Product Prototype Development Services

What are Product Prototype
Development Services?

Prototyping is the agile process of building an iteration of a product to measure customer feedback and learn how to best optimize and improve the product to help ensure business success.

Let’s think about our own purchasing experience – the way we compare and validate products to determine what’s right for us. We often gravitate to products that simply look great and then judge the quality based on touch, feel, weight, and how easy it is to use. Knowing this, inventors need to apply the same logic to their own products to deliver the best possible experience for their customers. From broader decisions like how fast the product functions to the finer details like exterior material, business success is not solely determined by what you think is right. It’s determined by the voices of your customers.

Prototyping Development Services

MAKO’s end-to-end prototyping capabilities include the following services below and more. Have a question about these services? Feel free to contact us with your prototyping inquiries.

• Additive manufacturing
• Short-run manufacturing
• Mock-up prototypes
• Concept prototypes
• Cosmetic prototypes
• Feasibility prototypes
• PCB and electronic prototypes

1. 3D CONCEPT CAD DESIGN

CAD / RENDERINGS

The CAD design phase is taking the refined sketch from above and then using state-of-the-art 3D CAD software to build the initial conceptual CAD design of your product. Even though this is just conceptual at this point, at MAKO, we start the building of these models with full manufacturing-grade top-of-the-line software such as Solidworks Premier or Fusion360. This requires more technical expertise; however, it makes the design and engineering process far smoother, and far easier to jump into manufacturing (and creates far more product value in the design along the way). Also, we’ve curated a library of components and experience from over 1,000 product designs, all developed in-house, so we’re extremely efficient and effective at 3D CAD Design as it is the key part of the mechanical and electrical engineering services process.

2. SIMULATION ANALYSIS

ASSESS / OPTIMIZE

The question we’re trying to answer here is: “Can we make it better and more cost-efficient?” This phase is all about identifying the limitations and improvement opportunities through rigorous 3D virtual simulations of the product in various static and dynamic settings. For electrical engineers, they can simulate the type of wiring, voltage, and heat output depending on how much electricity is required to power the component or device. Identifying these critical electrical engineering elements is the key to building functional prototypes, reliable manufacturing runs, and getting your ideal version of the product in your customers’ hands.

3. PROTOTYPING

BUILD / MEASURE / LEARN

The purpose of the CAD is to confirm that the product design is feasible and functional from a virtual perspective. The product prototyping phase gives you the opportunity to hold and use a tangible product to learn how the product looks and functions in the real world. Prototyping also gives you the opportunity to refine and perfect the final design to minimize costs and risks before going to full production. Whether it’s iterative, parallel, rapid prototyping, or our very own Smart MVP process, our prototyping processes are designed to help ensure you’re ready for user testing, investment pitches, crowdfunding, and everything in between.

SMART MVP

Want to get to the core of what your customers really want? That’s what the minimum viable product (MVP) is for. Minimize unnecessary time wasted, costs, and work by focusing on a prototype that functions well without any of the distracting bells and whistles. Simplicity is key here because the sole purpose of building an MVP is to get valuable feedback from early adopters. Thus, the MVP is the cornerstone of our iterative product development services process – the building blocks of making the best possible iteration of the invention. And thanks to advancements in our industry like 3D printing, manufacturing the MVP can be done locally plus more affordably and quicker than ever before.

RAPID PROTOTYPES

The advantages of rapid prototyping explained below highlight the reasons why quick is sometimes better than complicated. When you need to learn about how a specific aspect of your invention performs in the real world and you needed it yesterday, rapid prototypes are the way to go. For example, we can craft specialized components to quickly learn how well it fits the product and if it improves functionality. Rapid prototypes are especially important to help mitigate risks, ensure feasibility, and for comparative performance analysis.

HIGH-FIDELITY PROTOTYPES

High-fidelity prototypes are especially useful for when you’re nearing launch and finalizing the last details of the product prior to manufacturing. Using Production-level cosmetic prototypes, inventors can showcase beautiful shots of their product on their marketing channels to excite their audience well before launch. Those in search of the right investors will often sell near-final prototypes of their invention to prove that the product has traction in the market.

OPTION 1:
CONTINUE DEVELOPMENT
TO MANUFACTURING

The way most new inventions become successful products is to get to manufacturing and selling products. Once engineering is done, MAKO Design can complete the prototyping and manufacturing of your invention for you. We are a one-stop-shop from sketch to production then to sales. Half of our products are physical inventions, the other half are electronics products. Either way, we’re a full-stack in-house development firm. Below is a full list of all steps to get your product to production and then get your product out to market buyers!

OPTION 2:
LICENSE YOUR PRODUCT
TO A BRAND

Some inventors just want to get their product designed to a point where they can then license their invention idea to an existing product brand. Either way you go, completing world-class product design is a critical first step. If looking to license directly after design, MAKO would then set you up with a patent attorney so you can protect your IP before pitching your idea to licensors. Keep in mind that the further you develop your product, the higher the probability of licensing, so you may want to have MAKO engineer and/or prototype your design before you start pitching to get a licensing deal.

OPTION 3:
RAISE INVESTMENT TO
CONTINUE DEVELOPMENT

Raising money is a very normal part of getting a hardware product off the ground, and with MAKO’s help, anyone can do it! In fact, half of MAKO’s clients don’t start with enough funds to complete development and manufacturing. First and foremost, before raising any money, even from friends and family, it is essential that you complete at least the product design portion yourself. Even then, the further you push into engineering and especially prototyping, the better you look to investors, the more money you can raise, and the less equity you will have to give away.

1. PRODUCT DESIGN

This includes industrial design. This is the first and most important step in the product development process. This is the foundation of all product development to come, so is critically important to have it done right.

2. ENGINEERING

Mechanical engineering services and electrical engineering services (for those products with electronics) are the detailed work on the CAD to ensure that all components of the product design work cohesively, reliably, and predictably.

3. PROTOTYPING

This is the current phase! Before the product reaches the market, it’s important to test the form and functionality with a prototype. Prototypes are also a great way to generate traction for marketing, pre-sales, crowdfunding, and financing initiatives.

4. PATENTING

We have preferred connections and pricing with a network of patent attorneys to help our clients with all things related to IP (Intellectual Property) protection. Our clients get quality patenting work, affordably through our network of US and Canadian patent attorneys.

5. MANUFACTURING

Once the prototyping and engineering are complete, tested, and refined, the product is ready to move to production. This may happen after preselling through crowdfunding, or before selling if you choose to sell direct to buyers once you have inventory in stock.

6. SELLING

MAKO Design has many connections to help our clients launch and sell products. There are three main options: Pre-selling through crowdfunding, bulk order sales directly to wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and/or direct to the end-customer.