5 Helpful Tips for Making a Prototype
Having a great idea is the first step to launching a product, but there’s a considerable road between a seed and the market shelves. One of the most fundamental steps is prototyping and testing, without which you’re more likely to manufacture a defunct product and face higher costs, and a lack of reputation. Throughout this article, we’ll help you navigate the prototype process with five helpful tips.
Hire an Intellectual Property Lawyer
Whether you use intellectual property (IP) lawyers or patent attorneys, you will need legal advice to make sure your product belongs to you. As well as securing your patent, an IP lawyer will help you navigate business regulations and often hook you up with investors during the teething stages of your company.
Outsourcing Can Reduce Costs
Manufacturing your prototype independently can be extremely expensive, which is why you should outsource the task to an external company. For example, rapid tooling will increase manufacturing speeds while keeping the costs significantly lower. As well as a faster process, outsourcing your prototyping will give you access to a range of different equipment that would have left your coffers empty as a result of purchasing.
Find Efficient Methods of 3D Rendering
There are plenty of semi-reasonably priced computers and laptops on the market, including the CyberPowerPC Supreme, which is perfectly capable of rendering in 3D. You don’t need to own a 3D printer to create a prototype model. Instead, you can create a digital prototype and test it to see if it works. This can save a considerable amount of money when compared to creating a physical model.
Have Third Parties Sign Non-Disclosures
Designing a product and bringing it to market is impossible without external help. Therefore, you should have your IP lawyer draft up a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which you should have third parties sign before handing over any details. With an NDA in place, they’re bound by law to keep any information they learn to themselves. If they breach an NDA, you will be well within your rights to sue them for hefty damages.
Protect Your Intellectual Property
Unfortunately, whether you have NDA disclosures or not, some third-party businesses won’t respect your product’s secrecy. Therefore, you should only use trusted partners and practice vigilance throughout. If you’re careless, you may wake up one morning to find your product available online under a different manufacturer. If this happens, you will have flushed months of hard work down the drain. However, as long as you’ve got your patent in place, you can sue for significant damages and have a strong chance of winning – just one more reason to have an IP lawyer on the books.
After coming up with a product idea, planning the journey, and securing the correct support network, you’ll need to put your product through prototyping and testing. This process will help to find any errors and refine your idea. The tips above will help you safeguard your IP and save money throughout the prototyping process.