HN Explorer

Ask HN: Going from Prototype to Production?

1 points by hopefulhacker ↗ HN
tl;dr - wood prototype, submitting to Kickstarter, clueless about production

I was inspired to create an iPad accessory - a twist on a stand.

The stand serves a specific niche and works well when using the iPad for a few popular games. I'm not an experienced entrepreneur, but I think it is the kind of product that could make a splash.

I have a prototype, with most of the rough edges fixed, built out of wood. The labor involved probably wouldn't be worth duplicating just for the feel of wood versus plastic or metal.

Researching similar projects, most of the teams are much further along than I am in terms of factory relationships and design. I'm not a team, just a guy with a weekend project.

Where do In start if I want something produced? Would I need someone to make 3D drawings of the stand? Are there factories a person can just contact and to get something molded and duplicated?

I'd like to show something besides my wooden model but have hit a few walls. Googling turned up a lot of resources aimed at real mass production and large scale sourcing from China. All for budgets well over what I have.

Any ideas or suggestions would be great. I'm excited but totally out of my element.

2 comments

[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 13.4 ms ] thread
retroafroman
To get something manufactured (small or large scale, doesn't matter), at the very least you'll need to have detailed drawings and specifications. I suggest you have someone who knows what a manufacturing drawing should look like do it, or at least help and provide insight. Depending on how willing the shop is to work with you, they may suggest or plan the manufacturing processes, but many job shops will ask you what process they should use. Material selection is also important-'plastic' or 'metal' or even 'wood' is not descriptive enough. Should it be HDPE (which resin from which company?), 1060 aluminum, pine, etc.?

If you want a few professionally made prototypes, you may be able to find a small job shop (i.e. machinist, metal fabricator, etc) locally that will bill you by the hour and make a few. Set up fees and hourly rates can be high, but the work should show it. You may be able to find someone to help you with selecting the material, processes, etc. If you want to jump straight to possible mass production, you'll have to make sure you know exactly what you want and have drawings that show it. From there, you'll request quotes from various manufacturers and select one to do the work.

I've done manufacturing drawings, and actually studied manufacturing in college. Feel free to contact me (email in profile) if you want more insight, CAD help, etc.

hopefulhacker
Excellent. Thanks.

I know I've got a lot to figure out, but I just hit a wall.

Having never done something like this I'll take all the advice I can get!