users
TracePartsOnline - 2D and 3D CAD drawings and technical data free to download
3DContentCentral - From Dassault Systems, CAD models uploaded by both users as well as companies. Great selection of 2D and 3D parts and assemblies
Design Guides
Machinery Handbook - You can buy newest edition of the book but here is an older version.
Tolerance Stack Up Analysis
Cetol - Tolerance analysis software that integrates with most major CAD programs
ADV/DM - Stand alone stackup software toolset that runs in Excel
SymphonyTech - Guide to tolerance stackup analysis with examples
Types of Analysis - Paper on different tools for analysis
Symbol Application Guide - GD&T symbols. Guide on symbols and usage
Screws and Threads
Imperial Tap Selection - Imperial tap and drill size reference chart
Metric Tap Selection - Metric tap and drill size reference chart
Plastic Material Selection
MatWeb - Searchable material property database. See data sheets and mechanical and chemical properties of many materials
Curbell Plastics - Nice layout of common plastic materials and important properties. Good starting place to find the category of plastic
Engineering Plastics Material Selection - Good document for understanding plastic mechanical and thermal properties and how they can affect your product
Cole-Palmer - Chemical compatibility information on most materials
Metal Material Selection
MatWeb - Searchable material property database. See data sheets and mechanical and chemical properties of many materials
Cole-Palmer - Chemical compatibility information on most materials
Bosun Supplies - Breakdown of all the different types of stainless steel
Material Weldability - Quick list of weldability of many metals
3D Printing
3D Printing Explained - Learn about all the different types of 3D printing
3D Printing Industry - Website for the latest news about 3D printing
Injection Molding
Mold Technology Series - Information about mold making. Good to read through to understand the complexities of molds
Basics on Injection Molding Design - Information about injection molding and part design
Circuit Board Design
ElectronicDesign - Quick overview of PCB Design
PCB Artist - Free PCB design layout software
Omni Circuit Boards - Best practices for PCB design and tips to keep costs down
SnapEDA - PCB footprints and electronic parts to accelrate your board design process
CNC Machining
CHC Cookbook - Good basics on on CNC techniques and information
G-Wizard - Feeds and Speed calculator. Free Trial
Cutting and Milling Tools - Selection of presentations and videos to help select correct cutter and milling tools
Regulators
USA
FCC - Federal Communications Commission is a United States regulator that controls EMC requirements, Radio Requirements and Telecoms Requirements
OSHA - Occupational Health and Safety Administration
FDA - Food and Drug Administration -
Canada
SCC - Standards Council of Canada
ICES - Interference Causing Equipment Standard
IC - Industry Canada
Certifications and Testing Standards
Country Approval Requirements - List of all approvals and requirements for countries around the world.
FCC Certification - Required for RF devices with that can potentially interfere with other devices
CE Declaration of Conformity
CE Declaration of Conformity - Basic information on certification that is required for almost all goods to be sold in the EU
Declaration of Conformity Template Method - Information about creating a declaration of conformity and templates to get you started
IEC - International Electrotechnical provides the international standards and assessment of conformity for electrical and electronics
IECEE - IEC System of Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components
ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials
ISO - International Organization for Standardization
EMC - Electromagnetic Compatibility Testing
RoHS - Restriction of Hazardous Substances
Hardware Incubators / Accelerators
Lemnos Labs - Normally first outside capital in. Based in San Francisco. $250k-1M investment
Bolt - Has both Boston and San Francisco offices. Invests $100k - $500k. On site prototyping capabilities
Greentown Labs - Based in Boston with a focus on Clean Tech
Lab IX - Flextronics lead incubator based in Milpitas with a focus on young companies. $500k investment
Highway 1 - PCH International’s presence in the incubator space. $50k investment with office space and machine shop in SF
Medical Device Incubators / Accelerators
The Foundry - Med Device incubator in Silicon Valley
BayLink - Another medical device incubator in the heart of Silicon Valley
Meetup Groups
Hardware Massive - Many different chapters around the world
SF Hardware Startup Meetup - Over 5000 members in San Francisco
Crowdsource Funding for Your Business
Kickstarter - Crowdfund your almost any project. All or nothing
Indiegogo - Allows for different types of capital campaigns
Fundable - Selective Crowdfunding platform
Fundraising Platforms
Crowdfunder - Online investor network
AngelList - One of the largest angel investor networks
Gust - Large investor network
Startup Events
LAUNCH - Many different events throughout the year including including their large Festival and Scale
TechCrunch Disrupt - Held in many different locations around the world
South by Southwest - SXSW is probably the largest startup focused event in the world
Know a resource that we should share or want your company listed here? Email us at feedback@vendop.com to let us know.
Recent Blog Posts
Shining the Light of Data on Supplier Spend
Sept. 18, 2019, 3:52 p.m.
Before I started VendOp, I developed medical devices. A constant challenge in that work was finding, vetting and sourcing vendors who could help turn my ideas into a reality. Asking around to my coworkers, doing Google searches and reviewing old approved vendor lists in Excel never inspired confidence. It was also massively inefficient.
I wanted one single sourcing network that would show me all my company’s experiences with the suppliers we had worked with and what their capabilities and strengths were, along with the ability to …
Do Supplier Scorecards Work?
June 11, 2019, 6:24 p.m.
Does your company use supplier scorecards to rate your suppliers? If so, you have probably experienced that long, tedious questionnaire about the suppliers you’ve used months ago. But is the time you put into answering the questionnaire worth it? Does it gleam insightful information that helps your company make better purchasing decisions?
Check out this post on Spend Matters to see the pitfalls that are common to most supplier scorecard systems that companies use.
The Best of Both Worlds? 3D Printed Injection Molds
Aug. 2, 2016, 2:58 a.m.
Image from http://staubinc.com/
Traditionally, the roles of 3D printing and injection molding have been clear. 3D printing is for making prototypes and injection molding is for high volume production runs. As 3D printing materials are getting better, a hybrid technique has been introduced to combine the two techniques. Now you can 3D print injection molds.
You will see 3D printing companies and some injection molders hailing the benefits of this technique while traditional injection molding companies are quick to point out the shortfalls. But what are the benefits and trade-offs using …
24 Steps To Make A Tennis Ball
July 26, 2016, 9:12 p.m.
A video showing Wilson tennis balls being made is going around the internet. I wanted to share it here as well. They say there are 24 different manufacturing processes. Let’s see how many of the different manufacturing steps we can identify. I’ll start with an easy one, 2:00 Die cutting of felt.
1 down, only 23 more to go…..
Leave a comment with time in video and the process!
Steps:
2:00 Die Cutting of Felt
