Design engineers are always looking for ways to speed and simplify the process of getting parts for prototyping, pre-production and lower volume production requirements. Pressures are always high to get from concept to production as quickly as possible to gain a competitive edge or start getting revenues from that great next product!
In the case of technical materials, a common additional challenge is getting precision, production representative parts without having to pay and wait for tooling.
Materials Direct’s value proposition means that for design engineers sourcing technical materials, all of these potential concerns and headaches are addressed.
A vital part of the user experience (UX) is the order process, and advances in this area – like those we all see in the online purchases we make in our home lives – mean that it’s now easier than ever to work via an automated online portal – though that ‘old school’ resource of a ‘real person’ is still available if needed.
Visitors coming to Materials Direct’s site to order custom parts are guided through a super-easy and quick automated process that typically takes around five minutes and allows them to get tooling-free parts shipped in as quickly as 24 hours to build their prototype or small batch requirements.
Visitors start by selecting their material type or brand – technical guidance to help make a suitable selection is available on the site if needed. After clicking on the preferred currency for your transaction, the next step is to input details about the shape, size and quantity of parts you need. Standard shaped – round, square or rectangular parts just need a diameter or X and Y dimension entering, for custom parts, a drawing can be uploaded and then the maximum X and Y dimensions entered and that’s all there is to it! If you haven’t yet designed your part then a downloadable design guide is available can take you through the step-by-step process.
The next stage of the simple and intuitive process is to schedule the shipping and delivery of your parts. As rapid as 24 hours is possible, or parts can be scheduled for later or split delivery depending on project needs.
That should complete your ‘shopping basket’ and aside from adding any special instructions on details like packaging, it’s just a case of entering billing and shipping details and completing the purchase. If you’ve previously registered on the Materials Direct site, then this process is shortened further.
And that’s it, as easy as 1-2-3 and done in less than 5 (minutes)!
