Hardware Podcasts

223: Mechanical Prototype Parts vs. Pre-Production Parts for Plastic Inventions

Product Startup · 26 Apr 2024 · 17m

What this episode covers

Tim Uys, Director of Design at MAKO Design + Invent, explains the critical differences between mechanical and pre-production prototypes for plastic hardware. He details how mechanical prototypes validate function and material strength, while pre-production prototypes apply specific manufacturing constraints like draft angles for injection molding. Uys warns that skipping these stages or adding feature creep exponentially increases costs, advising startups to keep initial features minimal to ensure a robust path to mass production.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
MAKO Design + Invent, Dell, Nike Golf, Qualcomm, IRONMAN
Also
Tim Uys, Kevin Mako

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