Essay Example on How to Take Your Idea from Prototype to Production

This means the traces should be well optimized to handle the expected currents Wireless products often have the antennas incorporated on the board I normally hire someone to create the PCB antenna design for me it takes experience before you can perfect this skill which I currently don't have If the PCB is finished it s time to have the board manufactured PCBs have become very cheap nowadays you can have 10 pieces built for only 2 I highly suggest JLPCB or Seeedstudio for PCB production The production time for the boards depends on the quantity and your location JLPCB located in China finishes 10 boards in 48 hours which they then ship through DHL Seeedstudio s price for 10 boards is 4 9 and they need at least three days to finish their boards The advantage of Seeedstudio is they also have 3D printing services which you could also use for prototyping Also you can have them assemble the prototype for you provided you give them the tools When the PCB is finished and the product is assembled the next step is testing and debugging This is a critical part because you don't want to mass produce a malfunctioning product All bugs must be accounted for both hardware and software It would be very hard to correct flaws when the product is already in the hands of the consumer OK so your prototype s quality is ensured 

It's now time to hit mass production You ll need a factory to create your product for you Most factories have different Minimum Order Quantities MOQ Naturally choosing the correct factory is essential for your business Factories will give you a quote based on your MOQ the higher the MOQ the lesser the cost but the longer the production time Most would allow you to negotiate with them so make sure you have your convincing powers maxed before proceeding It is very important to get to know the factory you will be hiring This is very important especially if your company is just starting If your product is destined to hit retail stores good packaging is very important Packaging not only protects your product it also helps sell it In fact designing the package eats a huge part of the total production cost You need to take packaging really seriously Next thing to consider is the shipping cost You will need to pay to move your product from the factory to somewhere else no matter what A typical shipping budget is from 1000 to 5000 Storage is also another thing that could cost you If you have a large enough garage then great if not you have the pay a storage company to keep your product Other costs to consider are your product s website if there is bookkeeping services trade shows etc These costs are not necessary though and can be avoided if your sales are low When your product is already in stores then congratulations Not all get to see their idea being sold and make money If your product is still on paper then ask yourself this will people need this If you are really convinced it will then act now