DISCLAIMER: Prof. Chris D. McCoy owns and operates You3Dit Inc.

For most up-to-date resources lists: http://bit.ly/rapid-prototyping-resources

3D CAD Repositories / Model Databases

  1. Thingiverse.com – free downloads of STL files, owned by Makerbot Industries (which was bought by Stratasys in 2014).
  2. GrabCAD.com – bought by Stratasys, offers many CAD models (not all downloadable or usable in 3D printing)
  3. 3dcontentcentral.com – A Dassault Systems / Solidworks company which has a bunch of part files specifically for the Solidworks product
  4. Fusion360 Gallery – an Autodesk repository for 3D CAD / engineering / product design models for their CAD tool known as Fusion360 (very student / academia friendly).
  5. Pinshape – bought by FormLabs – sells 3D CAD models online.
  6. Selva3D.com – a STL generation tool which enables you to turn 2D, high-contrast images into 3D shapes.
  7. Yeggi – a search engine for STL / 3D printing files.

Design Consultancies / Design Services

  1. You3Dit – Transform napkin sketches into real physical parts and prototypes (Berkeley Founder, Oakland, CA)
  2. Studio Fathom – High-end 3D printed parts (Oakland, CA / Seattle, CA)
  3. CadCrowd – online marketplace for 3D CAD Design

Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing Service Bureaus

  1. Forecast3D – High-end 3D printed parts (Carlsbad, CA)
  2. Hitch 3D Print – Affordable metal 3D printing (Singapore)
  3. Protolabs – Real plastic injection molded parts in <1 week (Midwest, U.S.A.)
  4. Shapeways – 3D printing in a multitude of materials (New York, NY)
  5. Sculpteo – High-end 3D printing and laser cutting services (France)
  6. Studio Fathom – High-end 3D printed parts (Oakland, CA / Seattle, CA)
  7. VoodooMfg – NYC Based Bot Farm for high-volume, 3D Printing
  8. You3Dit – Transform napkin sketches into real physical parts and prototypes (Berkeley Founder, Oakland, CA)

Find a 3D printer near you

  1. 3D hubs – Find a 3D printer near you (Dutch Company)
  2. Fictiv – Find a 3D printer near you (Stanford Founders)
  3. MakeXYZ – 3D printing in <48 hours (Austin, TX)
  4. You3Dit – Transform napkin sketches into real physical parts and prototypes (Berkeley Founder, Oakland, CA)

Subtractive Manufacturing – CNC Machining

  1. Plethora – Get your 3D designs CNC machined (San Francisco, CA)
  2. Ponoko – outsourced laser cutting services (Emeryville, CA)
  3. Firstcut – Real CNC machined parts in <48 hours (Midwest, CA)
  4. Parts Badger – CNC machining services
  5. Xometry – CNC and digital manufacturing services, global
  6. You3Dit – Transform napkin sketches into real physical parts and prototypes (Berkeley Founder, Oakland, CA)

Electrical / Electronics

  1. Breadware Inc – full-service IoT Product Development firm (Reno, NV).
  2. LittleBits – electronic kits (New York, NY)
  3. MakerShed – maker kits spanning robotics, electronics and 3D printers (Sebastapol, CA)

Electronics / PCBs

  1. Tempo Automation – Quick turn PCB manufacturing (days)

Other prototyping tools / products

  1. Your local thrift store – great for spare parts / prototyping / hacking
  2. Craigslist (SFBayArea Website) / LetGo (Mobile App) – great for finding used parts for prototyping / hacking
  3. Moldable plastic – Boil water, submerge pellets and then form as cooling continues (formerly sold at Radio Shack)
  4. McMaster Carr – Grainger – MSCDirect – huge industrial supply warehouses online with good search features (McMaster is currently the best as of 9/2019 and downloadable STL files for 3D printing).
  5. Cardboard – draw, cut, fold, assemble and show to your target audience.. Recycle your Amazon boxes for hardware prototyping!
  6. FoamCore – slightly-higher fidelity than your cardboard prototype. Draw, cut, fold, assemble and show to your target audience.
  7. Prototyping Kits from You3Dit

Labs / Makerspaces / Hackerspaces

Ordered by physical distance away from U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business

  1. Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation – makerspace and educational facility at U.C. Berkeley (Berkeley, CA). Key people: Bjorn Hartmann, Emily Rice. Jacobs Hall, Ridge Rd.
  2. Citris Invention Lab – makerspace for student projects – “Where Imagination Takes Form”. Chris Myers, Dan Chapman. CITRIS U.C. Berkeley (Berkeley, CA).
  3. College of Environmental Design – Fabrication Shop – laser cutters, 3d printing, wood shop and more. For CED students only. U.C. Berkeley (Berkeley, CA).
  4. Ace Monster Toys – Berkeley-Oakland Border – makerspace / community driven
  5. The Port Workspaces – Oakland, CA – Makerspace.
  6. The Crucible – West Oakland, CA – traditional artisan manufacturing
  7. Elevator Works – West Oakland, CA – professional maker space
  8. Circuit Launch – Oakland, CA – makerspace / coworking by Oakland Airport.

Local Bay Area Design / Fabrication Services

  1. Oakland, CA
    1. Oakland Grown – An overview of fabrication shops in the Oakland, CA area.
  2. Berkeley, CA

Additional Online Hardware Resources

  1. http://bit.ly/rapid-prototyping-resources
  2. 3D Printing Workflow @ Cal (Google Docs)
  3. Cal Wedgie Test Print (Cal Wedgie STL)