Tools and factories
Everything used in the playbook, grouped by job. Try the cost calculator.
Fabrication
SendCutSend
Instant quotes for laser cut, waterjet and bent sheet metal from DXF or STEP files.
Best for: Flat metal parts, brackets, enclosures, panels
Xometry
On-demand CNC machining, 3D printing, sheet metal and injection molding with instant quotes.
Best for: Machined parts, plastics, a wide process range
Protolabs
Rapid CNC machining, injection molding and 3D printing aimed at engineering teams.
Best for: Precision prototypes and low-volume production
Electronics
JLCPCB
Low-cost PCB fabrication and assembly with a large in-house parts library.
Best for: Circuit boards from KiCad, small assembly runs
PCBWay
PCB fabrication, assembly and also CNC and 3D printing under one roof.
Best for: Boards plus mechanical parts from one supplier
Sourcing
Alibaba.com
Global supplier marketplace for custom parts, components and white-label manufacturing.
Best for: Larger runs and lower unit cost once a design is proven
Prototyping
Bambu Lab
Consumer 3D printers that make overnight fit-test prototypes practical.
Best for: Fast, cheap plastic prototypes at home
Measuring
Polycam
Phone LiDAR scanning app for capturing rooms and objects as measurable 3D meshes.
Best for: Scanning spaces, doors, furniture and large objects
Digital calipers
The cheapest accuracy upgrade in the whole process.
Best for: Any part under about 150 mm
Design
Zoo (Text to CAD)
Generates real CAD from a text description, with an API and code-based modelling.
Best for: Getting from a description to a parametric CAD file quickly
OpenSCAD and CadQuery
Free, open-source code-based CAD tools that language models write well.
Best for: Parametric, version-controlled designs
Review
Upwork
Freelance marketplace for booking a mechanical engineer to review your files for an hour.
Best for: The one-hour design review before the first real order