How much would it cost to get a simple plastic prototype made?
Fast answer: ~$40–70 depending on volume (SLA printed)There are generally two types of prototypes people need to make:Functional prototypesVisual/tactile prototypesFor functional prototypes, if you need your prototype to have certain physical properties like food safety (oral syringe), optical clarity, or pressure retention you may need to machine or cast it.Otherwise, 3D printing is likely the fastest, cheapest, and most accurate way for you to produce it. 3D prints can now be done in PVC, ABS, PLA, Acrylic, and potentially a range of other plastics. A syringe should cost ~$60 to print, without finishing.3D printing can also be extremely high resolution, and post-processing (polishing, coating, etc.) can result in an extremely high quality finish. To do this yourself, simply work your way from 400 grit wet sandpaper up to around 5000 grit, polishing in a circular pattern where possible.You can also have it finished professionally, which is quite cheap in places like China but can be expensive in the west. Acrylic (SLA) prints are relatively strong for handling by hand but may not be resilient enough for proper use.Cheers
What are some approximate costs for prototyping and manufacturing a small sensor gadget?
For price per unit, you can get a ballpark estimate with the list of components you've already provided. Here are some approximate prices I found/guesstimated via DigiKey Electronics - Electronic Components Distributor* wifi module: ~$4-15 @ quantities of 1-2.5k* bluetooth module: ~$2.50 @ quantity 2k* thermistor for temperature measurement: ~$0.05* humidity sensor: ~$3.00 @ quantity 2.5k* microphone: $0.80That's up to $21.35 so far.You'll probably also need a microcontroller for telling the device what to do. You'll need to pay for a circuit board and for the assembly of the board. It will require an assortment of capacitors, resistors, and so on as support components. Other costs would include the plastic case, various pieces of hardware to hold it together, and labor costs for assembly. What will power the device? That needs to be incorporated into the cost as well.I think that means a per-piece cost of at least $25 at quantities over 1k, not including tooling costs. If you're looking to cut costs, I'd recommend ditching the wifi chip. You could have the device send data to a phone, which would then communicate with the network.Development costs estimated by Jack Thompson and Ryan Gray seem about right to me.Good luck!(edit - found cheaper modules on Digikey)
How would one differentiate between developing a prototype and creating a beta version in software development?
The other replies talk about front end prototypes, but you sometimes prototype back ends too. Maybe you need an API that can handle a lot of traffic, so you'll build a prototype that does some arbitrary operation, and then hit it with several hundred (or several thousand) requests per minute to see how it holds up. You might use prototypes to prove your hardware decisions, or your platform decisions, or your software decisions, or all three.Most developers work locally or on dev servers with minimal traffic and background operations. But production software lives in a different environment. So in applications that expect high traffic or resource-intensive operations it is useful to demonstrate that the technology decisions being made can actually hold up under production-level stress. It's embarrasing to write a program that works beautifully in dev with only 20–30 users but it locks up once you push it out to a production server.I've also written many prototypes in order to prove the specific hardware the program will run on is capable of actually doing the thing required, such as operate under various temperatures, under physical stress, or that sensors or displays can respond in a timely fashion.
Why was the model t invented?
People got tired of traveling so fast on spaceships, airplanes, and railroads, so they invented a much slower means of transportation that would please more consumers. A few years later they invented the horse, and after that, they invented human feet. Hope this helps.
I have an idea for a kids product that is currently on paper. How do I make it into a prototype and get it manufactured?
Lots of people mentioned hiring a designer or going through additive manufacturing, so I won't speak to it here. Instead, depending on your product, I'd also urge you to consider working through a manufacturer.Lots of manufacturers are happy to help you get a prototype as long as you have plans to order through them and manufacture the product. You should make sure that the product you are trying to produce has similar products on the market so that they can easily understand your specs and use them as a reference. For simple, small electronics, clothing, most toys, dolls, etc., you can find a trusted manufacturer to do the prototyping for you. They usually just send it to you and you can make modifications from there.You can try going through MachineMade.io, which regularly goes through this process with manufacturers and can help you through the process.Disclaimer: I co-founded MachineMade.io and I think we have the most painless process around for this kind of stuff.
How do I source a vendor for design and manufacturing of a toy in China?
Thanks for A2A. I am a manufacturing consultant for lots of customers. I have helped lots of companies outsourcing manufacturing to China and manufacturing in China. I do consider myself having sort of authority over this topic.The most difficult part is to identify the supplier. You may refer to the following two articles on how to find a supplier in China for my product and how to manufacture a product in China. Most of these suppliers are private label manufactures who provide OEM services, which means they will produce product according to your request and printing your own logo on them. There are in general three ways of approaching them. Online sourcing, trade show and working with a broker.Online sourcing like on platforms Alibaba or Global source can give you good general information. However it’s bad now due to scams and frauds. Lots of reseller and traders spend lots of money in marketing themselves to you. Be aware of this issue so always arrange a factory audit before you start.Trade show used to be a good approach but now it has a problem with lack of variety. Pretty much every year you see the sample products and suppliers. You may also hire a Chinese interpreter when going to trade show because most vendors don’t speak English.Working with a broker or a sourcing company is recommended for those who don’t have a supply chain support team in China and not feeling comfortable dealing with factories. A good sourcing company can be your supply chain manager. They can for sure also make sure all the standards and rules are met when importing from China. If you are from the U.S., to import from China to US needs to comply with lots of rules so that the customs clearance can go through.Once you have found the supplier, you can arrange a prototype manufacturing. The factory will make the sample until you approved. And later you will go through mass production with them.I hope this is helpful to you.Regards,KaiCEOChina sourcing—China sourcelink
Who are toy designers on Quora?
What kind of toy? Not everything has to be complex and required to be 3D printed... in fact, most toys are better as they are simpler. Crayons are toys. Coloring books are toys. Boxes are toys. Even old shoes are toys. None of these require complex prototyping or the requirement of 3D work. Maybe a better way to prototype is to grab a knife and a hunk of basswood... at least you'll get an idea of how you can simplify your item. Keep in mind that if you place the term "toy" on an item (versus "collectible") then you are going to have to follow CPSC regulations, and even if you exceed those requirements and someone gets hurt you can still be held liable. The warranty on my toys was considered "limited lifetime" which means that I had some exceptions to coverage. These exceptions included being stepped on by an elephant, being submerged in water, being intentionally disassembled, and being thrown out of a vehicle. Well, to make a story short, some young'un threw one of my toys out a car window, and when it hit the ground it broke. Another kiddo came along, picked it up and subsequently got injured with a piece of the toy. I got sued and lost.