R&D Engineer

Lab Pro is a great resource for Bay Area labs. Great place to shop for lab supplies (I believe they are a VWR distributor), without having to deal with shipping/wait times. The staff is very helpful and will place orders for any items that are not stocked in the shop.

Strengths: Local, well-stocked, service-oriented

Needs to improve: None

It was a pleasure working with Licari for all of my prototype needs. Scott was very easy to work with - he spent time talking through drawings to ensure that he understood the critical features/dimensions, and understood the timing of the order and other details. Highly recommended vendor.

Strengths: Precise, quick turnaround time, very knowledgeable, easy to work with

Needs to improve: Can be pricey for quick-turn parts (but worth the price, in my opinion)

Apple Rubber can be very helpful to partner with as you design a critical joint/seal. They ask the right questions to understand your design intent, and they provide you with various options that may work for your application. Overall a very good vendor to work with.

Strengths: Very knowledgeable about O-rings and seals in general, easy to work with, quick turnaround time on standard parts

Needs to improve: None

I worked with Instron to spec out a torsion machine to be delivered and installed at a contract manufacturer's site. The service technician and customer service reps were extremely helpful and responsive. They not only helped me decide on the right equipment to purchase, but also helped to reduce the overall cost of the job by paring down to the minimum specifications required. They also provided me with the specs/drawings required to design the appropriate fixtures for the equipment. Overall, a great vendor to work with.

Strengths: Wide variety of machines and accessories, knowledgeable service technicians, good customer service for custom equipment

Needs to improve: Leadtime on equipment (though comparable to other equipment installs)

Overall a very good option for injection molded prototypes with quick turnaround.

Strengths: Quick turnaround, easy-to-follow online quote submission process, small volume, wide range of injection molding plastic materials offered, part quality is excellent

Needs to improve: Can be expensive, online part analysis often provides unnecessary/inaccurate warnings