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Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast

The Opulo team on taking an open source hardware product from idea to stable production, manufacturing in-house, and shipping thousands of machines worldwide, with interviews from other open hardware makers.

47 episodes · 51 hours · since 2023

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Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast has ended.

Its last episode came out on 14 Nov 2025. The whole back catalogue is still here to explore, every episode with its summary and chapters.

Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast is filed under manufacturing, startups, sales & marketing and hardware. Its most recent episode published on , so it sits in the archive rather than the active listings. Listeners have left 11 ratings on Apple Podcasts, averaging 5 out of 5.

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Where to begin with Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast: full episodes about building physical products, award winners first.

  • · 1h 05m

    Ep. 38 - Taking Prototypes to Production

    Stephen Haus and Lucian Chea Hunt of Opulo discuss the Engineering Validation Test (EVT), Design Validation Test (DVT), and Production Validation Test (PVT) phases of new product introduction. They contrast the rigid, high-stakes processes used at large companies like Form Labs with the compressed, agile workflows possible for smaller teams using in-house 3D printing and tools like the Lumen. The hosts emphasize that while the framework is universal, the execution must adapt to the company's scale, supply chain, and risk tolerance to avoid costly errors like cutting the wrong mold.

    Design for manufacturing & NPIPrototyping & iteration
    6 chapters

  • · 1h 16m

    Ep. 34 - Managing a Print Farm

    Steven Oz and Lucian Cha Park of Opulo discuss managing their 3D printing farm, which produces plastic parts for their Lumen PNP machine. They detail the transition from Prusa Mini printers to a fleet of Bambu Lab P1P units, emphasizing the importance of reliability over open-source flexibility in a commercial setting. The hosts cover critical operational challenges including filament selection, maintenance strategies, slicer standardization, and file management solutions.

    Scaling productionManufacturing partners & offshoring
    8 chapters

  • · 1h 13m

    Ep. 30 - Avoiding Packaging Mistakes

    Lucian Shapira and Stephen Uss of Opulo discuss the complexities of designing packaging for the Lumen PnP 3D printer, emphasizing the need for flexibility to accommodate future product iterations like feeders. They detail their transition from laser-cut foam prototypes to stamped tooling, highlighting the risks of outsourcing and the value of maintaining in-house capabilities. The hosts also cover critical testing methods, such as ISTA drop tests, and the balance between protection, cost, and sustainability in their supply chain.

    Packaging designDesign for manufacturing & NPI
    8 chapters

Hear it in a few minutes

Single discussions from recent episodes, playing the show's own audio from where each begins.

Latest episodes

  • · 1h 10m

    Ep. 46 - Deciding What to Work on Next

    Steven Hawes and Lucy Che Park of Opulo discuss their framework for prioritizing product development, emphasizing that customer interviews and community feedback are the primary inputs for deciding what to build next. They detail how they use the 'Three Machines' model (customer, product, and company) to categorize decisions, such as addressing support tickets, developing new features like wider feeders, or improving operational efficiency. The hosts highlight specific examples, including the decision to integrate community-sourced mods like the V3.1 update and the strategic pivot into the education market after observing unexpected university adoption. They also stress the importance of a clear mission—'helping people manufacture their products'—as a lens to filter out distractions and focus on the lowest-hanging fruit that aligns with their core goals.

    Validation & product-market fitScaling production
    8 chapters

  • · 43m

    Ep. 45 - Advertising

    Stephen Oz and Lucy from Opulo discuss their advertising experiments for the Lumen pick and place machine, highlighting the mismatch between social media ads and long sales cycles. They explain how they shifted focus from direct purchases to awareness and search ads, using exit surveys to track attribution. The hosts detail specific failures with Facebook, LinkedIn, and platform ads on Hackaday, while noting the effectiveness of search ads and event sponsorships in building brand credibility.

    Marketing & brandDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    9 chapters

  • · 49m

    Ep. 44 - Are Degrees Worthwhile?

    Hosts Stephen Hoss and Lucy Chafe Park of Opulo discuss the value of formal engineering degrees versus personal projects and job experience. They argue that while a degree is often a prerequisite for stable engineering roles and provides a safety net, personal projects are critical for demonstrating practical ability and passion, especially for startups. They emphasize that 3-5 years of industry work is the best preparation for launching a hardware company, as it builds necessary networks and stress tolerance.

    Careers & educationValidation & product-market fit
    7 chapters

  • · 44m

    Ep. 43 - Collaboration in Open Source

    Thea Flowers and Lucy from Opulo discuss collaboration models in open source hardware, highlighting projects like the LumenPnP, Arduino, and QMK. They emphasize the importance of documentation, clear expectations, and empowering contributors to take ownership. The conversation covers how community-driven projects like Voron and Ornament & Crime thrive by lowering barriers to entry and celebrating diverse contributions. They also touch on the challenges of managing community tone and the value of transparent decision-making in sustaining long-term engagement.

    Open-source hardwareLeadership, teams & culture
    9 chapters

  • · 1h 09m

    Ep. 42 - Certifications

    Steven Hoss and Lucy Trey Park of Opulo discuss the complex and expensive process of obtaining FCC and CE certifications for the Lumen PMP V4 3D printer. They detail the four main categories of EMC testing—radiated/conducted emissions and immunity—and explain how using pre-certified power supplies and open-source community feedback helped them pass on the first try. The hosts also share practical advice on budgeting, the importance of consulting certification houses early, and the specific marking requirements for different markets.

    Certification & compliancePCB design & layout
    8 chapters

  • · 38m

    Ep. 41 - Surviving the Bus Test

    Lucy Chaparr and Stephen Hawes of Opulo discuss the 'bus test' (or bus factor) and how they survived Lucy's 10-week absence due to a family emergency. They detail the critical role of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in tools like Ohai and Mattermost, which allowed the team to maintain order fulfillment and sourcing. However, they also highlight a failure in build management within their PLM system, which led to inventory discrepancies requiring a massive manual count of 100,000 components.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    6 chapters

  • · 1h 21m

    Ep. 40 - Influential Media

    Hosts Steven Hawes and Thea Flowers of Opulo discuss the books, documentaries, and creators that shaped their engineering and entrepreneurial journeys. They highlight Steven's early inspiration from Everett Bradford's flamethrower and Thea's foundational experience with a NoPix Linux live CD. The conversation covers influential media like the book 'Schiit Happened', Bunnie Huang's 'The Hardware Hacker', and the documentary 'Developing Hell: Launching Hades', drawing parallels between open source hardware development and video game early access models.

    Founder wellbeingValidation & product-market fit
    11 chapters

  • · 1h 21m

    Ep. 39 - Starting a Hardware Company

    Stephen Hawes and Lucian Chapa, founders of Opulo, discuss the realities of starting a hardware company, emphasizing the necessity of accepting failure and overcoming imposter syndrome. They share personal anecdotes about failed projects, such as a 3D scanner and wedding cake toppers, to illustrate that iteration is key. The hosts also detail their strategy for building traction through authentic social media content, specifically YouTube, and the importance of validating product-market fit by engaging directly with early users.

    Starting a product companyValidation & product-market fit
    9 chapters

  • · 1h 12m

    Ep. 37 - Keeping Sales Up

    Lucian Chapar and Stephen Oz of Opulo discuss strategies for maintaining and growing sales for their Lumen pick-and-place machine. They emphasize the importance of identifying customer demographics, using organic social media like YouTube over paid ads, and leveraging analytics to track conversion sources. The hosts also cover the role of professional web design, trade shows, and nurturing existing customers through spotlights and email newsletters.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commerceMarketing & brand
    7 chapters

Every episode

47 episodes with a summary and chapters, by year.

202511 episodes
  1. 14 NovEp. 46Deciding What to Work on Next1h 10m
  2. 2 OctEp. 45Advertising43m
  3. 12 SeptEp. 44Are Degrees Worthwhile?49m
  4. 28 AugEp. 43Collaboration in Open Source44m
  5. 18 JulEp. 42Certifications1h 09m
  6. 19 JunEp. 41Surviving the Bus Test38m
  7. 5 JunEp. 40Influential Media1h 21m
  8. 15 MayEp. 39Starting a Hardware Company1h 21m
  9. 27 FebEp. 38Taking Prototypes to Production1h 05m
  10. 7 FebEp. 37Keeping Sales Up1h 12m
  11. 24 JanEp. 36Keeping Up With Orders1h 10m
202424 episodes
  1. 27 DecEp. 352024 Year-End Review1h 09m
  2. 13 DecEp. 34Managing a Print Farm1h 16m
  3. 21 NovEp. 33Guest: Bar Smith of Maslow CNC1h 28m
  4. 8 NovEp. 32How to Write Documentation1h 15m
  5. 24 OctEp. 31Going to Events1h 07m
  6. 10 OctEp. 30Avoiding Packaging Mistakes1h 13m
  7. 26 SeptEp. 29Managing Customer Support57m
  8. 12 SeptEp. 28Design Decisions1h 16m
  9. 22 AugEp. 27Launch Day1h 02m
  10. 8 AugEp. 26Preparing for a Product Launch - Part 21h 00m
  11. 25 JulEp. 25Preparing for a Product Launch - Part 156m
  12. 11 JulEp. 24Open Hardware Licenses ft. Thea Flowers1h 25m
  13. 27 JunEp. 23Making Money with Open Source Hardware1h 00m
  14. 13 JunEp. 22Pricing Your Product1h 00m
  15. 30 MayEp. 21Incorporating Community Feedback59m
  16. 16 MayEp. 20Leasing a Space1h 31m
  17. 2 MayEp. 19Cost Downs (Reducing Costs in Your Supply Chain)1h 09m
  18. 18 AprEp. 18How to Write a PRD (Product Requirement Document)51m
  19. 28 MarEp. 17Do's and Don'ts of Naming Your Company1h 02m
  20. 14 MarEp. 16Open Hardware with Thea Flowers1h 25m
  21. 29 FebEp. 15Offloading (Making Yourself Obsolete)54m
  22. 15 FebEp. 14Owning Your Data47m
  23. 1 FebEp. 13Hardware Release Cycle1h 06m
  24. 18 JanEp. 12Improving FreeCAD ft. Brad Collette from Ondsel1h 19m
202312 episodes
  1. 21 DecEp. 11Quality Control1h 08m
  2. 7 DecEp. 10Automation Equipment42m
  3. 23 NovEp. 9Time Management57m
  4. 9 NovEp. 8Ryan from V1 Engineering1h 40m
  5. 26 OctEp. 7Buying Stock1h 16m
  6. 12 OctEp. 6Research and Development57m
  7. 28 SeptEp. 5Community Communication1h 16m
  8. 14 SeptEp. 4Launching the Longmill - ft. Chris from Sienci Labs1h 49m
  9. 24 AugEp. 3Tools While Scaling Up; How Much Structure is Too Much?51m
  10. 3 AugEp. 2Sourcing: A Broad Overview1h 03m
  11. 5 JulEp. 0Introducing the OHM Podcast!15m
  12. 5 JulEp. 1The Benefits of Open Source32m

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