How to Manufacture a Product in America: The Smarter Scrubber
Embarking on the journey of manufacturing a product domestically, especially in a globalized economy, presents unique challenges and rewards. This guide details an extensive, four-year experiment to create a product – the Smarter Scrubber – entirely within the United States. You’ll learn about the economic forces that drive manufacturing overseas, the personal motivations behind choosing domestic production, the intricate process of designing and sourcing components, and the critical importance of the tool and die industry.
Part 1: The Motivation – Why Manufacture in America?
The decision to manufacture in America stems from a deep appreciation for the country’s industrial heritage and a concern for its future manufacturing capabilities. Growing up with parents who worked in union auto manufacturing plants instilled an early understanding of the value of producing tangible goods. However, global economic shifts, influenced by trade agreements and the pursuit of lower labor costs, led to a significant decline in domestic manufacturing. This trend was starkly highlighted during the 2020 global pandemic when shortages of essential items like N95 masks revealed a critical vulnerability in America’s manufacturing capacity. The inability to quickly produce needed goods locally underscored the importance of maintaining and revitalizing domestic production capabilities. This experiment is not just about America; the lessons learned about local manufacturing, self-reliance, stability, and freedom are universally applicable.
Part 2: The Process – Building the Smarter Scrubber
The Smarter Scrubber is a grill cleaning tool designed to address the shortcomings of existing products. The core problem is effectively scrubbing grill grates with chain mail. This requires a design that allows the chain mail to conform to the grate’s shape while applying downward pressure. The development process involved several key stages and components:
Understanding the Core Problem and Design Needs:
The goal is to create a grill scrubber that uses chain mail to effectively clean grill grates. This requires a design where the chain mail is compliant and can wrap around the grates. A “squishy” backing material is needed behind the chain mail to help it conform. However, directly attaching the chain mail and the soft backing to a rigid handle proved problematic, as the soft material could tear. This led to the need for an adapter to bridge the gap between the backing and the handle.
Injection Molding: The Key to Efficient Production:
The experiment embraced injection molding as the primary method for producing plastic components, a technique previously explored in the MVP Disk Golf disk video. This process involves injecting molten plastic into a mold cavity to create parts. The design process began in CAD software, iterating through various designs to achieve the desired functionality and manufacturability.
Designing the Scrubber Head Components:
Early designs focused on holding the chain mail in place with posts on the rubber backing, but these posts proved too fragile. The design evolved to incorporate multiple components: a bottom piece for attaching the backing, a top cover, and a mechanism for assembly. The principle of designing for assembly, preferring snap-fits over bolts where possible, was applied to streamline manufacturing. Initial attempts involved 3D printing molds for the rubber component, but this proved too complex for mass production. The rigid components (cover and adapter) were finalized with a click-together assembly. Grooves were added to the design, allowing the scrubber head to be held directly by hand for intense scrubbing.
Addressing the “Squishy” Component:
The initial design considered overmolding, but this was too time-consuming. A pad design was adopted where a compliant pad would sit beneath the chain mail, held in place by the chain mail itself. Various rigid pad designs and compliant materials were tested using a Formlabs Form 3 3D printer with different materials, including an “Elastic” setting and linear/hex patterns. This led to the development of rigid pads and a rubbery backing.
Material Selection and Sourcing – The Chain Mail Challenge:
The first prototype was assembled using wire to connect the components. A critical finding was that the most common chain mail available (radial pattern with a central ring) did not adapt well to grill grates. Testing revealed that this type of chain mail would snag and lose rings. A welded version of chain mail was identified as superior but more expensive. The ideal pattern was found to be an octagonal arrangement of rectangular links. Initially, this specific chain mail was only available from China. After considerable effort, a US supplier was found, but they could not meet the required quantities at a reasonable price. A contract was established to purchase as much as affordable, supplemented by chain mail from an Indian supplier to meet potential demand. This chain mail is by far the most expensive component.
Sourcing Components Domestically: The Bolt Dilemma:
Sourcing standard 1/4-20 stainless steel bolts domestically proved surprisingly difficult and expensive. Foreign bolts cost around $0.09 each, while US-made bolts quoted at $0.38 to $0.42 each. Many US machine shops stated they couldn’t source the raw material for less than the price of finished foreign bolts. After months of searching and receiving numerous quotes, a supplier in Massachusetts was found to provide bolts for $0.355 each, though a subsequent quote for $0.19 each raised concerns about verification and authenticity. This highlights the difficulty in verifying domestic sourcing and the price disparities.
The Critical Role of Tool and Die Making:
A significant hurdle was finding a facility that could not only injection mold the plastic parts but also create the necessary molds domestically. Many facilities outsource mold making to China. This revealed a critical gap in the US: the decline of the tool and die industry, which is responsible for creating the molds and tooling for manufacturing. The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, noted in 2017 that China’s advantage lies not in low labor costs but in its deep and extensive tooling skills, with vast numbers of tooling engineers compared to the US. This experiment aimed to counter this trend by learning and performing the tooling work domestically.
Developing the Molds and Manufacturing Process:
Chris Robeson, who had helped with injection molding during the pandemic, agreed to mentor the project. The initial CAD files were refined based on Chris’s expertise in injection molding design principles (e.g., avoiding thick areas, incorporating draft angles). For prototyping, 3D printed mold cavities using Formlabs’ Rigid 10K material were used in Chris’s injection molding machines. This allowed for verification of the geometry, observation of plastic flow, and necessary mold design changes. Once the design was validated, the team began creating the production molds out of metal. The experimenter decided to learn CNC machining, acquiring two used CNC machines with the help of patrons. With guidance from friends and local machinists, they learned to operate the machines and mill the mold components. The assembled metal molds were then taken back to Chris and his colleague Jeremy, who made final adjustments and assembled the molds. This process highlighted that being a machinist and being an injection mold designer/maker are distinct skill sets, with tool and die creation being a specialized field.
Addressing Material Limitations – Silicone for Heat Resistance:
The “squishy” component was initially made from Santoprene, a thermoplastic polyurethane, which had limited heat resistance. During testing, it showed signs of melting on a hot grill. To overcome this, a switch to food-grade silicone was necessary. However, silicone requires a different molding process and cannot be used with the existing Santoprene molds. Unable to find a local silicone molding facility, they partnered with Commonwealth Manufacturing in Virginia, who created a new nine-cavity mold for the silicone parts. While silicone offers better heat resistance, the scrubber is intended for use on cool to warm grills, not fiery furnaces.
Designing the Handle for Manufacturability:
The handle design also underwent development. An initial prototype was hand-shaped by bending metal and cutting it on a band saw. This was tested and proven functional. For mass production, the design was refined in CAD. Incorporating a flat scraper edge for corners and a slightly curved edge for general scraping improved its utility. The design focused on sheet metal bending for efficient manufacturing.
Part 3: The Pitch – Is the Smarter Scrubber Competitive?
The experiment aimed to create a product that could be manufactured in America and be competitive in the marketplace. The Smarter Scrubber utilizes a patent-pending chain mail design and is manufactured with domestic components where possible. The challenges in sourcing materials like chain mail and specialized bolts highlight the increased cost associated with domestic production. However, the product offers a unique solution to common grill cleaning problems, with a focus on durability and effectiveness. The decision to sell directly to consumers, bypassing platforms like Amazon where small businesses often face issues with knock-offs and intellectual property theft, is a core part of the business strategy. The hope is that consumers will choose the Smarter Scrubber not just because it’s made in America, but because it offers superior value and performance.
Expert Note: The Importance of Local Manufacturing
The ability to manufacture goods locally is crucial for economic stability, national security, and individual freedom. The decline of domestic manufacturing capacity creates vulnerabilities, as seen during crises. Revitalizing these capabilities requires investment in skills, infrastructure, and a willingness to tackle complex supply chain challenges. Supporting businesses that prioritize domestic production contributes to a more resilient and self-reliant economy.
Source: I Tried To Make Something In America (The Smarter Scrubber Experiment) – Smarter Every Day 308 (YouTube)
