Hardware Podcasts

Transition from Prototype to Mass Manufacturing with Scott Miller of Dragon Innovation

Predictable Designs Podcast · 12 Mar 2020 · 1h 05m · Episode 11

What this episode covers

Scott Miller, founder and CEO of Dragon Innovation, discusses the critical transition from prototype to mass manufacturing, drawing on his experience helping companies like Pebble and Ring. He details the strategic acquisition of Dragon by Avnet, the importance of selecting the right factory tier, and specific design for manufacturing (DFM) tips such as draft angles and part count reduction. Miller also shares insights on fundraising, contrasting angel investors with VCs and noting the diminishing weight of crowdfunding as a validation signal.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Dragon Innovation, Avnet, Bolt, Hackster, iRobot, Formlabs, DropCam, Olin College of Engineering, Hardware Academy
Products
Pebble, Ring, Sphero, Maker Bot

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Builder Circle · 55m

    S2 E4: Scaling up Manufacturing with Scott Miller

    Scott Miller, a hardware veteran with experience at iRobot, explains the strategic progression of manufacturing techniques, specifically focusing on the transition to injection molding. He details the economic crossover points, design for manufacturability (DFM) rules like draft angles and wall thickness, and the importance of engaging tooling shops early. The discussion covers various scaling methods including CNC, rubber molding, and other processes like die casting and rotomolding, while highlighting specific failure modes such as static discharge in the Roomba.

    Design for manufacturing & NPIScaling production
    8 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 31m

    An Interview with Scott Miller - Sudden SinoAmerican Synthesis

    Scott Miller, founder of Dragon Innovation, explains how his company helps startups navigate high-volume manufacturing in China, drawing on his experience building Roombas and Scuba robots at iRobot. He details the critical importance of having a physical presence in Shenzhen, managing supply chain risks like counterfeit components, and protecting intellectual property through measures like signed ICs and bootloaders. Miller also discusses the specific challenges of crowdfunding, where entrepreneurs often fail to account for tooling and compliance costs, and outlines Dragon's retainer-based business model for guiding clients from prototype to production.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringIntellectual property
    13 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 04m

    An Interview with Scott Miller (2nd)

    Scott Miller of Dragon Innovation, now a subsidiary of Avnet, discusses the company's evolution from a startup to an enterprise-level 'product as a service' provider. He details how Dragon helps non-traditional customers, such as avocado growers, navigate hardware development by leveraging Avnet's global resources and supply chain data. Miller emphasizes the importance of early BOM health assessments to mitigate risks like long lead times for components like multi-layer ceramic capacitors, and explains how the 'fish on the plate' model shifts financial responsibility for obsolescence to the provider.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringSourcing & supply chain
    10 chapters

  • The Hardware Entrepreneur · 36m

    #032 - Why manufacturing in USA vs China is becoming interesting, with Scott N. Miller of Dragon Innovation, USA

    Scott N. Miller, co-founder and CEO of Dragon Innovation, discusses the shifting landscape of manufacturing between the US and China, highlighting how rising Chinese labor costs and the rise of crowdfunding are making US production viable for lower-volume hardware startups. He details Dragon Innovation's new software tool, Product Planner, designed to help hardware companies manage bills of materials and unit economics, and announces a partnership with Kickstarter and Avnet called Hardware Studio to support creators. Miller also shares a critical failure story from his time at iRobot involving the first 15,000 Roombas, where a design flaw caused optical encoders to fail due to rubber dust, illustrating the importance of testing and quality control.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringPricing, margins & unit economics
    8 chapters

  • The Builder Circle · 1h 14m

    S1 E4: Cracking the Code of Hardware Manufacturing with Scott Miller

    Scott Miller, a hardware expert who worked on the early Roomba program and Dragon Innovation, explains how startups should navigate manufacturing decisions, emphasizing that the first 100 units should be built in-house to capture domain knowledge before outsourcing. He advises startups to target tier-two or tier-three contract manufacturers, use dual-sourcing for leverage at $50 million in business, and treat factories as partners by sharing founder bios and VC backing to mitigate their risk. Miller also details the importance of robust Manufacturing Service Agreements (MSAs), lifecycle testing, and quality assurance to avoid catastrophic field failures like the Roomba's early optical encoder dust issue.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringQuality & yield
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Predictable Designs Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.