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Why Build A Demonstrable Proof Of Concept Prototype

October 30 2012  |   Cliff  |  All Posts, Business Tips, Crowdfunding, Product Development, Prototyping  |  Comment

Joe Donoghue, San Diego Prototyping, Patents & Prototypes, Live Web Show, Product Development, Engineering Services, Manufacturing, Entrepreneurial Product DevelopmentWhether you are a Fortune 100 company or a first time inventor / entrepreneur / startup, the proof of concept prototype is integral to successful product development which includes the costly design, build, and test/qualify phase with multiple prototypes. Creating a large number of expensive prototypes prior to proving “it works” is unfortunately a common pitfall and results in significant cost and schedule overruns or project cancellation. More than 70% of the cost along with highest burn rate ($/time) of project dollars will be in the design and prototyping cycle. You cannot be inventing and/or requiring breakthroughs during this phase. This should be an execution phase not an investigation phase!

Raising Capital Requires A Wow Factor

Along with a solid marketing and sales plan, a solid product demo is a must for most projects going forward. This is particularly true for those incorporating crowdfunding strategies like those offered by Kickstarter or Indiegogo. A proof of concept that has all the critical form and function is significant to inspiring your investors.  Your typical investor likes to be wowed and a demonstrable proof of concept has a huge impact on their opinion of your abilities with their money. Be careful to avoid trying to create the final product with all the features, industrial design, etc. The objective here is to create a quality demo leveraging the proof of concept. Folks that know what they’re doing aren’t looking for a finished product at this stage. It is acceptable to have electronics outside the product, using a laptop to help with performance and stereolith/caste mechanical parts at this stage.

Along with the major feasibility proofing and the “dog-and-pony” opportunities the POC provides additional validation to all aspects of the value proposition and cost structure. Marketing, sales, manufacturing, finance, and R&D are able to validate and improve upon the plans and activities going forward based on the learnings achieved with the POC. 

Have questions about your proof of concept? Contact Us, we would be happy to help.

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What is a Production Prototype?

September 27 2011  |   leardonsolutions  |  All Posts, Prototyping  |  Comment

Joe Donoghue, San Diego Prototyping, Patents & Prototypes, Live Web Show, Product Development, Engineering Services, Manufacturing, Entrepreneurial Product DevelopmentIf you are reading this post, you probably understand the basics of prototyping early in the product development lifecycle. In past posts on prototyping, we have discussed the Proof-of-Concept Prototype and the Design Prototype (also referred to as the Form/Fit/Function Prototype) as the first two phases of prototypes in world-class product development. Let’s define these two prototypes again as a refresher:

Proof-of-Concept Prototype: First phase of a product prototype that bears little resemblance to the final product but is used to validate of the idea and prove feasibility. A Proof-of-Concept Prototype is also used for obtaining intellectual property and to show to investors for raising money.

Design Prototype: Second phase of a product prototype that has the functional and aesthetic properties of the final product and is produced using quick fabrication methods. A design prototype is used to work out the final design and manufacturing details and to receive feedback from distributors, buyers, and retailers.

Note that these first two prototype stages are meant to prepare the product for production but that no production tooling or final products using the final manufacturing processes have been built or qualified. The picture below shows the proof-of-concept (POC) and design prototype for the Emada Cigar Clip, a product that is used by golfers and boat enthusiasts to hold their cigars. The POC prototype was constructed using an off-the-shelf plastic wire clip attached to a flat metal plate and an off-the-shelf magnet. The Design (Form/Fit/Function) Prototype was designed to the specifications required of the Emada and machined out of nylon to meet the functional and aesthetic requirements. These two prototypes were used to prove the concept, qualify the design, and verify it was acceptable for the existing market. This was required to prepare for the next phase of prototyping. The inventing blog Ideas Uploaded provides some other great examples of Proof-of-Concept Prototypes in the post How Inventors make Prototypes.

Emada Cigar Clip Proof of Concept and Design Prototypes

There is a third and final prototype stage that fills the gap between prototyping and full scale manufacturing. This is referred to as the Production Prototype.

Production Prototype: The third phase of prototype that is fabricated using the final production design and manufacturing methods. A Production Prototype is used to qualify manufacturing processes and to receive feedback from distributors, buyers, customers, and retailers.

The Production Prototype for the Emada Cigar Clip in different materials is shown below. Due to the expectations of large production volumes of this product, it was necessary to produce a two-cavity hardened steel tool for plastic injection molding. Once the tool was complete, the engineering team at Leardon Solutions approved the tool by performing first article inspection (FAI) and determining the process capability (Cpk) of the molding process. To determine the proper material to be used in the final product, three materials were molded including nylon, POM (polyoxymethylene), and PP (polypropylene). All three materials were tested but only the nylon was qualified as acceptable for use in the expected environment.

Emada Cigar Clip Production Prototypes

You might be wondering why you must build production prototypes if the production tools and assembly line are functioning. There is sufficient work required to qualify the product functionality and the manufacturing processes to prevent defective products from getting into the hands of customers. Performing the proper verification and validation with production protoypes will result in high quality products.

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Apt Innovations in BBC News Article

September 16 2011  |   leardonsolutions  |  All Posts, Customer Profile  |  Comment

Leardon Solutions client Apt Innovations from Northern Ireland is portrayed in the BBC News article Cold winter inspires NI man’s pipe business. Leardon Solutions designed, engineered, prototyped, and qualified the Floe winterizing product for Apt Innovations and currently manufactures components for the product.

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Success Factors of a Product Inventor

September 15 2011  |   leardonsolutions  |  All Posts, Program Management  |  1 Comment

There are many inventors in this world but unfortunately many of their inventions never see the light of day. Why is this? There must be some factors that determine if the inventor will create a successful company from the product idea or if the inventor will fail.

Leardon Solutions worked with Randy Hupp from EcoLeeser from the early days of his invention of a product that helps increase the chances of survival for released rockfish suffering from barotrauma. This invention named the RokLees is pictured below.

EcoLeeser RokLees manufactured by Leardon Solutions

Throughout the process of working with Randy, there were three success factors that contributed to the success of Randy’s invention and hence his company EcoLeeser.

(1) Proper prototyping and product testing: Even the best product ideas can fail if they are introduced to the market prematurely without the proper engineering and testing. Some inventors believe that the best way to develop their product is to go onto one of the outsourcing websites and hire an overseas company that makes similar products. Many times this leads to failure since product prototyping and qualification do not occur. Skipping the prototyping phases will definitely limit the ability to succeed.

Randy understood that in order to be successful, he had to provide a quality product that simply did what it was meant to do and did it well. In order to achieve this quality, multiple rounds of prototypes were necessary. He knew that he had to build prototypes and test them in the hands of actual customers. First, Randy built a Proof-of-Concept Prototype that proved his idea actually functioned properly. While this prototype wasn’t pretty or refined, it proved that his idea was feasible. Next Randy worked with Leardon Solutions to develop a Form/Fit/Function Prototype that not only functioned properly but also met his cosmetic and aesthetic goals. Randy was able to test this product in actual fishing conditions and fine-tuned the design to meet his needs. As Randy started production, he had a design that he knew would function properly across all operating conditions.

(2) Develop a trusted network of suppliers and professionals: Many inventors are worried that their product idea will be stolen if they discuss the invention with potential suppliers and professional service companies. As such, the worried inventor will try to do everything themselves, ranging from the engineering, prototyping, intellectual property, business planning, marketing, and website development. Fortunately for the inventor, most service companies are more interested in helping the inventors than in stealing their idea. The sooner the inventor realizes that there are trusted companies that can help them, the sooner they will be successful.

Randy new his limitations and began to develop a trusted network of suppliers that could help get his product developed and his company formed. Since Randy was new to the world of product development, he hired Leardon Solutions to perform the prototyping, product qualification, and manufacturing. Randy also understood that he had no knowledge in the areas of intellectual property and therefore hired Intercontinental IP to develop his intellectual property filings. These two professional services companies were only a small part of the trusted network that was developed throughout the process of creating the RokLees and EcoLeeser.

(3) Proper use of intellectual property: If an inventor is actually going to move forward and create a company around their product invention, it is important to protect their intellectual property. Many inventors feel that filing provisional patents, utility patents, design patents, or trademarks are a waste of money. When the intellectual property isn’t filed, what happens after the company invests time and money to develop a market for their product only to find that another company is selling a very similar product? All that effort developing the market has gone to waste and this other company can easily leverage the market development work already done. Intellectual property is a critical way to prevent this situation.

Randy filed a provisional patent application which provided patent pending protection for one year and two trademark applications, both of which have been approved by United States Patent and Trademark Office and are in the “publication” phase. As the expiration date for the provisional patent approaches, Randy will need to decide if it is important to file a utility patent in order to extend his invention protection. This will depend on the success of the RokLees product in the marketplace.

In summary, inventors with good product ideas should implement these three simple success factors into their operations to improve their changes of success.

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Why a Proof-of-Concept Prototype?

June 21 2011  |   leardonsolutions  |  All Posts, Prototyping  |  11 Comments

You have a great product idea.  What should you do next?

If you are an inventor or an entrepreneur, you have probably come up with some great product ideas. When these ideas were conceived, you probably envisioned the thousands of people who would buy the revolutionary product. Your second thought might have been to ask yourself “What do I do now to take this idea to the next step?”

Leardon Solutions Proof-of-Concept Prototype
Endotracheal Tube Translation Prototype by Leardon Solutions

The team at Leardon Solutions has designed, engineered, prototyped, and manufactured products in the medical devices and diagnostic, health and lifestyle, commercial, consumer electronics, and active sports industries.  Regardless of the product complexity, one of the first things that Leardon Solutions does is to prove that the product idea is technically feasible. It isn’t always necessary to hire an engineering or prototyping company to create your Proof-of-Concept Prototype. Depending on the complexity of the product idea, a Proof-of-Concept Prototype can sometimes be constructed by a handy person, assuming that they have a good understanding of the required function. Also, complex engineering drawings and designs are not always needed since the Proof-of-Concept Prototype can sometimes be made using off-the-shelf components from the local hardware store. For products that are more technically challenging and require engineering skill, you can work with companies such as Leardon Solutions to develop your Proof-of-Concept Prototype.

Leardon Solutions Proof-of-Concept Prototype for APT Innovations

Apt Innovations Floe Prototype by Leardon Solutions

If your product idea is conceptually and technically simple or complex, Leardon Solutions finds it important to create a Proof-of-Concept Prototype for many reasons. First, as the name implies, the Proof-of-Concept Prototype allows you to validate to yourself that the idea actually works and functions as envisioned. This first prototype does not need to be pretty. Normally, it does not bear any resemblance to your final product since the goal is to only prove it functions and not to prove that it looks nice.

The second use of the Proof-of-Concept Prototype is to act as an aid in obtaining intellectual property such as a patent. It is extremely important that you have the ability to concisely explain your product idea to an intellectual property attorney. The Proof-of-Concept Prototype can help you explain how your product functions while also providing a functioning model that the attorney can use to seek out additional patent claims that might not have been found without the Proof-of-Concept Prototype.

The final use of the Proof-of-Concept Prototype is as a show-and-tell device. Potential investors or patent licensees will typically ask you to show them how your product works. If two investment seekers enter a room, one with a business plan presentation and another with a Proof-of-Concept Prototype, the investor’s eyes will gravitate toward the show-and-tell product demonstration. The prototype adds validity not only to the product but also to you as a business person.

Don’t underestimate the important of a Proof-of-Concept Prototype and don’t try to cut corners by skipping the Proof-of-Concept stage and moving forward without having proven to yourself and others that your idea is technically feasible.

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