Prototyping

One of the most valuable services we offer as your sourcing partner is in developing a solid prototype of your product.  Prototyping is a crucial step in the road to manufacturing and getting your product to market. Once your designs are complete, Berkeley Sourcing Group will begin the process of turning your design specifications into a functioning prototype.  To make your prototype, we employ:

Plastics

3D Printing – Additive layering through ‘printing’ the plastics

FDM (Fused Deposit Modeling) – Thermoplastics melted and deposited as additive layers

SLA (Stereolithography Apparatus) – Photosensitive resins sintered by a laser that traces the part’s cross-sectional geometry

SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) – Photosensitive powders sintered by a laser that traces the part’s cross-sectional geometry

CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) – Computerized machining of solid pieces (metal, plastic, wood…)

Metals/Woods

CNC – Good for fine details of parts

Traditional Craftsmanship – Utilizing traditional metal and woodworking tools and machines

Fabrics

Traditional Seamstress Techniques – Sourcing correct materials and utilizing traditional sewing techniques

Finishing

Painting – Parts can be painted to your requirements

Powder Coating – Parts can be powder-coated to your requirements

Pad Printing – Parts can be powder-coated to your requirements

Silk Screening – Parts can be powder-coated to your requirements

Packaging – digital prints can be made for packaging mock-ups

Multiple Materials

Integrative Technologies – A big advantage of working with Berkeley Sourcing Group is that if your product has multiple materials, we can coordinate all of the above technologies to make each of the separate components and then assemble/integrate them together into your final product.

Results

During this transformation of taking your product from conceptual drawing to a physical model, there are often small functionality issues that are unforeseeable in the initial drawing/design. Our team will work with you to overcome these obstacles and hone your design into a fully functioning working product. Once a prototype is created, our project managers and engineers will inspect and test it in minute detail, looking for weak spots and consumer use issues that might arise.  Before shipment, we send a complete Prototype Inspection Report with pictures of the prototype and analysis of the prototype specifications/results.

Unlike a normal prototyping company, the suggestions and results garnered from our team will immediately translate into manufacturable product as our team is working with the factories directly.  Often US based prototyping companies do not understand the tools and machines available, or the most cost effective or efficient ways of working in China.  This adds a costly and timely extra step in the process between the final prototype and the beginning of manufacturing as you work to redesign your product for manufacturing.

Once you have completed your prototype with us, the opposite will be true.  You will not only have your prototype in hand, but a lot of the manufacturing details will have already been adjusted and confirmed with the factories that you will be using for your mass product and you’ll be well on your way to national distribution!