How do you find someone to manufacture a product in small quantities?

Take a look at the January 25, 2010 issue of WIRED magazine. Has to do with the new industrial revolution. Article by Chris Anderson, author of FREE and The Long Tail.

This is a GREAT question. One that we should focus a whole episode on. Being a mechanical engineer by education, I have seen prototyping technologies become more and more affordable. Things like SLA, SLS, PolyJet, FDM, Erethane Casting, Metal Casting and CNC are all examples of ways to make parts in just a few days, but are more expensive per piece to make. Typically you create a 3D rendering using CAD software and upload the part to a prototyping machine that in many cases will "make" the part with a laser, modified inkjet or even paper pulp. The parts can be plastic, rubber, even metal. These techniques are typically used to make the prototype for showing at a trade show, or can be used for functional testing, but typically can be more brittle than normal ABS plastic (for example) so you don't want to be to rough with them.

Another way to go is to contact a machine shop. In many cases you just want to make parts for functional testing. You can use wood, metal, or some cheaper forms of plastic forming. Take the Porch Potty for example. I could have made the plastic part with "Injection Molding" tooling (around $50,000 - $80,000), or have a mold made of resin to be used in vaccuum forming method (has some limitations) for around $2000. That is great savings. I called around. I found some plastic molding companies and asked them how they could make it cheaper. They ALWAYS have good ideas. Ask as many questions as you can. Take a drawing with you and meet with them. They will walk you through the plant and show you parts that they have made in the past. What a learning experience you will get!!

Bending sheet metal is cheap and can be done one at a time. CNC (a computer controlled drilling bit) can carve a block of plastic or even metal in just a few hours.

The bottom line is prototyping is so important that it deserves the extra time and money. But just be smart about it. Don't buy tooling until you are absolutely sure your latest prototype is the one.

One more comment: I suggest using local companies to do your prototyping. The brainstorming and visual learning experience is something you can't do well over seas. It is just not possible. Once you have a working prototype, you will have a better experience with working over seas.

If you have an electronics part (printed circuit board), there are plenty of PCB factories that will do 10 units at a time for you. They will be a 10 - 20 dollars a piece, but that is much cheaper than setting up tooling for a factory run.

I like the video that drspix pointed to in WIRED magazine. Go check that out. It talks about using Alibaba.com which is a great resource, but all the factories are in china. So take that into consideration.

-Brandon

PS. I will update this post later with links to all the technologies I listed here. But I need time to do that. So check back.