Custom Firmware, Electronics Design, and PCB Layout

Prototype Service Provider Directory

The most challenging and expensive part of bringing an electronics product to market, is finding companies that can manufacture prototypes as well as final production parts. We've come up with a list of links of engineering service providers, and prototype makers and contract manufacturers, which are listed in alphabetical order. 

Industrial Designers  

If you need sheet metal, plastic parts, packaging, or enclosures designed, then you need to talk to industrial designers. 

• Design Engine
• Metropolis Design
• Product Design Partners
• Rocket Ship Design

Membrane Switches and Printed Resistors

• Anagraphica
• Spectra Symbol

Electronics Assembly

• Precision Assembly
• Trident Manufacturing
• Wolf Electronix

PCB Board Manufacturers

• Circuit Graphics
• Quick Turn Circuits
• PCB Solutions

PCB Layout

• Layout only - Fast and affordable PCB layout services. They can also convert through hole designs to SMT. 

Springs

Springs are often needed for battery contacts, or door assemblies in electronics prototypes. 

• Spring Works Utah

Metal Plating and Plating Supplies

Try PCB supply houses to get plating supplies. The only problem is that you have to buy chemicals in 5 gallon drums.  

Another great way of getting a part plated is to take it to a local PCB manufacturer. They can sell you smaller quantities of the plating chemicals or plate the parts directly.  Most can do nickel, tin, silver and gold immersion plating of any metallic part. When plating gold always pre-plate with a hard metal such as nickel to avoid dispersion of the gold into a base metal such as copper. 

• Circuit Graphics - Prototype PCBs
• Ormcon Cirtech  - Supplies chemicals to PCB manufacturers.
• Caswell Plating - Sells plating kits for all types of metals, chemicals and supplies, anodizing chemicals, plating equipment, buffing and polishing supplies and equipment., powder coating.
• Quality Plating - SLC, plates all sorts of metals, and anodizing. 

Sheet Metal Laser Cutting

• Aero Tech
• Metal Fab, Inc. - West Valley Utah (801) 973-2212 
• Metalcraft

Metal Stampings

You may need small custom metal parts such as battery leads. Typically these are made by companies that do metal stampings. 

• Arcade Metal Stamping
• United Tool and Stamping
• Acro Metal Stamping
• Lyons
• Pacific Metal Stampings
• Lee Spring - Metal springs and stampings.
• Component Engineers Inc

Low Pressure Injection Over-Molding

Perhaps you need a water tight circuit board, rather than potting the board, it can be encapsulated in either plastic or rubber. 

• Aclaryn Plastics
• ND Industries
• Cavist
• ND Industries
• ISC
• IT plastics

Low Volume Plastic Prototypes

Finding inexpensive plastic manufacturers or companies that can do low volume production runs is quite a challenge. Here are some we've found.

• Proto Cafe - SLA, Acrylic Polymer prototyping, prototypes, and protype finishing (decals, painting, printing, etc.) (On one quote, they were cheapest.)
• Protomold - Quick turn low volume injected molded parts.
• Quick Parts - Low Volume Prototypes, Tooling, SLA, FDM, Polyjet, CNC, Sheet Metal, Cast Urethanes, Low volume and rapid injection molds and parts.  (On one quote they were in the middle.)
• Solid Concepts - Rapid Prototyping, Tooling, SLA, FDM, Polyjet, CNC. Low volume production. (On one quote I've seen they were most expensive.)
• Metropolis Design - SLA, 3D-pringing, RTV molds.
• Forecast SLA, and SLS.  They can do water clear SLA parts!

Vacuum Forming

Vacuum forming is where a sheet of hot plastic wraps around a form, creating a cavity or protrusion. Is is cheep and fast. There are many companies listed on the internet here are just a few samples.

• ThermoFab
• Associated Thermoforming

Packaging Suppliers

Often the step of product design which is put off until last is the product packaging. We list here companies that specialize in providing product packaging and packaging  design services. There are several types of packaging

Blister packaging is where your product is placed into a clear plastic tray and then sealed to a printed promotional card, allowing both the product, and card to be seen from the front through the plastic. It's advantage is that it is cheap, protective, tamper proof, has good product visibility, and is durable.

Clam shell packaging consists of 2 clear plastic halves that are folded together along a hinge, around the product, and promotional card. 

• Andex - Custom and in stock clam shells.
• Buckell - Eco-friendly custom clam shell, and blister packaging.
• Impact Mfg - Has over 350 on the shelf and in stock clear plastic clam shells. 

Plastics, Resins and Silicon Mold Suppliers

• Delvies Plastics- Casting Resin, plastic rods and sheets.
• J Greer - Mold and casting supplies, RTV Silicon, casting resin.
• BJB Enterprises - Casting Resins.
• Hapco - Casting Resins.

Want to list a service provider here - contact us and send us an email only with the link and a short description of the what products are carried. 

Daycounter provides contract engineering services. Please contact us if you would like to out-source your next engineering project.

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