Vibe Manufacturing

Check a design against typical manufacturing rules before you request quotes. Returns pass, warn or fail per check with the limit and the reason. Supported processes: sheet-metal, laser-cutting, cnc-machining, 3d-printing, injection-molding, die-casting, casting, metal-stamping, pcb-assembly. Parameters are in millimetres/degrees, for example thickness_mm, bend_radius_mm, flange_length_mm, hole_diameter_mm, hole_to_edge_mm, hole_to_bend_mm, wall_thickness_mm, pocket_depth_mm, inside_corner_radius_mm, draft_deg, material.

Start a prototype project for the human you act for: we make the sourcing plan (as plan_prototype) and, once the person confirms by a click in their own mailbox, send one quote request per make-part to the matching manufacturers. Needs the requester e-mail and user_consent; nothing is sent before the confirmation click. Returns the project id, a token to read it and the plan.

Create a structured request for quotation for the human you act for. Call get_rfq_requirements for the process first and upload files with upload_rfq_file; use dry_run to check completeness before sending. The answer contains quote_readiness, missing and recommended items. We match manufacturers, email the ones that opted in, and return direct contact, quote-form and agent links for all matches plus an RFQ id and a token to read quotes later. Only call after the user agreed that the request is shared with matched manufacturers.

Estimate landed cost per unit and the price needed for a target margin for a custom product. All money values in USD per unit.

Fetch the full text of a document or manufacturer profile by the id returned from search.

Find manufacturing businesses you can contact directly, including official-registry establishments without a website (Mexico: INEGI DENUE). Returns how to reach each one: contact form, phone and email (published only for legal entities), website. Filter by ISO country code (MX, US, ...), process and city. Use next_after to page.

Find contract manufacturers in the directory by country and process. Processes: laser-cutting, cnc-machining, sheet-metal, 3d-printing, injection-molding, pcb-assembly, die-casting, welding, waterjet-cutting, metal-stamping, forging, heat-treatment, grinding-polishing, casting, wire-forming, steel-construction, surface-finishing. Country as ISO code (DE) or slug (germany).

Design-for-manufacturing rules for one process (sheet metal, CNC machining, injection molding, 3D printing, casting, welding, PCB assembly and more): typical tolerances, file formats, the rules with their reasons, a pre-RFQ checklist and common mistakes. Typical rules of thumb; the manufacturer's own guidelines override them. Omit process to list all.

For a manufacturer's agent (needs the supplier token): what the directory stores about your company, and the allowed values for each field.

Get one of the 13 playbook steps (summary, explanation, checklist, related tools).

Read a prototype project you created: the plan and, per part request, how many manufacturers were reached and how many quotes arrived. Needs the project_id and the token from create_project.

For a manufacturer's agent (needs the supplier token): one request in full — spec, what is missing, why you matched, file download links for your company, and the conversation so far.

Read the matches and the quotes received so far for an RFQ you created. Needs the rfq_id and the token returned by create_rfq.

What a factory needs to quote a given process (required and recommended items with accepted values). Read this before create_rfq so the request is complete.

Read the conversation of a request: messages from factories (answers, quotes, files) and your own. Pass since=<last message_id> to get only new ones.

List tools and factories with pros and cons. Optional category: Fabrication, Electronics, Sourcing, Prototyping, Measuring, Design, Review.

For a manufacturer's agent (needs the supplier token): the open quote requests your company was matched to, newest first, with readiness, whether you answered, your quote and unread buyer messages.

Rank manufacturers for a structured part spec. Returns scored matches with the reasons, so an agent can explain the choice to its user.

Turn a product description into a sourcing plan for a prototype or first batch: parts split into make (process, material, what a factory needs, matched manufacturers) and buy (module class, where such parts come from), integration steps, gaps and assumptions. Read-only, needs no e-mail; use it before create_rfq when the user has a product rather than a single part. States no prices or lead times.

Search the Vibe Manufacturing playbook, guides, tool reviews and the manufacturer directory. Mention a process (for example CNC machining) or a country to get matching manufacturers. Returns result ids for fetch.

Search the playbook, guides, tool reviews and comparisons on vibe-manufacturing.com.

For a manufacturer's agent (needs the supplier token): write to the buyer of a request you were matched to — a question, an answer or an update, optionally with file_ids from upload_rfq_file. Draft it for the manufacturer and send only after they confirm.

Write to the matched factories about a request (buyer token) or to the buyer (supplier token): a question, an answer or an update, optionally with file_ids. We relay it by email or API and keep the thread.

For a manufacturer's agent: answer an RFQ the company was matched to. Needs the supplier token issued when the company registered. Replaces any existing quote from this supplier for this RFQ, adds a thread entry and notifies the buyer by email and an optional callback; repeating the call sends notifications again. Only call with the supplier's authorization.

Send a quote request for the human you act for. Only call after the user agreed that the request and email may be shared with suitable manufacturers. A person reviews it and replies by email.

For a manufacturer's agent (needs the supplier token): change processes, materials, certs, formats, industries, signals, machines, lead_time_days, min_order_qty, notes or notify_email. Fields you leave out keep their value; a field you send replaces it whole (a processes list replaces the stored list, so send the complete list, not only additions). Name, domain, country and address cannot be changed here. Set authorised: true only after the manufacturer confirmed the change.

Upload a design file (STEP/STP, IGES/IGS, STL, 3MF, OBJ, DXF, DWG, PDF, ZIP (Gerber files go in a ZIP); up to 6 MB as base64 here, up to 100 MB with POST /api/v1/rfq/files?name=...). Returns a file_id to pass in create_rfq file_ids. Unused files expire after 24 hours. Only upload files the user agreed to share with manufacturers.