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From first prototype to small batch: find workshops that accept starting quantities, advise you on manufacturability and respect the confidentiality of your product.
A hardware startup is not short of ideas: it is short of time and production capacity. No workshop, low volumes, a product that changes every week. Large manufacturers prefer long runs; local workshops are more willing to take one-offs and small quantities, provided they receive a clear file.
The path runs in stages. First you validate the principle with rapid prototypes (3D printing, one-off machining, a prototype electronic board), then you stabilise the design for manufacture, produce a pre-series to test and certify, and finally a small batch in which the real defects emerge. Each stage has its own process, cost and tooling.
This page follows that path: good habits for posting a request, processes by quantity, the rules to know before selling a product in Europe and confidentiality precautions. The guide from prototype to series covers the stages in detail.
Standards, regulations and practices that buyers expect from their subcontractors.
Manufacturability determines cost: standard sheet thicknesses, draft angles for moulding, tool radii, reasonable tolerances. Have the workshop review your design before you freeze the drawing: a simple change can sometimes avoid expensive tooling.
Depending on the product, several European texts apply: low voltage (2014/35/EU), electromagnetic compatibility (2014/30/EU), radio equipment (2014/53/EU), RoHS (2011/65/EU), waste electrical and electronic equipment (2012/19/EU) and general product safety (Regulation (EU) 2023/988). Identify them early.
An injection mould is paid for once and amortised over the parts. At low volumes, laser cutting, machining, 3D printing or vacuum casting often avoid tooling; the break-even point depends on the part. Compare costs at several quantities.
An innovative product is exposed to copying. Before circulating drawings, plan for a non-disclosure agreement and, if needed, a patent or design registration filing with the relevant IP office (in France, the INPI). Describe the essentials of the requirement publicly, then share the full file by message.
Each skill has its own detailed page: services, materials, price factors.
Appearance models, functional prototypes and pre-series: rapid prototyping validates shape, ergonomics and functions before you invest in tooling.
Ideal for iterations: short lead times, complex geometries, no tooling. Powder sintering gives robust parts in small batches.
Prototype boards, component assembly, wiring and small batches. An experienced manufacturer quickly flags end-of-life or hard-to-source components.
Aluminium enclosures, precision parts and prototypes in the final material, without tooling, from a single unit to a few dozen parts.
Vacuum casting in silicone moulds for a few dozen parts, then an injection mould once the design is frozen and volumes justify it.
Design-for-manufacture review, CAD, tolerancing, bills of materials: an outside eye avoids costly mistakes.
Quantity decides the process far more than shape does. The following table gives general benchmarks, to be adapted to your part.
| Quantity | Common processes | Tooling |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 10 parts | 3D printing, CNC machining, laser sheet metalwork | None |
| 10 to 100 parts | Vacuum casting, machining, 3D printing, sheet metalwork | Silicone mould or fixture |
| Several hundred and more | Plastic injection, volume cutting and folding | Aluminium or steel mould, production tools |
Each row assumes a different state of design: for one-offs, the part can still change every week; in series production, the slightest change costs money. So you freeze the design in stages, starting with the parts that will no longer move, such as brackets, fasteners or boards.
The classic trap is investing too early in an plastic injection mould while the product is still evolving: every change becomes expensive. Conversely, machining a part that sells in several thousand units ends up weighing on your margin. The right moment shows up when you compare quotes for several quantities, with and without tooling. For the trade-off between processes, see the guide 3D printing or CNC machining; for electronics, the one on making an electronic prototype.
A product’s CE marking is affixed by its manufacturer, meaning you, not the workshop. It involves identifying the applicable texts, carrying out the necessary tests (a test laboratory can handle electromagnetic compatibility, for example) and compiling a technical file. The workshop contributes by supplying identified materials and, if you ask, declarations of compliance with substance restrictions such as RoHS. Also ask which parts can be standardised (fasteners, connectors, off-the-shelf profiles): every standard component reduces cost, lead time and the risk of supply disruption.
A product that contains a lithium battery, touches food or skin, or emits radio waves brings its own rules. It is better to know this at the prototype stage than to discover, in pre-series, that a material is unsuitable.
Finally, keep a record of what you share: a non-disclosure agreement signed before sending the full file, and a list of the files transmitted. The guide to drawing confidentiality and NDAs details good practice. To write a complete requirement, the specification tool guides you step by step. Is your project ready? Post your prototyping request.
A question not answered here? Visit the help centre or write to us.
Yes. 3D printing, CNC machining, laser sheet metalwork and prototype electronic boards can all be ordered as single units. The unit price is higher than in series because setup is not spread over a batch, but it remains far below the cost of tooling. State that it is a prototype and whether further units will follow.
There is no universal threshold: it depends on the part, the material and the price of the mould. As a general rule, tooling becomes worthwhile when volumes run into the hundreds or thousands of parts and the design is stable. Compare the total cost, tooling included, at several quantities.
No protection replaces caution. A non-disclosure agreement governs disclosure; a patent or design registration protects the creation, but disclosure before filing can jeopardise the novelty of a patent. Consult an intellectual property adviser and share only what is needed at each stage.
It is not compulsory, but proximity helps you iterate quickly: direct exchanges, fast corrections, simple logistics. Very high-volume production can be done elsewhere once the product is stable. For a product that is still evolving, a nearby, responsive workshop is often the most useful partner.
Mock-up, functional prototype, pre-series, tooling, qualification: how to structure the move from a single unit to repeatable production, and choose the right processes for your volumes.
3D printing or CNC machining? Seven selection criteria, FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF and metal technologies, a comparison table and cases where combining both processes makes sense.
Gerber files, BOM, component positions, IPC classes, SMT or through-hole, testing and DFM: how to have an electronic board prototype made and assembled.
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