Ask HN: Resources for “Learning” Manufacturing?
Industrial engineer here. I love seeing people get into manufacturing!<p>I agree with the other points, injection molding would be difficult to get into and is designed for moderately big runs. That being said, I know of a guy who was in a similar position as you with a couple inventions he wanted to bring to market. The quote for plastic injection molds was coming out to low 6 figures, and there wasn&#x27;t a guarantee they would work the first try, so he bought a 3-axis CNC mill and a plastic injection molding machine for the same cost and could iterate faster and cheaper. He now runs a decent size contract manufacturer in Iowa.<p>Depending on your designs and interests, I&#x27;d suggest checking if your nearby community college has welding classes. They&#x27;re typically very cheap and professional guidance with a skill like that is invaluable. They may have other classes for other manufacturing skills which you could learn on YouTube, but again professional guidance can be invaluable for learning fast and avoiding poor habits that will hold you back later.<p>Take a look at the hobby offerings for Inventor and Autodesk if you feel at all limited. I recently tried using Fusion 360 but found the interface confusing coming from using Autodesk in school.<p>If you have more specific examples of things you&#x27;re looking to make, we could give more tailored advice. There are tons of manufacturing processes available, each with a range of units and product features they&#x27;re optimal for.<p>Back in school the manufacturing professors would have us bring in products if we couldn&#x27;t determine the manufacturing method and they would help us figure it out.