Engineering Research & Design Resources
- Matweb Material Search: Datasheets for over 69,000 metals, plastics, ceramics, and composites. (our review)
- Online Conversion: “Convert just about anything.” (our review)
- DeepDyve: Nearly every scientific, technical, and medical research journal at your fingertips. (our review)
- Scirus Scientific Search: Search Engine built specifically for highly technical and scientific searches.
- OctoPart Electronic Component Search: This site is an amazing search engine for electronic components. They aggregate information from major suppliers like Digi-Key, Mouser, Newark, etc. and provide prices, availability, datasheets and more.
- MFG.com Custom Manufacturing: Post finished engineering drawings and have machine and fabrication shops bid on your project.
- Inventables: Find cutting edge materials and their suppliers for your designs.
- Engineering Toolbox: This site has an amazing collection of technical equations for design–some simple–some very complex.
- Supply Frame Electronics Datasheets: Datasheets for Electronic Components
- Datasheet Archive – 100 Million Searchable Datasheets
- efunda: Some basic Engineering Fundamentals.
- How2Power: Powerful search and technical briefs for articles across every discipline. From a former editor of major engineering journals.
- Industrial Interface: Post an engineering or design problem and have experienced suppliers help you solve it for free.
Industrial Supply Companies/Catalogs
- McMaster-Carr: A little bit of everything… a great starting point for engineering designs.
- MSC Industrial Supply Company: More of everything, focused on manufacturing supplies, tools, machining, hardware…
- Grainger Industrial Supply: Everything for a manufacturing plant.
- Reid Supply Company: Focus on mechanical components.
- SDP-SI (Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument): Mechanical Components.
- Allied Electronics: All types of electronic components, small to large.
- Digi-Key : Electronics focused heavily on board level components.
- Mouser Electronics: Electronics focused heavily on board level components.
- U-Line Shipping Supply Specialists
Online Industrial Supplier Listings
These sites are helpful if you are searching for a supplier for a specific product or service. If you understand your problem but don’t have a clear solution, try Posting Your Problem Description to Industrial Interface. We’ll search the world’s supplier listings for you.
- GlobalSpec – (Our Review of Globalspec)
- ThomasNet
- MacRae’s Blue Book
- KellySearch
- Direct Industry
- Medical Device Link
Engineering and Scientific Forums
Before you post a problem to one of these forums, we suggest you try Posting Your Problem Description to Industrial Interface. If we can’t help you, you can often get some direction from these forums.
Global Sourcing
These sites let you source products, components, and sometimes services from the global community. You can typically purchase much more on here than just industrial supplies for your Engineering Designs.
- Alibaba: The most comprehensive Global Sourcing destination in the world.
- Global Sources
- ecPlaza Global
Free Engineering and Trade Magazines
Many engineers and Designers are unaware that there are literally hundreds of industry, trade, and specialty specific magazines that offer free subscriptions. These are a great way to stay up to date.
- Trade Pub Magazine Listings: The most comprehensive list of mostly free trade magazines anywhere.
- Reed Business Magazines: Reed offers a selection of Manufacturing and Electronics magazines, among others.
- Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Magazines
[...] you’re curious what’s included, I added all our recommended design resources from our [...]
Hey Brian and Chris-
It was nice talking to you over the summer. One resource to add to your list is http://www.inventables.com. As a refresher we offer a marketplace where you can find materials and technologies for your projects and the vendors behind them. Check it out at Inventables
Thanks Zach!
I must have lost your link when I moved these resources over to our blog. It’s up there now, and it’s also in our Engineering Toolbar that anyone can download and install here:
http://engineeringresources.ourtoolbar.com/
Nice list – thankyou!
Another really great resource that I’ve found extremely helpful when referencing technical information about plastic materials is http://www.ides.com
Cheers!
We have compiled a list of excellent engineering reference sites here:
http://www.motovated.co.nz/engineering-reference.html
We have engineering calculators, knowledge bases, data bases for Materials, Fluids, Plastics as well as FEA resources.
We have a “10 Sites That Every Engineer Should Know About” post on our blog here –
http://blog.prosig.com/2010/04/06/10-sites-that-every-engineer-should-know-about/
Not as comprehensive as your list here, but just a few random ideas on the range of sites that can be of benefit to engineers.
My site http://www.learningmeasure.com was meant to be a reference as well as a source of online training. I would like to think it is useful.
I have found a site that be of interest, it should have some good info. http://www.educationindex.com/engineer/page1.html
New source for lowest cost PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Even used ones have 2 year guarantee. As you are probably aware Chris and Brian, most used PLC vendors only give 1 year guarantee. See http://www.bin95.com/allen_bradley_plc_parts.htm