Design ItFund ItBuild It

Upload a hardware design and open a waitlist. The price falls as people join. When the count is high enough, you press one button and every shop starts at once.

You pay nothing up front
Buyers are charged when the run starts
Works for any custom design

Start a design See how it works

01Buyers are charged only when the run starts

02Every part gets a serial code

03The shop that made a bad part pays for it

04Custom designs, not a fixed catalog

How a run works

Six steps from file to doorstep

Each step below is a short stop. Skim them in order, or open the full write-up.

Read the full flow

You upload the design

Send STEP, STL, DXF, Gerber, and BOM files. The geometry service reads each part, and an agent proposes a process and a material for it. You review the list and fix whatever looks wrong.

What we read from a file

Parts tree

Case3D printing, then injection molding
Circuit boardPCB fabrication, then PCB assembly
Screws and cableBought parts, kitted at assembly

Example for a small desk device. You edit the tree before anything is quoted.

You get a price range

Each part is priced from its geometry, process, and quantity. Early numbers are ranges. Once the waitlist reaches a set share of its target, shops quote for real and the ranges narrow to prices.

How estimates become quotes

Unit estimate

Case, printed$14 to $19
Board, assembled$31 to $42
Screws and cable$4 to $6
Total$49 to $67

Example numbers. Real prices come from shop quotes.

Buyers join, and the price falls

A buyer saves a card and pays nothing. The page shows the current price, the next price break, and how many more people it takes. Past a certain count a part can move from printing to molding, which is why the price drops in steps.

See a design page

Buyers on the waitlist 25

Unit price: $140
Case process: 3D printing
Next price break: 75 more buyers, to $96
Charged: Only at trigger

Example numbers for a small desk device. Real prices come from shop quotes.

You press one button

When the count is high enough, the run starts. Every shop confirms, buyers are charged, and each shop receives its purchase order in the same moment.

What happens at trigger

The chain

Start run

- PCB fabrication
- Case
- PCB assembly
- Final assembly and test
- Pack and ship

Shops in one column work in parallel. Columns run in order.

Every part is scanned

Each part gets a serial code, and shop staff scan it at every step with a phone. If a part arrives bad, the scan shows who made it. After an operator confirms the fault, that shop pays for the reship.

How faults are handled

Scan log

01-0042-0317

✓PCB fabricationScanned
✓PCB assemblyScanned
✓Final assembly and testPassed
Pack and shipNext

Example trace for one unit.

It lands on a desk

The last shop packs each unit and ships it. Every buyer gets one tracking page that covers the whole trip, from raw stock to the front door.

Shipping and tracking

Tracking

✓PackedDone
✓Handed to the carrierDone
✓In transitDone
DeliveredNext

Example for one buyer.

Processes

Eleven processes, one catalog

Every shop lists the processes it runs and the limits it holds. Parts go to the shops whose limits fit.

01 · Low setup

CNC Machining

Parts cut from solid metal or plastic. A program and a fixture are the only setup, so small runs stay affordable.

Learn more 02 · Low setup

Sheet Metal

Flat stock cut by laser and folded on a press brake. Brackets, panels, and enclosure shells.

Learn more 03 · Tooled

Injection Molding

Plastic parts molded in quantity. The mold is a large one-time cost, and each part after it is cheap.

Learn more 04 · Low setup

3D Printing

Parts printed layer by layer, with no tooling. A good fit for the first tier of a run and for odd shapes.

Learn more 05 · Electronics

PCB Fabrication

Bare circuit boards made from your Gerber files.

Learn more 06 · Electronics

PCB Assembly

Components placed and soldered onto the board from your bill of materials.

Learn more 07 · Tooled

Casting

Metal poured or injected into a mold, for shapes that cost too much to machine.

Learn more 08 · Finishing and assembly

Finishing

Anodizing, plating, powder coat, paint, and cleaning, applied after the part is made.

Learn more 09 · Finishing and assembly

Assembly

The node that joins parts from other nodes into one product.

Learn more 10 · Finishing and assembly

Testing

Functional tests and firmware programming before a unit ships.

Learn more 11 · Finishing and assembly

Packing and Kitting

Boxes, inserts, labels, and a shipping label for each buyer.

Learn more

Who uses 01

Made for people without a factory

If you have a design and no capital, one of these pages is about you.

Inventors

You have a hardware idea and no factory contacts. Upload the design and 01 matches each part to a shop, while a waitlist pays for the run.

Learn more 02

Hobbyists

Your maker project works on the bench. 01 turns it into a batch: a waitlist funds the run and the shops start together.

Learn more 03

Startups

Fund a first production batch with buyers instead of investors. The waitlist shows demand before you spend on tooling.

Learn more 04

Creators

You have an audience and a product idea. A waitlist turns followers into funded buyers, and 01 gets the product made.

Learn more 05

Open Source Projects

Your open hardware project has published files and a community. 01 gets a batch made from those files, funded by the people who want one.

Learn more 06

Educators

Run a kit for a class or a lab. Pool the order on a waitlist and let a chain of shops build, test, and pack it.

Learn more 07

Engineers

You are an engineer with a side project and no capital. Upload the design and let a waitlist pay for the first run.

Learn more 08

Manufacturers

Join 01 as a node. List the processes you run, get matched to parts by your actual limits, and receive purchase orders when a run starts.

Learn more

Insights

Where to build near you

We research makerspaces, events, university programs, and manufacturing support in each state, and link the source for every entry.

Browse all states

FAQ

Common questions

When is my card charged?

When the run starts. A saved card holds no money, and nothing is authorized before then.

Can I leave the waitlist?

Yes. Leave any time before the run starts and you pay nothing.

What happens if the ship date slips?

You are told as soon as it moves, and you can ask for a refund.

What can I design?

Anything a shop in the network can make. You upload your own design. A standard case or footprint can speed up quoting, but you never have to use one.

Have a design?

Upload it and open a waitlist.

Start a design Contact