Our specialty is helping our customers design and create prototypes of their ideas and inventions. We work with both small, individual inventors and have made prototypes and engineering models for large companies such as Boeing and others.

A prototype can help an inventor prove their idea, concept or new invention is workable by allowing them to test it out. We can help to create a proof of concept prototype to provide functional proof that the invention you have come up with will work. This will not only help you to refine your idea but will give you something to show potential customers and manufacturers to demonstrate that your invention works and does what it claims it does.

We can work with almost anything including an idea in your head, a "napkin" drawing or a 3D CAD design. If you have a rough paper drawing or an idea in your head, we will require CAD models to make your prototype. We will assist you in developing the computer models as part of the prototyping process. This step cannot be skipped because we will want you to see the 3D CAD models and approve them before we start fabricating a physical prototype of your product.

Your Privacy

We have a non-disclosure agreement for you to download, fill out and fax back to us at 866-859-2242. You can, of course, send us your own which we will review, sign and fax back to you. Please be sure to include your fax number so we can send you the executed agreement.

Steps to Getting a Prototype Made (paraphrased from the book Inventing for Dummies)

Design Development

The design development stage can help you to better define your new device of product. Take this time to write down your ideas and sketch your thoughts and designs down so that you can convince yourself that your idea will work. This, in turn, will help you pitch your product to others so that they will understand what you are trying to do. The better you can define what you are trying to do before moving onto the next stages, the better chances are for you to produce an exceptional prototype.

Schematic Design

Once you have completed your basic pre-prototype sketches, the design should be modeled in 3D CAD software (you can draft your design on paper, but manufactures expect CAD models) allowing you to determine a logical, functional manufacturing process.

These 3D models will allow you to demonstrate how a consumer will interact with your product. The schematic design and study model (next step) will help you to get an idea of the size, color and shape of your product.

This step is often just a 3D model of the mechanical aspect of the model to prove that the concept will work as expected. Usually you will worry aesthetics at a later phase in the prototyping process.

Study Model

After you have completed the initial 3D CAD models, a study model is built to demonstrate to you and others that the product you have invented will satisfy a need. Often the mechanical and functional design of the product is modeled. The aesthetics will be around the mechanics of the mechanics.

Design Rendering and Graphic Drawings

Once your study model is complete and you have confirmed through testing that your design works well and has market potential, the aesthetics of the product's design will be modeled.

Once you have come up with the aesthetics for your product, you should survey potential user's opinions before continuing on with the next model. By getting opinions from as many people as you can, you will find what they are looking for in a product like yours. It is much cheaper to change drawings than it is to change models or molds at a later date.

Preproduction Model(s)

A preproduction model will let you put your product into the hands of the consumer so that you can get their opinions about your product before going into full-scale production. It is far cheaper to realize you made an error in your design at this stage then it would be to see the error after having molds and manufacturing process put in place.

Final Preproduction Model

This step may or may not be necessary depending on the success of the preproduction model. If there are slight changes or tweaks that you need to make to the preproduction model, even if they seem minor, you should have a final model made. This will ensure every part in your product works with all of the other parts and serves their intended function.

This is the model you will take to potential licensees and manufacturers.