Daryl Dominique, Josh Martin, and Jorden Colwell of CMD Prototyping return to ENT101 to discuss what to look out for when hiring a firm to manufacture a product for your company.

1. CONTRACT MANUFACTURING

2. What is it?
• A relationship between your startup and a supplier of your
product.
• Not an equity based partnership, but a financial agreement
for volume production.
• Likely to be one of the largest and most important
relationships in your company.
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3. Types:
• Injection Moulding
• PCB Production
• Product Assembly
• Metalworking
• Post-Production Modification
• Packaging
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4. Global Example:
• Apple Inc.
– Well known as a software & hardware company.
– Software is developed in-house, and is the primary
focus.
– Hardware is actually manufactured by Foxconn.
– Foxconn is also the contract manufacturer for
Blackberry, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.
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5. Are You Ready?
• Working prototypes are not necessarily ready for
manufacturing.
• Many unexpected pitfalls in this stage of development.
• Common cause of delays and additional cost for
crowdfunded products.
• Clear intentions of product scope.
• Serviceable or disposable?
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6. Prototyping
• 3D Printing is a useful tool, but there are some
considerations:
– Cost
– Tolerances
– Different “rules of design”
– Structural Integrity
– FDM vs SLA
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7. Prototyping
• Injection Moulding
– Specific Design Considerations:
• Draft Angles
• Material
• Wall Thickness
• Part Complexity
• Structural Concerns (Ribbing)
– Hardware Inserts
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8. Prototyping
• Metals
– Specific Design Considerations:
• Material
• Manufacturing Method
– Casting
– Extrusion
– Bending
• Structural Integrity
• Complexity
• Post Production
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9. Prototyping
• Composites
– Carbon Fiber, Fiberglass & Smart Materials
– Specific Design Considerations:
• Cost. Is it necessary?
• Interior Core
• Layer Requirements
• Material
• Strength
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10. Prototyping
• PCB Production
– Specific Design Considerations:
• Layers
• Mounting Holes
• Trace patterns (do NOT exceed 45°)
• Component Footprints
• Silkscreen Layer
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11. Prototyping
• Product Assembly
– Component Sourcing
• Digikey
• McMaster-Carr
– Remember that your
product has to actually
be assembled.
• Components
• Hardware sourcing
• Automated or Hand-
Assembled?
• Unexpected and
expensive cost
• Custom Cables
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12. Manufacturing
• Identify appropriate manufacturing methods
• Choosing a manufacturer based on location,
experience, portfolio, quality and cost.
• Component providers and supply chains
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13. Injection Moulding
• Most common manufacturing process
• High upfront cost
• Low per part cost
• Local example:
– North Bay Plastics
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14. MetalWorking
• Wide array of
processes:
– Casting
– Extruding
– Bending
– Welding
• Post-Production
– CNC Machining
– E-Coat
– Case Hardening
• Local Example:
– Sudbury Stainless
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15. PCB Production
• High low volume cost
• Low high volume cost
• Production deals & considerations
• Populated or not?
• Local example:
– Crest Circuits
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16. Product Assembly
• PCB Population
• Hand Assembly
• Automated Assembly Line
• Ease of Assembly
• Outsourced vs In-House
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17. Packaging
• Packaging
– Vacuum Formed Packages
– Pre-Made Boxes
– Off-the-shelf or Direct-to-Consumer
– Custom Inlays
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18. Intellectual Property
• Patents
• Non-Disclosure Agreements
• Non-Compete Agreements
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19. Testing & Certifications
• Environmental Testing
and Ingress Protection
Code (IPXX)
• Engineering Stamp
– Liability
– ASTM/ASME
Compliance
• Electro-Magnetic
Certification
• Abiding to applicable
codes and standards
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20. Volume Production
• Upfront vs Per Part
• Low Volume vs High Volume
• Schedule Reliability
• Maintaining Stock
• Realistic Quantity Expectations
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21. Quality Assurance
• Oversight
• Sampling
• Manual vs Automated
• Destructive vs Non-Destructive
• Documentation
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22. Questions?
• Come see the Fortin Discovery Lab for examples
• Email us at general@cmdprototyping.com
• Find us on twitter @cmdprototyping
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