When you think you’ve designed the perfect product, you’ll want to get a patent for it. One of the best ways to ensure that you get the patent is to have a prototype made. It’s also going to be a good way to make sure that you have a working product. Not only that but when you want to get a loan to start production you will have something solid to present to the bank with the loan application or get investors interested.
If your product needs moving parts like Linear Actuators or you have to do 3D printing to make it then it is really important to have something that people can see will work. It shows not only that the product works, but it was thought through and can solve a problem that people have.
In this article, we will go over what it takes to make a prototype step by step so you can make the perfect version of your product.
Sketch it out
Having a rough sketch of how you want the product to look is a good first step. The very first draft doesn’t need to be very detailed, it just needs to get the idea across. The idea is that it should be immediately apparent what the product is and what it does at first glance by a non interested party.
That first draft might not even be the right version. You should be putting these things down on paper as soon as the ideas come to you so you have a written record of what it is that you are thinking at the time. Even a brilliant idea can be forgotten.
At some point you should go through the sketches and pick the ones that look like they could be winners and have the most fleshed out ideas. Settle on a few and then draw up some detailed sketches that do show more of how the fully fleshed out product could look.
Develop a virtual prototype
Take your sketch and get it put up onto a digital platform. Usually, inventors or engineers will use Autocad to do this so if you don’t already know how to use it, take some courses. This is the best way to make a hand drawn sketch look like the real thing at least virtually.
A CAD drawing will give you a complete 3D experience that shows every part and phase of the construction of the product. You’ll be able to rotate to see every angle and even how it works when it is operating.
Find a manufacturer
Now that you have a rendered virtual prototype it is time to have it built. Look for manufacturers that deal with the types of products that can do one or a series of products without needing to put in a big order.
There are manufacturers that will produce and even test the product in various phases of production. This is essential for getting a product that can attract investors and will likely lead to a patent.