Dogwood

Unicorp has a wide variety of electronic & mechanical hardware: standoffs - metric & inch, male & female, Hex & Round, Stainless Steel, Steel, Brass, Plastic; washers, handles, captive panel fasteners, shoulder screws, cable ties, etc.... Their staff is helpful & knowledgeable and they can bring in technical experts on request, quotes, technical specifications, samples, etc... Unicorp is are able to supply long-term and short-term solutions for shoulder screws, handles, standoffs, washers, captive panel needs for electrical / mechanical requirements. Unicorp has been around over 40 years and they continue to improve on customer service / satisfaction. Great company to have as a supplier.

Strengths: Large selection of spacers, ferrules, insulating-washers, handles & standoffs - electronic and mechanical, special Fasteners, metric and inch, accurate quotes, on-time delivery, extensive website

Needs to improve: none

We needed to get a shop to do a frame weldments - holding special equipment out in the field. We were recommended Custom Metal Manufacturing Co, buy a co-worker because they could handle odd jobs with low quantities - in this case a one-off design. The welders were able to work with the engineers sketches to produce the welded frame per specification. They were easy to work with and when changes were made during fabrication they had no problem adding/adjusting to the engineers updates. They produced the welded frame quickly and a reasonable cost. Great guys to work with - excellent welders...

Strengths: quick turn around, reasonable pricing, local vendor for bay area, able to do odd welding jobs - one-off designs

Needs to improve: they are not a production welding shop - able to produce one-offs, but not equipped to do multiple parts, not equipped to do outside processes - management, etc...

Our company has used Zierick Manufacturing Corp for quick disconnect and screw terminals. They offer a wide range of terminal choices for applying wire connections to PCBs during the initial development phase at our company. It was a low cost choice for screw terminals, they accept most wire gages, which can be attached directly to the PCB or bread boards, due to their plating on the leads. Our engineers found the parts easy to use and they are very reliable - no failures during use, which was one of the reasons they required this specific vendor for the screw terminals. In addition, we were able to download CAD files along with 2D drawings, so we could make sure the parts were going to work with our application before we purchased a supply for our upcoming production schedule. Have not had a lot of experience with this vendor, but so far they have done everything according to plan. We intend to use them in the future for new development and manufacturing builds -- great job!

Strengths: wide variety of surface mount connecters, through hole conectors and interconnection hardware, extensive website, design assistance, samples upon request, quotes

Needs to improve: none at this time

Over the years the companies I have been associated with have used Panduit Corp. products components throughout our assemblies in our cabinets on the back panel assemblies. Panduit has a wide variety of components such as: cable ties, wire ducting, terminals, heat shrink tubing, labels, etc... Their external sales staff was able to help us with our cable routing issues. We had a requirement from marketing to keep the cables dressed / organized throughout our system cabinets. By utilizing Panduit's experience with cable dressing we were able to meet all our internal requirements and stay within budget. Because their customer service staff is very friendly, easy to work with, and quick to respond to our inquiries and provided us with technical data, samples and quotes, we were able to keep everything on schedule while meeting our internal constraints. They made our product that much easier to sale and do upgrades without to much fuss. We will continue to use Panduit for our cable dressing needs.

Strengths: - product quality - name recognition - wide selection of products - customer service - data sheets - part samples upon request - technical support

Needs to improve: a very large company and sometimes you get lost in the shuffle

Our company in Southern California has purchased GearWrench Tools: torque wrenches, tap & die ratchet sets, which was recommended to our division in Northern California. Their tap & die ratchet set came highly recommended for use in our labs as a reliable and dependable tool. Their tools are being used by our R&D Engineers, Sustaining, Manufacturing and Technicians, the tap & die sets are extremely easy to use. GearWrench offers a wide selection of other tools at a competitive price and can be viewed on their WEB site. As the needs arise for different tools we will look at GearWrench as a first source to meet our current / ongoing tool needs. Great company for tools source.

Strengths: - product quality - extensive website - readily available - wide selection of tools - competitive pricing - great warranty

Needs to improve: none I am aware of at the time, just started to use tools from these guys

We used Forecast 3D on a recommendation from another purchasing associate. They were quick to supply us with RFQs, as our current supplier was giving us some issues. We decided to have them make a few different parts using a silicone mold process. The first batch we received was about a week late. After running through our QC process we found the parts were out of spec. Forecast 3D was extremely responsive and remade the parts for us right away. Their turn-around time was great. The parts went through our QC process again and we had no issues. Due to our time-lines we have not had a chance to use them again, but look forward to giving them another shot in the future...

Strengths: 3D Rapid Prototyping facilities, RFQ's, Customer Service, Technical Support, Quick turnaround, Silicone Molds

Needs to improve: We only used them a couple of times, so I am not sure of all their capabilities. They were quick on RFQs, but are a bit lacking when it comes to informing the customer of delay's and issues.

We have used Solid Concepts Inc. for their 3D Rapid Prototypes. The Stereolithography (SLA) process is what we have used to make our parts out of it offers us a quick solution for our models for evaluation. Solid Concepts company supplies us these parts (sometimes over night) and it can come in handy. On our bezel we wanted to make sure all the features were correct before we shelled out money for hard-tooling overseas. Because of the SLA process we were able to address any design iterations, engineering questions, form, fit & function of the part before it became too late. Not the cheapest process, but in the long-haul it can save time and money. A great investment, which pays for itself over and over...

Strengths: They are experts at 3D Rapid Prototyping, RFQ's, Customer Service, Technical Support, Quick turnaround

Needs to improve: They are just a 3D Rapid Prototype facility and sometimes the parts get damaged in shipping, due to the process. They are not equipped for second operations or adding a painted finish to the SLAs. Also, we used them for Silicone molds on some of our parts and we had issue with getting correct doc's, e.g, FAI, Certs, etc... We were constantly giving them a call with regards to doc's and parts delay off Silicone Molds. Additionally, the silicone molds could only produce between 10 - 15 parts each. This tends to drive the lead-time and costs up.

Our company has used TAP Plastics for building small fixtures and shields out of acrylic and polycarbonate sheets. These devices have been used in our labs for test devices and shields for protection against damage and as a shield to prevent operators from being hurt. TAP Plastics carries variety of shapes and sizes, plastic's and adhesives, which gives a lot of latitude to find they specific material for a quick solution. One of the things we were tasked with was holding a device under a certain amount of water to ensure we could pass an outside test. Their plastics (Hollow Tube, Plate & adhesives) allowed the engineer to come up with a quick solution and do our preliminary testing in house - time saver. Their staff is always very helpful, professional and knowledgeable and able to direct / guide for the right plastics & adhesive's to complete the job. A great place to go for a quick solution.

Strengths: Competitive Pricing, Acrylic & Various Plastics, Adhesives, Local Retail Locations throughout Bay Area, Extensive Website, Knowledgeable Sales Staff

Needs to improve: Locations are open at different hours - depending where they are located in the Bay Area

Our company has a 3D Connex 500 printer and for the most part it runs like a champ. We have been using it constantly over the last few years and really no issue. It has need to be serviced about once a year and as long as this is maintained it operates properly. It is nice to have in the when using it for development as you are able to make changes and save tremendous time by doing it in house instead of an outside service. A great machine and I would recommend it over the FDM anytime. A real time saver during development...

Strengths: 3D printing equipment, technical support, vendor training, customer service, experts in 3D printing technology for rapid prototypes, extensive website

Needs to improve: I have been dealing with Stratasys Inc. for over the last year and their technical support is slow to respond. In all fairness if you do not have a yearly contract they put you at the end of the que. The machines are extremely expensive; ex. $250K for our Connex 500 and the material and support is also expensive compared to an fused deposition modeler (FDM) machine. Anyway, for technical support, replacement parts, and supplies allow for a bit of time to acquire....

Our company contacted Mission plastics, Inc. for injection molds needs. We were looking for a new molder that would be able to address our supply change needs: within cost parameters, quality, delivery, etc… Their internal / external staff is very knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile to ensure that they attend to all our needs from our supply chain, engineering and quality departments. Mission is becoming a reliable/dependable regular vendor of ours -- critical member of our global supply chain. We highly recommend this group!

Strengths: - Accurate Quotes - Quality Products - Design Assistance - TurnKey - Fast Turnaround - Customer Service - Attention to Detail - On-time Delivery - Prototypes

Needs to improve: none

Our company has used Accurate Manufacturing Co to machine large parts along with large frame weldments. By using experts at frame weldments we eliminated a bunch of headaches. They were able to take our initial design for our welded frame and suggest options to save us some money as well as cutting down our lead times. This was a great help, and allowed us to get our equipment running for our long term testing. During our evaluation we found a few design flaws on our equipment and were able to address / correct before production. Again, due to Accurate cutting our delivery time they saved us money and embarrassment. Great supplier, continue to use them in the future!

Strengths: - wide selection of machining options - customer service - design assistance - reliable & dependable services: machining & fabrication - die & mold makers, large machining operations

Needs to improve: none

We have used Oliver-Tolas Healthcare Packaging for our packaging needs. They offer a wide range of peel pouches and tear pouches. In addition they offer a wide range of materials: Ovantex, Tyvek, foil, film, etc… We have found that their sales force can supply you with samples and technical data to meet your needs. We were able to utilize and existing type right off the shelf, which saved a great amount of time money. They are a great vendor – look forward to continuing purchasing pouches to meet medical needs.

Strengths: RFQs, quick response, wide selection, extensive website, competitive pricing, custom packaging

Needs to improve: none as we have not been using them that long...

Our company has purchased Stanley Tools; planners, tape measures, levels, etc., for different departments: Field Service, R&D Engineering, Manufacturing, Reliability, Warehouse and Facilities. Their tools have been used to do odd jobs throughout our facility and they have performed as expected. Stanley Tools offers a wide selection of tools at a very competitive price and are easy to attain. Our guys will continue to use / recommend the tools for any job. Great company - excellent tools.

Strengths: - product quality - readily available - wide selection of tools - competitive pricing

Needs to improve: some of Stanley Tools don't measure up - not able to withstand extreme measures of use - on-the-other-hand for their price range are extremely functional tools

Our company has used M3 Precision for highly accurate machined parts. They are very reliable when it comes to Quality, their parts meet our exact print specifications, and they delivery parts on-time. A great vendor to work with, if there is any problem/issue with our fabricated parts they do their best to resolve the issue by keeping us informed and either looking for some viable solution and/or giving us a couple of option to work from. And they tend to move us to the fore-front until the problem/issue is resolved to our satisfaction. A great vendor to team up with because they get down in the trenches to ensure our products are built per our specific specifications. A great company and would recommend to anyone.

Strengths: customer service - accurate quotes - attention to detail - design assistance - on-time delivery

Needs to improve: none at this time

Our company has purchased many items from Amazon. One of the most resent purchases was a Makita power drill. We went with them as they were much lower then our main supplier - our guy would not even match or lower their price. We were concerned with the delivery as we needed to replace the tool that was misplaced. They beat their initial delivery estimate and we were able to get our engineers to evaluate their new process for assembly of our equipment. They saved us valuable time and allowed us to get back on schedule. A great company for ordering all kinds of products - Highly Recommended.

Strengths: wide selection of products, extensive website, great delivery, competitive pricing, customer service

Needs to improve: a large company and sometime you get lost in the shuffle. We had an issue with one of the products and I had to call and email a few times to get it resolved. With Amazon, it depends on who / where you get the customer service guy - for results that will work. One other thing is they don't supply the correct invoice, but I am able to take a snapshot of the cost and this seems to work for our process.

San Diego Seal Co was contacted by our company to provide us with quotes for our custom gaskets, which were used through our robotics. The sales & engineering team was extremely easy to work with. They were able to provide us with quotes and information on how we could make our parts more functional to fit their internal process. The engineering team had a real clear grasp on what we were trying to do with regards t our product. We were unable to utilize them on the first few stages of our product, but are keeping them in mind for our long term goals. A great company and would highly recommend them.

Strengths: customer service, accurate quotes, attention to detail, in-house experts, competitive pricing

Needs to improve: For us it was their location, as we are located in the bay area and we wanted to keep our vendor's close during the initial design phase --

We have used Mesa Labs multifunction meter (90XL), which is used to measure the conductivity, pH, temperature and pressure of the dialysate fluids. Their meter is very reliable and performs as expected every use. The 90XL has an easy-to-read screen that displays data, up to four sensors. I really like the on-screen prompts, which do provide instruction for the calibration of the meter. In addition, you can set the unit of measure for each individual preference. This meter ensures our own product is performing correctly. Reliable equipment - Recommended.

Strengths: Quality Lab equipment along with certified service, repairs and re-certification of existing lab equipment.

Needs to improve: None I am aware of at this time.

Our company has ordered many items from 80/20 Inc. (The Industrial Erector Set Company), mainly 1010 aluminum extrusion (1x1, 1.5x1.5 & 1.5x2 various lengths), angle supports, bolt sets (10-32, 1/4-20 & metric), leveling feet, etc... They offer an extreme amount of fastening and solutions to make fixtures, tables, shelves, walls, etc... They are a great solution for a quick fix or making devices (fixtures) that can be broken down quickly and used for other applications. Our engineering, manufacturing, production and facilities departments rely on 80/20 to complete our internal job requirements. 80/20 has a great engineering & internal sales team to answer all question pertaining to; quotes, parts availability, delivery, samples, etc... And they are very price competitive compared to doing custom fabricated parts, a complete time saver when it comes to assembly... great company.

Strengths: - Accurate Quotes - Quality Products - Fast Turnaround - Customer Service Knowledgeable Staff - Attention to Detail - Design Assistance - On-time Delivery - Extensive Website - Wide Selection - Metric & Inch

Needs to improve: I find that some time it is hard to locate the ideal part on 80/20 due to the extensive amount of different parts and configurations - Too much to choose from and one cannot make a quick decision.

Our engineering department used Online Labels to order a couple of different sizes of labels to evaluate. They were easy to select a few types, but were limited to the size we could choose for our application. Their website allowed us to upload our artwork to be used on the label for printing. Again had to adjust due to size constraints. They were a time saver as we were able to make a quick evaluation using them verses the standard vendor. For the long term we had to go with our own vendor due to configuration and price constraints. They are a great place for a quick turn to evaluate the design...

Strengths: quick turn, extensive website, easy to order labels

Needs to improve: limited on type and size of labels off of their website, they are a bit pricey

Use Abbatron electrical components in our test assemblies for our wand devices. They have a wide selection of electrical components such as: insulated banana plugs, binding-posts, plugs; alligator clips, dual Instrument test adapters, test lead kits; hardware - mechanical and electrical: standoffs, spacers, grommets, hole-plugs, bumpers, etc... It's great for doing the electrical test fixtures, as we only have to go to one place. They are able to supply us with the quotes, parts and delivery. The really great thing is sometimes when you just need a part or two, they will supply them for as a sample. Great company and look forward to a continued relationship in the future.

Strengths: wide selection of electronic hardware - test configurations, extensive website, sample request, competitive quotes, quick turn around

Needs to improve: limited amount of connectors, they are a company that specializes in certain components - refer to their website for a more detailed list of products, electrical & mechanical hardware available