Rapid prototyping · small series
How do I get a prototype made?
The useful question is not which process to use. It is what this prototype has to prove. A model that proves it fits, a model that proves it survives, and a model that proves someone will buy it are three different objects, and building the wrong one is the most common way prototyping money disappears.
What is rapid prototyping?
Making a physical version of a design quickly enough that you learn something before committing to production. The value is in the learning, not in the object — which is why the first question is always what you are trying to find out, and the second is the cheapest way to find it out.
One question per prototype
What are you actually trying to prove?
Each of these is a different build with a different budget. Trying to answer all four with one object usually answers none of them well.
| What you need to know | What the prototype must be | What it may skip |
|---|---|---|
| Does it fit? | Dimensionally accurate | Strength, finish, material |
| Does it work? | Functional, right mechanism | Appearance, final material |
| Will it survive? | Correct material and process | Cosmetic finish |
| Will people want it? | Looks and feels like the product | Internal engineering |
Who can help you make a prototype
That depends on where your idea currently lives. If it is a drawing or a description, the first step is modelling, not manufacturing. If you have a file, the step is choosing a process. If you have a working prototype and need forty of them, the step is a production route — which may well not be printing.
Iterations are the point
A first prototype that is wrong is not a failure; it is the cheapest information you will buy in the whole project. Budget for at least two rounds. A single perfect prototype is usually a sign that the questions were too easy or the answers were not really tested.
When to stop printing
Printing wins on one-offs, complexity, quick change and low volume. It loses on high volumes of simple shapes, on parts that need certified material properties, and on parts where the surface finish is the product. When your quantities cross that line, injection moulding, machining or sheet metal is the better answer and we will say so rather than quoting a print run.
From prototype to small series
The step between 'it works' and 'we make forty' is not just quantity. It brings in repeatability, per-unit inspection, documentation and what happens when one comes back faulty. Once a prototype is accepted, the file, version, material route and agreed checks become the basis for a run — each one re-confirmed rather than assumed.
Quoted separately and confirmed in writing before anything starts. An enquiry becomes an order once application, scope, price, schedule and responsibility are agreed.
Frequently asked questions about prototype manufacturing
How do I get a prototype made?
Start by describing what the prototype has to prove, not which process you want. From there the route is modelling, process choice, build and evaluation — and the proposal states where the first round ends.
How much does it cost to get a prototype made?
It depends on what it has to prove. A fit-check part is a contained job; a functional prototype in a specified material with a finished surface is a different order of work. The quote separates modelling, production and finishing so the trade-offs are visible.
Who can help me make a prototype?
For a physical product that needs designing as well as making, a studio that does both is usually the shorter path than commissioning a designer and a manufacturer separately.
How many prototypes will I need?
Plan for at least two rounds. The first tells you what you did not know; the second tests whether the fix worked.
Do I need a patent before showing a prototype?
That is a legal question worth asking before you show it publicly, and a confidentiality agreement can be put in place around the work. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can the prototype become the product?
Sometimes, at low volumes. More often the prototype proves the design and a different process makes the production version — which is a success, not a setback.
From a file, a part or an idea to a quote that holds.
Describe what the part has to do, what you already have, how many you need and when. We confirm the missing requirements first and make a proposal after that.