EMachineShop
Emachineshop.com brings the community of minipreneurs in touch with all those who can turn their designs into a physical model.
URL = http://www.emachineshop.com/
Description
From the Advanced Civilisation site explanation of how to turn virtual designs into physical objects:
"A company called eMachineShop takes Custom Fabrication a step further in terms of ease of use. The US-based company supplies a fairly simple computer-aided design program that once materials have been assigned to the geometric forms an automatic bill of materials can then be calculated. When the user is happy with the design and the price, the information is sent over the internet to eMachineShop where the parts are fabricated using the appropriate computer-controlled machinery. The finished parts are then mailed back to the user.
eMachineShop have cleverly incorporated the limitations of their physical fabrication processes into the CAD program. This means that the company can be sure that they can make anything designed using their software. The company claims to handle part quantities from one-offs to runs up to a million." (http://www.adciv.org/Virtual_designs_into_physical_objects)
Discussion
"When to use eMachineShop: If you need more exotic processes like steel-rule-die blanking, photochemical milling, or rotational molding. They also do standard machining as well, but their breadth of services is the real value.
Time & Money: Costs and leadtimes are going to vary significantly based on the process you select, but you can get instant quotes using their software. Expect prices to start in the hundreds of dollars for most projects and reach into the thousands for more intensive processes.
Experience Required: A thorough understanding of manufacturing processes is required to get the best value using eMachineShop.
Pros: Wide range of services/materials, Instant quoting
Cons: PC only, Steep learning curve" (http://replicatorinc.com/blog/2009/04/hardware-hackers-resources-to-make-your-projects-aesthetically-pleasing/)