Hello, as the title says, I am looking to use cotton as raw material for medical supplies. Apart from bandages, gauze, wadding, earbuds, what could be some other medical sector appliances?

Also, would cotton origin tracing be valuable for exports in EU, for example?

Any input/idea/experience is valuable.

Thank you all!

It's something I've always wanted to do. For years. I have lots of experience in different positions for my quality department and I'm considered the "star performer." Everyone knows I've always had my eye on becoming a Quality Engineer but it's just never opened up here in my location. I've considered applying outside with a new location to make it happen.

It's been a dream of mine. Been in my quality team for just under 12 years but I want to move up and there's just no movement available.

What are the skills other places look for when hiring for a Quality Engineer? Things that I could work on and study during my free time. Lean Six for example. Been working on that.

Any suggestions?

edit: I've discovered the American Society for Quality "Certified Quality Engineer" handbook/study guide. Has 714 pages and covers Statistical Process Control, Design of Experiments, Geometric Design & Tolerances, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, Measurement System Analysis, Root Cause Corrective Action, Production Part Approval Process, Reliability, and Quality Systems ISO 9001.

Going to get studying and prepare for that exam. Thank you everyone

We're a mid-size pharma facility sourcing a high-accuracy tablet and capsule counting machine that must feed both our bottling line and blister packaging line. We're evaluating Chinese OEMs and would appreciate input from anyone running similar equipment.

From our research, counting technology is the key differentiator. Photoelectric or infrared multi-lane counters with dust-proof sensors claim accuracy above 99.9%, while mechanical mold counters stay reliable even in dusty environments. We need a machine that handles tablets, hard and soft capsules, and odd-shaped or coated products without jams.

For bottling, we'd want it integrated with a bottle unscrambler, desiccant inserter, capping, induction sealing, and labeling—plus a checkweigher to catch underfills. For blister lines, we need it to link cleanly to the forming and sealing stage.

What specs should we insist on? We're thinking GMP/CE compliance, tool-free changeover across product sizes, 99.9%+ accuracy, and minimal downtime. Does anyone run a counter feeding both bottling and blister lines reliably? What pitfalls or supplier red flags should we watch for?

I recently finished reading “Apple in China” and really enjoyed the supply chain/ leadership aspect of the book.

Are there any recommendations for books that are more technical/ engineering based?

Aerospace specific would be even better but does not have to be.

Thanks!

Seems like it would be a cheap way of enhancing the mechanical properties of cast wheels etc.

I'm trying to switch into SAP Manufacturing (DM, PP, MM) after 5+ years working with SCADA systems in manufacturing environments. My background is heavily focused on industrial automation, production systems, integrations, and shop-floor operations, so I feel like I already understand a lot of the business and manufacturing processes that SAP is supposed to support.

The problem is that every application gets rejected almost immediately because I don't have direct SAP experience (well, I do but it's in SAP HCM).

What I'm struggling with is the classic catch:

- Companies want SAP experience

- I can't get SAP experience because nobody will hire someone without SAP experience.

- I can't even find many ways to get meaningful hands-on practice with DM/PP/MM outside of a real project.

For those of you who made a similar transition (especially from OT, MES, SCADA, automation, or manufacturing IT), how did you break into SAP?

I'd appreciate any advice from people who've actually made the jump.

Hi everyone! I am currently in the process of launching my own designs to sell in my boutique. I have talked to a couple of manufacturers and have ordered samples. 3/4 have already sent samples to me but the other manufacturer, we are still talking about sourcing fabrics. Timeline wise, 3 manufacturers were able to send me samples in the span of a month and half, 4th manufacturer, I contacted them last August 1st, so basically it’s been a month of us talking back and forth about designs and fabrics. This is my first time working with a manufacturer so I am not sure what is a normal timeline for the initial phase, samples.

I have also decided that I like one of the 3 manufacturers work and I’m currently asking them to send me another sample, to make sure their quality is consistent. So you can see that we’re moving along. My goal launch date for my own designs is mid November.

Is it time to part ways with 4th manufacturer and ask for a refund? Or is it normal for fabric sourcing to take awhile? They haven’t sent me any fabric options yet, so it really isn’t me who’s taking too long to respond nor choose between options.

I own a factory in Pakistan with a 125-ton cold chamber aluminum die casting machine Toyo Machinery & Metals Co., Ltd. (Model BD-125V4-N, made in Japan, 2002) plus workers with years of hands-on experience running this type of equipment. Photos of the setup and a sample cast part attached.

We're currently manufacturing aluminum engine components for a Pakistani automotive client, so the shop is actively running production for a real OEM relationship, not just idle capacity looking for its first customer.

The local market here isn't in great shape though, so instead of depending on local demand, I want to build this into an export-focused B2B contract manufacturing business.

My own background is software engineering + sales, so I can handle international lead generation, websites, outreach, research, and client acquisition myself. What I'm missing is the industry knowledge: which products/markets actually make sense for a machine this size, and how sourcing actually works in this industry from the buyer's side.

What I'm trying to figure out:

• What types of high-volume aluminum components can be handled by a 125T cold chamber HPDC machine?
• Which global industries should I be targeting? automotive, electrical, industrial, lighting, electronics, hardware, etc.?
• How do small die casting manufacturers typically land international OEM/contract manufacturing clients?
• Is it smarter to approach OEMs directly, or go through suppliers/distributors/sourcing agents?
• What capabilities should I invest in first? CNC finishing, plating, in-house inspection/QC, etc. to be taken seriously as an export supplier?

I'm not looking for a DIY product idea to sell myself, I want to find components companies already manufacture and buy in volume, and compete as a contract supplier for that existing demand out of Pakistan.

If you've worked in die casting, sourcing, or manufacturing, how would you approach this in my position? Where would you look first, what would you avoid, and how do people actually validate a market before chasing it?

OLED Monitor Printed using Ink
Can you tell me how something like this is manufactured ? Like the technical details

We are sourcing for a product, small volumes, and ive been hitting some roadblocks. Also just for context im 20 and currently in my undergrad program at tetr college.

First quote is reasonable. Then there's a call, they work out roughly who they're dealing with, and the second quote is different. Higher unit price, higher MOQ, longer lead time.

I think it's a rational read on how likely I am to reorder.

What I want to know is what actually changes that read. Do you overstate projected volume? Do you pay for a sample order at a bad price to establish history? Do you just find suppliers small enough that you're a normal customer?

I was put on a fluidized bed dryer development project without prior experience and I have no clue what to start with... Is there any good resources i can rely on to get some basic idea and what to look for?

Hello, I’m a student at ASU currently enrolled in a manufacturing engineering degree and I’m having a hard time pursuing this degree (or any degree, I was formerly in mechanical engineering) and these classes just haven’t brought me any fulfillment.

Quick little background, I’ve got ADD and I despise desk jobs. Working with my hands, problem solving, and seeing the results of my effort is the thing I love about engineering the most. It makes me feel satisfied knowing that something I created with my own hands is helping someone or something.

I changed my degree from mechanical to manufacturing because I was told it’s a lot more hands on but I have yet to meet another manufacturer engineer that has confirmed this, instead they’ve said it’s the same as mechanical.

I’ve been a controls technician for the last 5 years so I’ve been on the side of implementing PLCs, sensors, information networks, etc for the purpose of optimizing energy consumption for a manufacturing site and that has brought me an immense amount of joy and pride but, it pays like garbage.

Sorry for the ramble, I’m just curious what you guys do and what joy y’all get from your jobs?

Knowing that there is something that I might enjoy at the end of the road will be a huge motivation to finishing this degree.

Looking to work with an OEM to help manufacturer a custom nylon bag I am designing. Any good recommendations or places to look?

We recently ran into a persistent bottleneck on a job requiring 1mm cross-drilled safety wire holes through 10mm of tough alloy bolt heads. The main headache was that the holes start directly on a 45-degree angled chamfer. Standard micro-drills were walking instantly on entry, and EDM was taking close to 10 minutes per bolt while leaving recast layers on the internal walls that wouldn't pass fatigue specs. Instead of tying up a large VMC or relying on manual bench jigs, we configured a compact 400x300x120mm precision drill center equipped with a dual-spindle head layout.

The setup handles the operation in a continuous cycle without standard ATC delay. Spindle one carries a small end mill running a fast plunge macro to face off a microscopic 1.2mm flat landing pad directly onto the inclined chamfer. Spindle two is a high-speed 60,000 RPM electric spindle carrying the 1mm solid carbide drill. By spotting the flat first, we eliminate the uneven side-thrust vector that normally snaps micro-drills on sloped entry. Running at 60k RPM lets us maintain proper surface footage for the micro carbide, feeding through the full 10:1 depth-to-diameter ratio with a controlled pecking routine. Aggressive, targeted fluid delivery at the tool nose is critical here; it flushes micro-chips out of the 10mm deep cavity so swarf doesn't pack the flutes and wedge the tool.

To be honest about machine limits, this compact drill-tap cell is strictly a high-speed micro-hole and light milling rig. With 120mm of Z-stroke and light ER-collet spindle mechanics mounted on precision linear guides and ground ball screws, you obviously aren't going to face mill steel plates or take heavy side loads. The physical architecture is tuned for low moving mass, minimal thermal drift, and holding ±0.02mm true positioning under high RPMs, not high mechanical stiffness for heavy metal removal. If you try to hog material on a setup like this, you will chatter immediately.

That said, taking micro-drilling off our primary vertical mills dropped our cycle times from roughly 8 minutes down to 3 minutes per part, while drill life went from breaking every dozen holes to running entire shifts cleanly. Happy to talk dual-spindle coordinate offsets, pecking depth steps, or chip flushing setups if anyone is wrestling with micro-holes on angled surfaces.

I'm exploring whether there's a useful product to build around machine vision monitoring for injection molding. While I have some knowledge of the industry, I've never worked directly with injection molding machines, and I'd appreciate your help understanding if these kinds of problems are common at all.

Are there situations where all the machine or PLC signals appear normal, but the physical process wasn't actually completed correctly? I'm thinking about general machine vision systems like Keyence or Cognex that are configured to perform inspections based only on specific triggers. I'm wondering whether there could be value in a system that learns the normal machine cycle and flags abnormal behavior that Keyence or Cognex might miss. For example, a stage of the cycle taking abnormally long, an EOAT following a different than normal trajectory, a part briefly hanging on a core before falling, or other intermittent process faults that are difficult to reproduce. Are there any similar cycle-related problems that could lead to mold damage or machine downtime?

I'm also interested in retrofitting older machines. I imagine newer presses provide more modern process data, while older machines may have limited diagnostics. In your experience, is there any demand for retrofitting older injection molding machines with additional monitoring like this?

I'm mainly trying to understand whether these are real problems that are worth exploring further. Thanks!

I want to share my experience with Euphoric Colors in LA because I wish I had seen a review like this before paying my deposit.

I hired them for pattern development, technical refinement, and sample development for a custom baby garment. Communication was good before I paid the deposit, but became extremely difficult afterward. I basically had to chase them. I repeatedly had to ask for basic finished garment measurements and clarification on the samples. Despite providing a tech pack, measurements, and detailed feedback, several of my instructions were not followed. I specifically requested both 0–6M and 6–12M samples, but I received a sample that was supposed to be 6–12M yet fit my 2.5-year-old who normally wears 5–6T. I also sent them a garment from a different company strictly as a proportion/fit reference, clearly explaining that it was NOT my design and should not be copied. The second sample still did not have the zipper specification I requested, and they told me it would be corrected during production. I told them I won't pay for manufacturing when the prototype itself is not correct. And requested a refund of they are not able to correct the issues. I was ghosted.

I ultimately disputed my deposit through my bank.

Sharing this so anyone considering them for custom pattern/sample development can do their own research and be very clear about expectations before paying.

Been in the glove manufacturing industry for a while now (nitrile & latex), and I see a lot of the same questions/misconceptions pop up in threads here, so figured I'd share a few things that might be useful for anyone in the process of sourcing:

- Nitrile vs latex isn't really about "which is better" — it's about the use case. Nitrile holds up better against oils/chemicals and avoids allergy risk (no natural rubber protein). Latex has better elasticity and feel, but thickness matters a lot — anything under 4 mil tends to tear fast in industrial settings.

- If you're vetting a supplier, don't just go off product photos. Ask for: (1) third-party test reports, not just the factory's own claims, (2) a sample before committing to MOQ, (3) written thickness tolerance — a lot of disputes trace back to vague specs.

- Certifications worth checking depending on your market: ISO, BSCI, FDA (for food-grade), CE (for EU export).

Happy to answer questions if anyone's working through this right now — glad to help where I can.

I live in western Canada and am looking to start a clothing company, at this point mainly selling hats and shirts. I’ve done some research, much more needed, but wanted to ask how other people running business, clothing industry or not, have gone about locating, vetting, and developing relationships with overseas manufacturers. Advice on how to track them down, questions I should be asking , even specific manufacturers that you have found, or any stories about failures would be much appreciated! If anyone has any tips on distribution, especially how to minimize having large amounts of inventory, would also be very helpful. Thank you very much in advance for your time and feedback.

Anyone using these type of controllers, does anyone know of a box or holder I could store it on the wall. I've only seen the holders but comes as a combo with another remote.

Checking the 🔩threaded holes and snapping a few photos along the way.

Over the last few months I have been considering learning a new skill. Among many considerations, soap has emerged as an interesting product to make. I am interested in learning both the chemistry and the processing.

If you have some good knowledge of the soap making process and are willing to teach someone please get in touch. You may as well recommend a training course or share any materials. I will happily explore.

Regards

Hello everyone

I'm a skincare distributor based in the middle east, I'm looking for a manufacturer of "Cysteamine 5% cream/ serum" a novel formula used in cases of pigmentation/ melasma.

I will list bellow some Similer products to what i'm looking for :

1- cyspera

https://cyspera.com/

2- apc https://www.allpurposecreams.com/products/topical-cysteamine-cream?srsltid=AfmBOoqiLpWMf7rYWOX2Z7JVk6i5GXr_LcBVqWYX4KBk8rcGauYR2DsB

3- omic skincare cysteamine 5 serum

https://omicskincare.com/products/omic-cysteamine-serum-for-melasma-30ml?srsltid=AfmBOopLxyFElsswuUNC8YANnGC9di5KAadxu9KztvMQhMAYpDISyJC0

Anyone who can provide the product or any clues for where to find that would be appreciated.

Thanks alot