Check out our growing library of free hardware resources

You might already know that informal is a collective of 300+ top-notch hardware freelancers. Simply put, we love brilliant hardware products and ideas, and we thrive on helping bring them to life. We were literally born out of hardware meetups and we’re super passionate about the community. That’s why we’ve been working on creating a library of freely available resources for the community to tap into. Compiled here are just a few.

The informal Hardware Handbook

The informal Hardware Handbook is packed with a wide array of knowledge divided into four parts, each covering a major phase in your product development cycle:

• The Foundations section covers how to get yourself oriented in the hardware industry, build your team, and set them to the task at hand.
• The Design section helps you make your product into reality by better understanding how to design, manufacture, and package it.
• When it comes time to produce your product, the Manufacturing section helps you better understand your options.
• Finally, your Go-to-Market Strategy can make or break your entire journey. The handbook features a three-part series that walks you through pre-launch, campaign, and post-launch for taking any hardware product to market. 

The CMF-Database – powered by informal

When designing and manufacturing a product, so much thought goes into the color, material, and finish, otherwise known as CMF. Each one of these specifications has to be conveyed in a very particular and specific manner. Our latest offering is the CMF Database. This new tool features a growing number of products you can browse, click on, and view the CMF specs of, all for free. Plus, you can add or suggest products. 

The informal Design Puck

The informal design puck is a tool for understanding and manufacturing injection-molded parts. As puck creator and informal co-founder Sam Holland shares, “A well-designed plastic part is a puzzle that involves deep knowledge of the rules, limitations, and opportunities of injection molding. Sometimes you might think you’ve designed a part successfully, but once it’s been mass produced, there are unexpected results. That’s why I made the informal design puck.” Want one? Let us know and we’ll send you one!

The Mechanical Engineering Cheatsheet from Hardware FYI x informal

We teamed up with Hardware FYI to create the Mechanical Engineering Cheatsheet, a great resource to have at your fingertips when you need quick answers to the most common ME questions.  From keystone equations to the stress-strain curve, this handy cheatsheet is easy to print and keep on hand. 

Be sure to also check out the Hardware Handbook category on our blog to browse and learn about everything from raising venture capital to product design and patents.

Is there a resource you’d like to see us create? Or is there a resource you’d like to create and share? Do you want to collaborate with us? We’d love to hear from you! Drop a line with your thoughts at info@informal.cc.

informal is a freelance collective for the most talented independent professionals in hardware and hardtech. Whether you’re looking for a single contractor, a full-time employee, or an entire team of professionals to work on everything from product development to go-to-market, informal has the perfect collection of people for the job.