OpenThesis.org is a free-to-use, centralized database of academic theses where anyone can upload their completed and approved thesis.  Their system typically includes details like bibliographical information, author, school, title, abstract, and date of publication, but doesn’t always have the full text available. Read the rest of this entry »

In general, purchasing agents have a good deal of disdain for engineers (and probably vice-versa).  This doesn’t have to be the case, but it generally is.  Below is a list of reasons why this often happens.  These two groups rarely work together in harmony, but with a little effort they probably can.

In my experience as a finder of hard to find metals, I get inquiries from buyers on a daily basis for metals, forms, sizes and quantities that are simply not available from US metal suppliers. Typically, the buyer has received a print from a client for a new widget designed by an engineer who has searched high and low to find “the perfect material” for his or her new design.

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Globalspec is probably the most popular of all the industrial supplier listings for engineers and designers.  They boast 5 Million registered users, including engineers, purchasing agents, technicians, etc.  They have a huge supplier database, and are branded as the Engineering Search Engine.  Most other sites cater specifically to purchasing departments, although Globalspec’s offerings don’t differ much from the norm.

Highlights for Engineers and Designers

The Good

1. Globalspec has one of the largest supplier databases on the web, along with Thomasnet and Macrae’s Blue Book, and is one of the easiest supplier listing sites to navigate.
2. Globalspec maintains one of the largest engineering forums on the web.  There’s an active community of engineers helping each other with simple to very technical problems.

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