Prototype
From first article to a build that repeats.
Working prototypes, small-batch builds and the unglamorous work of making a design reproducible at volume.
Who this is for
- Teams who need something physical in front of a customer or investor
- Products that work on the bench but fail when built in quantity
- Companies moving from a hand-built pilot to a repeatable process
What you get
Assembled and functionally tested prototypes
Design-for-manufacture and design-for-test review
Test fixtures and functional test procedure
Assembly documentation and work instructions
Pilot-run yield and failure analysis
Production handover package
How it runs
What actually happens, in order.
- 01
Buildability review
Before a single board is ordered, we check the design against real assembly constraints — footprints, courtyards, panelisation, test access.
- 02
First article
A small number of units, assembled and brought up. This is where the surprises surface, and where they are cheapest to fix.
- 03
Test development
A functional test that a technician can run without an engineer present, plus the fixture to run it on. This is the step most projects skip and later regret.
- 04
Pilot run
A larger batch built the way production would build it, so yield problems appear before they are expensive.
- 05
Production handover
Documented, repeatable, and transferable — to your factory, to a contract manufacturer, or to a build we manage for you.
Capabilities
The detail, if you want it.
Build
- Quick-turn prototype assembly
- Small and pilot batch builds
- Rework and design iteration
- Cable and harness assembly
- Enclosure integration
- Panelisation and DFA
Validation
- Functional test development
- Test fixture design
- Environmental and stress testing
- Pre-compliance EMC checks
- Yield and failure analysis
- Burn-in procedures
Related work
Medical Devices
A diagnostic front end with a noise floor problem
The measurement worked on the bench and failed in the enclosure.
Read→Consumer Products
A wearable that could not survive its own ramp
The bill of materials worked at 500 units and collapsed at 20,000.
Read→Robotics & Automation
A robot arm whose encoder lied under load
Position was accurate at rest and drifted the moment the motor moved.
Read→How many units counts as a prototype run?
Anything from a handful to a few hundred. Below that we are proving the design works; above it we are proving the process works. Both matter, and they need different attention.
What if the prototype fails?
That is what a prototype is for. We diagnose, document the root cause, and fold the fix into the next revision. A prototype that reveals a problem has done its job.
Can you build with a design we did in-house?
Yes. We start with a buildability review, and we will be direct about anything that will cause trouble in assembly before you spend money on boards.
Do you handle certification?
We design toward the target standard and run pre-compliance checks so the formal test is not a surprise. Accredited testing is done by a certified lab; we prepare for it and support you through it.