I'm a product design engineer, I have been designing mass produced products for over a decade. Happy to help if I can.
How big are the parts you want to make, and how many different parts are there? If you could send a link to pictures or parts on the open market you think are similar, it would be helpful to get an idea of type of thing you want to make.
CNC controlled framing systems like this present a very interesting opportunity to improve buildings. Construction becomes much more of a software problem.
I agree with the concerns that such a large departure from traditional framing methods creates a risk of water management or air sealing issues, if for no reason other than the novelty of the system.
Another type of system to look at is CNC controlled light gauge steel framing like FrameCAD (https://www.framecad.com/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVCquOX5toQ). There are other companies with similar machines and techniques. These machines start with a roll of steel and roll form it into studs, while cutting them to length and very accurately placing holes. Speed, accuracy, and strength is great. A major weakness in many climates is the high thermal conductivity of steel which necessitates exterior insulation.
Plastic molding of different types (injection, extrusion, blow molding, etc) enables massive quantities of physical objects to be produced at a staggeringly low cost and high rate of speed. This has of course enabled the production of many things that are beneficial to our lives. It has also increased the amount of waste that humans produce, to say the least.
I feel that this represents a great strength and great weakness of the Amazon model. A huge network of independent sellers allows for an untouchable amount of variety and ultra fast movement in response to trends. This sort of grey market product sourcing model allows for value creation and low prices (these people are helping match excess goods with people who value them highly). But it would be impossible (with current methods) to control the sourcing provenance of these goods from such a vast network of suppliers at such low quantities. In some categories this can lead to the often discussed issues with counterfeits. Perhaps in the future a better method of the product authentication will allow the best of both worlds.
I'm sure there is a good reason this idea wouldn't work, hoping someone can help poke holes in it:
Why not set a number of H1B visas (say keep the current of 85k), then rather than do a lottery or check qualifications, simply rank salaries offered to applicants (or total yearly compensation) and let the people with the highest offers get the visas.
This way wages won't be depressed, and companies with labor needs they are truly unable to fulfill with traditional methods will get all the people they need.
Viewing money as a crude measure of qualification it seems this would be the most fair method. Also would be the best for the American worker since it would prevent low cost H1B applicants from lowering local wages.
I'm a product design engineer! So rare that I get to have any input on HN. In answer to your questions:
1. How does the factory quote / understand what is required? Typically you send a 3D CAD file of the product you want to make and a bill of materials to a selected factory and they send you a quotation. For some products the factory may be able to quote based on a prototype, but this is less typical for totally custom / new products.
2. How do I choose a provider? I recommend any of the following:
a. Leverage any personal connections you may have
b. Search for similar products / the product category on Alibaba
c. Either go to trade shows (the biggest for Chinese factories is Canton fair) or review the vendors exhibiting at a trade show online
d. Panjiva.com (the best option if it works) Panjiva aggregates public import records for anyone importing products into the US. Both the importer (think US brand) and exporter (think Chinese factory) are listed for every shipment. Use Panjiva to search for a company that is selling a similar product you want to make in your market (for example, if you want to sell headphones in the US, you might search "Bose" on Panjiva). If a factory has made a bunch of similar shipments to reputable brands in the US they are likely a good factory.
Getting a good factory to take you seriously is actually quite challenging for a fledgling company. Quoting a product takes a good deal of time to do properly and is expensive for them. They get a surprising number of tire kickers. To increase chances of success, highlight anything that makes you more credible when quoting (investment, awards, personal track record, nice looking website, photos of prototypes, etc.)
I am particularly interested in the liability protection provided by an LLC (selling physical products).
How much legally grounded advice is provided as a part of the service about how to avoid activities that could make the corporate veil easier to pierce in the event of a lawsuit?
I've heard anecdotally about doing a good job of keeping business and personal accounts completely separate, for example. This is the type of advice that I would typically lean on a lawyer for, but it seems could be easily provided as a part of this service.
For my state (NY), I am required to register an out of state LLC (a "foreign" LLC [1]) before conducting business in NY. Is this registration or assistance with this registration included?
How big are the parts you want to make, and how many different parts are there? If you could send a link to pictures or parts on the open market you think are similar, it would be helpful to get an idea of type of thing you want to make.