First, let's talk about actually designing your product, figuring out how it's going to look and how it's going to work. The people who do that type of work are called Industrial Designers. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Designers--Industrial" and you should see a listing of designers to choose from. You can phone them, explain what you're doing, and what kind of help you need.
Remember that some design firms don't like working with individuals. They'd rather work with large companies. So you'll have to do a little investigating to find out which company is willing to work with you. Industrial designers are trained to look at the aesthetics of the product as well as its manufacturability. They'll also consider (to some degree) the inventive nature of the product. Such people are the best, but beware--they can be expensive.
A professional design firm will charge you between $50-$100 an hour for design time and $30-$40 an hour for simple prototyping time. But if you go to alternative fabrication sources, you should be able to get the work done for a lot less.
One option is to locate design schools in your area. Call the Industrial Design Department and ask if there is a program (or other option) to have students work on your project. This can be considerably less expensive than hiring an industrial design firm to do the job.
If you have a product that requires electronics, search the Yellow Pages under "Engineers--Electrical." Electrical Engineers are the ones who design circuit boards and can put your electronics together. Again, you'll probably have to call a few of them to discover which one can best meet your needs. When I make a prototype with electronics, I try as much as possible to find already existing electronics in other products that I can basically "lift" from those products and incorporate into mine.
You can also try the same approach with electrical engineers as you do with industrial designers. Call up a local college with an Electrical Engineering Program and see if any students (or professors) wish to moonlight. You can usually get a better rate that way than by going to an electronic engineering company that must pay for the overhead of their office and secretaries.
Many local stores that sell plastic materials, the sheet and rod and tubular stock, also have fabricating departments. This is an excellent source for getting a prototype made. Their prices are much less than an industrial designer's fee. They have people who are paid a lower rate than a trained industrial designer and they can turn out simple prototypes cheaper than if you use a design firm. You will have to give them some dimensions and some basic ideas of the shape and size of what you're trying to do. But if you can communicate that to them, they're an excellent source for getting prototypes built.
You should have the person who makes the prototype sign a "Work-for-Hire" agreement. This agreement says that you're paying them for their time and you own 100 percent of the results of the work done during that time. If they come up with any patentable features during their designing phase, they must assign the rights to those patentable features to you so that you then own them. (See the "Work for Hire" form in my "Mind to Money" system book).
I believe in finding unusual sources for getting products made. Many people have skills you can use. For example, a hobbyist who specializes in model airplanes, trains or doll houses will normally have a complete shop with all kinds of equipment. Local high schools also have shops. You can seek out the Industrial Arts teacher at your local high school and ask for help. You'll end up creating a grapevine where you can find sources for getting parts made and built that are less expensive than going to a professional design firm.
Many comprehensive catalogs are available which sell many, many stock parts that you can use in making prototypes (these are also listed in "Mind to Money"). One of the catalogs I use every week is called McMaster Carr. It has just about everything under the sun that you could possibly need. There are also catalogs for special small parts, small gears and other precision parts.
Before having something made by hand, make sure there isn't something that's already available in stock because that will, of course, be much less expensive than having someone fabricate a part by hand. And always look in department stores and toy stores to see if there are products out there that have parts you need for your product. Because the cheapest way to get your prototype built is to find parts that exist in other products and take them out of those products and put them into yours.
Another major resource is the Thomas Register. This is an entire volume of books that has every kind of part that you can possibly imagine listed by name. So if you want to find plastic balls, you look under "Balls--Plastic" and you'll find dozen of companies that make a variety of plastic balls. The Thomas Register is available in most public libraries because it's such an important resource guide.
Last, but definitely not least, you can contact me at Tarlow Design (info below). We develop products from initial concept all the way through to production. We'll be happy to help you.
Ken Tarlow is president of Tarlow Design, a full-service product development company that helps independent inventors design, prototype, patent and license consumer product ideas. He has developed more than 300 consumer products worth over one billion dollars in retail sales. Tarlow's office is in San Rafael, CA. He may be reached at (415) 457-6428.
The above article was excerpted from Tarlow's MIND TO MONEY, a cassette tape/workbook package that can help you develop a new product from the idea stage to the marketplace. MIND TO MONEY may be ordered from Dream Merchant at $59.95, plus $4.95 CA sales tax and $5 shipping and handling ($69.90 total). Send orders to Dream Merchant, 2309 Torrance Blvd., Suite 104, Torrance, CA 90501.
|
|
|
|
|
|
