Manufacturing questions

Let’s cut to the chase. If you want to manufacture something then seek professional engineering and manufacturing advice as soon as you can.

If you ask a contract manufacturer to do something they will do it, and do it well. The question is, what do you want them to do.

In the transition from prototype to batches to mass manufacture ask yourselves questions like the following.

• Given the likely sale price, what amount can be used for manufacturing?
• How many steps are in the manufacturing process – can this be reduced?
• What alternate manufacturing techniques can you use?
• If you are looking at manufacturing overseas to save costs, how do you plan to protect your IP?
• What surface finish do you require? Eg. Think of not only the look, but the durability – how will it look in a couple of years.
• What characteristics are required of your products. E.g. do your plastics need to be UV resistant?
• Do materials used achieve legal requirements? (e.g. flammability, resistance to shattering, child safe, release of volatile organic compounds, etc.)
• What is the life cycle of your product?
• Are all your components sub-millimetre accurate?
• Do all your components fit when assembled.
• How easy is it for someone to assemble your product?
• How easy is it for someone to access the innards and maintain your product?
• What are the tooling costs for a process and how many units do you need to produce to achieve your desired unit costs?
• What are the lead times for the manufacture of various components?
• What guarantees of on-time delivery does the manufacturer offer?
• What quality control do they put in place? Do you need independent testing and verification?

Contract manufacturers do a great job. It is up to you to make sure that you know what it is you want to do first and specify that. Your manufacturer may help you through the decision making process, but don’t rely on it.