Hardware Podcasts

196: Common Gaps Being Ready for Manufacturing

Product Startup · 5 Oct 2023 · 24m

What this episode covers

Laura Teicher, President of Forge, explains how hardware startups often fail in their first manufacturing run due to over-engineering or under-engineering prototypes, assuming contract manufacturers will fix design flaws. She emphasizes the necessity of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) to simplify products and complete rigorous documentation, including Bills of Materials and CAD files, before engaging suppliers. Teicher advises startups to be honest about their readiness level when approaching manufacturers, leveraging Forge’s network of innovation-friendly suppliers to avoid burning relationships with premature or unprepared outreach.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Forge, Mako Design
Also
MakoDesign.com

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Moore's Lobby · 35m

    Ep. 8 | From Prototype to Market: Design for Manufacturability with Untapped Engineering Resources

    Host Dave Finch interviews Dr. Don Kai Shenguan of Untapped Engineering Resources and Mark Hughes of Royal Circuits Solutions about the critical importance of Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT) in electronics. The guests explain how engaging with Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) partners early in the design cycle prevents costly errors, such as single-source component obsolescence or unnecessary complexity like buried vias. They emphasize that modern EMS companies act as design partners, offering value engineering to optimize yield and cost, rather than just executing prints. The discussion highlights the need for young engineers to gain practical board design experience using tools like Altium and Cadence to bridge the gap between academic theory and production reality.

    Design for manufacturing & NPIManufacturing partners & offshoring
    7 chapters

  • The Hardware Entrepreneur · 37m

    #037 - Disrupting with digital manufacturing, with Nick Pinkston of Plethora, USA

    Nick Pinkston, founder and CEO of Plethora, explains how his company automates CNC machining to provide real-time design feedback and instant pricing, aiming to make manufacturing as easy as pizza delivery. He details why hardware startups often fail by not engaging manufacturers early enough to understand cost trade-offs and production constraints. Pinkston also discusses the growth of the San Francisco Hardware Startup Meetup, which he co-founded, and shares lessons on scaling operations, hiring management early, and maintaining organizational culture between factory floor and office staff.

    Design for manufacturing & NPIScaling production
    9 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 10m

    186: Sleeping on the Factory Floor

    Indrek Rebane, CTO of Build It Hardware Accelerator and engineer at Hedgehog Engineering, discusses the realities of building physical products, from garage prototypes to mass production. He explains why Arduino-based prototypes often fail in manufacturing due to cost, reliability, and component availability issues, and emphasizes the importance of user testing and finding product-market fit before scaling. Rebane also shares insights on the Estonian tech ecosystem, the Garage48 Hardware & Arts hackathon, and the critical need for founders to avoid 'stupid money' and focus on making what customers actually want.

    Validation & product-market fitDesign for manufacturing & NPI
    9 chapters

  • Predictable Designs Podcast · 16m

    Top 10 Product Design Mistakes You Must Avoid

    John Teal, founder of Predictable Designs and former Texas Instruments chip designer, outlines ten critical product design mistakes for electronic hardware startups. He covers technical errors such as incorrect RF impedance matching, insufficient PCB trace width for high currents, and poor switching regulator layout, alongside process failures like neglecting Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and delaying cost estimation. Teal emphasizes the importance of independent design reviews and proper via selection to avoid costly prototype iterations and manufacturing issues.

    PCB design & layoutDesign for manufacturing & NPI
    5 chapters

  • Being an Engineer · 51m

    Darragh Hudson | How to Set up A Manufacturing Supply Chain

    Darragh Hudson, founder of KD Product Development, explains how to set up a manufacturing supply chain, emphasizing the need to bridge the gap between industrial design firms and factories. He details the process of vetting suppliers, managing tooling ownership to avoid IP traps, and the critical importance of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) in China. Hudson also discusses the shift toward low-volume high-mix production and the emerging manufacturing ecosystems in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringSourcing & supply chain
    8 chapters

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