How To Get a Prototype for Your Invention: Product Design Files You Need?

One of the biggest stages of your product’s development is prototyping. It is one of the landmark phases that showcases the reality of where you stand as an inventor with the ideas you have tried to develop. But is this stage just a mere wish?

No, it isn’t. As a matter of fact, it brings with it a certain level of caution and clarity that you need as a business person. First, it helps you to identify the lapses in your ideas and propels you to find a way to finetune them for final production. But ultimately, it gives you a certain level of confidence in the success of your invention.

However, many inventors do not know how much does it cost to have a prototype made. And that is what this piece seeks to address. So get ready to understand the necessary details you need to facilitate a prototype being made for your invention.

How To Get a Prototype For Your Invention

When you think of getting the cost of prototyping a product, you might be tempted to focus on the actual prices that are brought forward by people who can build a prototype of my invention. But it does not always work like that. There are many other details involved.

Is the actual cost to make a prototype important? Definitely! And rightly so.

Ideally, a prototype that contains electronics and needs to be programmed often costs anywhere between $5,000 and $50,000. The high end of the range could even be in the hundreds of thousands in this case. For a mobile app prototype, though, that should cost anywhere between $800 and $8,000, depending on the number of screens that need to be designed, the complexity of the layout, and the quality of the design you want

Apart from the cost of making a prototype, much more worthy of note are important product design files that are integral to the production of the model itself. And some of these key files are discussed below in this article. But first, why are they so important?

They are important because your designer and engineer must be fully aware of the nuances of your invention’s production. These files would instruct their minds to take into account the methods to best use in approaching your product design and mass production at the final stage of things.

Thus, here are the necessary files you should get ready when you have met who can build a prototype of my invention.

• 3D CAD Model

CAD means computer-aided design. And this type of modeling is used by many designers to create elaborate computerized models of objects before they are physically produced. And the idea of these three-dimensional cross-sections is to show every detail of the product in great depth.

In some illustrations and presentations, some models are even animated. And the aim is to show you the real-time functionality and components of the product. This is especially if you work in the automotive, aerospace, prosthetic, and artistic design spaces.

The 3D CAD model is usually used for prototyping during the 3D printing phase. Its usefulness triggers a full-on mass production later when flaws have been detected and finetuned.

• 2D Drawings

Generally, two-dimensional art refers to any form of visual art that exists in two dimensions. 2D art pieces can include drawings, paintings, prints, and photographs. And they are usually different from artworks like sculptures which fall under 3D pieces instead.

Here, this file would include drawings and sketches of the product with appropriate dimensions. The file typically shows the shape of the invention when viewed from various standard directions, such as front, top, side, and so on.

• Bill of Materials

A Bill of materials is an extensive list of raw materials, components, and instructions required to construct, manufacture, or repair a product or service. It is a straightforward document that usually comes in a hierarchical format. The topmost level reveals the finished product, and the lower parts show the many separate parts that are the raw materials.

This file gives a more detailed breakdown of the cost of prototyping a product. It shows highlights of the materials needed to manufacture a product. It also shows to assemble the invention itself.

• Other Specifications

Some other specifications in your product design files could include the color, form, fonts, shapes, and, basically, other nuances involved in the right production of your product.

Hottest Questions About How to Get a Prototype for Your Invention

Check out the most asked questions about getting a prototype for your business.

Conclusion

This article is the end to your wonder of how much does it cost to have a prototype made. You now know what you need and the estimated cost to complete your prototyping. And the fact remains that it is always worth the cost!

LA NPDT is an organization with the sole aim of giving you leverage in the market using stellar product development. We are made up of professionals on top of their game in different spaces, ready to attend to you with the best service.

A few of the ventures we take on excellently at LA NPDT are building prototypes, CAD models and PCB circuits, and more. Reach out to us today through lanpdt.com or call directly at 318-243-5789.