Hardware is hard. When I began my journey as a hardware entrepreneur, I quickly realized how hard, but also how inaccessible much of the knowledge was. This is the presentation that I wish had been around when I started. Covering the "internet of things", crowdfunding, sensors, Design for Manufacturing, Design for Assembly, Contract Manufacturers, and so much more!
Please contact me to use/borrow/license! Thanks!
4. Maxim Wheatley
2014
The Disclaimer! ;-)
What this is:!
A high-level intro to key concepts in hardware for
entrepreneurs, students, and tinkerers. An overview of
the process and fundamental aspects. A foundation to
proceed on your own hardware adventure.
What this isn’t:!
Direct advice. (All hardware startups are different)
Blueprints for success! (It IS informed research &
opinion on what works.)
6. Maxim Wheatley
2014
I. The New “Hardware Revolution”!
• What has changed
• The “Internet of Things”
• What hasn’t changed
• The Old v. New Dynamics
!
II. Manufacturing in the U.S. & China!
• Understanding the key differences:
Pros & Cons
• What to look out for
!
!
Idea > Prototype > Production
III. The Process for Developing, Prototyping & Manufacturing!
• Generalized Processes
• Planning
• Research
• Development
• Funding
• Manufacturing Req. Docs
• DFM
• Tooling
• “Ramp Up”
• Factory Check-List
• Patents, Ergonomics, & Product-Testing
• Pricing
• “The Usual Suspects” Common Manufacturing
Techniques
7. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Industrial Revolution
Transition from hand/
manual labor to
machines and
advancements in
chemicals radically
transformed industry
and daily life.
17. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Venture Capital Ecosystem
More investment
and interest in
hardware
companies.
18. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Venture Capital Ecosystem
Outliers are typically founded by
previously successful founders
N.B. Data for 2014 through May.
Number of deals as “major
investments in hardware”
Source: RoboHub.Org Source: http://tomtunguz.com/
19. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Infrastructure
Growing ecosystem of
Meetups, TechShops,
Hacker- and Maker-Spaces
20. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Contract Manufacturers
More CMs.!
!
More accessible. !
!
Willing to work with
startups.
22. Maxim Wheatley
2014
The Smartphone as the Hub
Powerful
centralized hub
with robust
“App” capability
extending
features.
23. Maxim Wheatley
2014
The Effect of the Cloud
Connectivity between
devices, services,
and APIs is richer and
easier than ever.
24. Maxim Wheatley
2014
The Internet of Things
A fancy phrase for: !
“Devices that connect to one another and
interact using the internet via direct wiring,
wireless connectivity, and APIs.”
!
Concept has been around for awhile (1991),
but technology has now become small
enough, accessible enough, fast enough,
and efficient enough to make it happen.
30. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Shipping (Changed & Hasn’t)
• Still limited by time,
costs, and
regulations specific
to shipping. !
!
• Air-freight is MUCH
more expensive
than ocean-freight.!
!
• Packaging & weight
is a big issue.
31. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Distribution
• Still need to
determine where
the product is
warehoused, and
fulfilled.!
!
• Who sells it?!
!
• How do they get it?!
!
• How do you
manage returns?
32. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Product Lifecycle
• Need to keep
product fresh!
!
• Develop follow-on
models!
!
• Plan according to
selling rate and
trends
33. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Quality Inspection
• Ensuring the
product is of
suitable quality!
!
• Consistent
quality!
!
• Mechanisms for
remedying issues
34. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Scaling is Still Tough
• Manufacturing that
responds well to
demand!
!
• Partners with terms
suitable for high &
low demand!
!
• Commerce
platforms that
enable growth
35. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Partnerships
• Partners that
address the right
demographics (in
retail and e-commerce
channels)!
!
• Partners that
supply the
appropriate
materials
36. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Chinese New Year
Interesting Fun
Fact:
No manufacturing
gets done during
this time. Usually a
week at least.
Can be an issue for
those that don’t
know/plan.
38. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Automation
Substantial
automated
manufacturing and
assembly
infrastructure.
Great for larger
products.!
39. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Shipping Sensitive
• Shipping from
China via Ocean-
Freight is slow
(4-6 weeks) !
!
• If speed/
responsiveness
to customer is
key domestic
might make
sense.!
40. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Low Volume / High Precision
• Less ROI on
expenses
associated with
offshore for LV!
!
• Plenty of very
advanced firms
and engineers
domestically!
!
41. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Sensitive/Difficult to Defend IP
• Much less risk.!
!
• More readily
enforceable!
!
• No language
barriers!
!
• Easier to monitor!
42. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Serving US Government
Requirements
dictate domestic
manufacture!
47. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Infrastructure
• Years of
Investment!
!
• Spool Up & Down!
!
• Typically
“Cutting Edge”
48. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Established Shipping
• Existing
relationships with
factories and
logistics!
!
• Partnerships with
shipping lines &
logistics firms!
!
• Familiarity with
customs &
regulations
49. Maxim Wheatley
2014
High-Volume Capability
• Readily
deployable and
trainable
workforce w/
experience!
!
• Bandwidth and
supply chain to
produce 100,000+
units
51. Maxim Wheatley
2014
China Best For:
• Small electronics w/ circuit boards, displays, motors, plastic
moldings, and sheet metal pieces.
!
• Tooling for the aforementioned is typically cheaper and faster
!
• Large volume of production (thousands not hundreds), becomes
more true the cheaper the product is…
!
• More “mature” designs, otherwise need “boots-on-the-ground” to
debug and refined processes
!
• Well-funded businesses: need to invest in inventory and tooling.
!
• Small dimensions (weight and size) for shipping requirements
!
• Companies with capability to have somebody on-site
52. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Look Out!
• Chinese trademarks!
!
• It’s NOT set-it-and-forget-it
!
• IP Assignment!
!
• Vendor Supply-Chain
!
• Silo-Approach
!
• Work with companies that have done
similar products/demographics
!
• Likely to be copied no matter what…
!
• Costs rarely vary by much more than
+/- 10% (component costs dictate
this) for BOM
53. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Taiwan:!
Comparing…
Pros: Great High-Tech,
Engineering Talent, Respect of IP
!
Cons: More Expensive,
Sometimes Higher Volumes
Mexico:!
Pros: Nearby, Shipping Speed,
Labor Costs
!
Cons: Notorious Regulatory
Hassles, Audits, and Tax Issues
56. Maxim Wheatley
2014
More Process…
Planning Development Production
• Discovery
Phase:!
• Research
• Ideate
!
• Definition
Phase:!
• Product
Specs
• Budget
• Timeline
• Capabilities
!
• Breadboarding!
• Tech
Validation
• Concept
Validation
!
• Packaging
Process
!
• Investigate
Manufacturing
Possibilities
• Refinement!
• Tech
Validation
• Proofs of
Concept
!
• Vendor/Partner
Evaluation
!
• Focus Groups
• Prototyping Low-Fi
>> Hi-Fi
• Design Development
+ Production
Preparation !
• CAD + GA
Drawings
• Develop
Documentation
• Final Prototype w/
Revisions
• Packaging
Finalization
• Tooling Release
• Production!
• Order Tooling &
Implement
• First Run
• Debugging
• Production
• Assembly
• Shipping
• Fulfillment
• Inventory
Sources: “The Industrial Design Reference + Specification Book”, Phil Baker, Blue Ox Industrials, Whiteboard Product Solutions
57. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Planning
• Market Research
• Competitive Landscape
• Focus Groups
• Demographic Intel
• Buyer Personas
• Failures & Successes in
similar Categories
• Stakeholders (Buyers & Users sometimes different! Who buys, who
uses, who else uses it?)
58. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Get Obsessed With
“Teardowns”
Great source of intel
Abstract the BOM
59. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Research & Diligence
• Parts Sourcing
!
• Regulations
!
• Certifications
!
• Patents & IP
60. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Development
• Design Research & Conceptualization
• Customer Studies & The Customer
Journey
• Construction of the “Design Brief”
• Needs & Features
• “Look & Feel”
• Users
• Sales Channels & Target Price
Point
77. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Security Concerns
• Understand how to connect the
data, warehouse it safely, and
process in a readily scalable
manner (i.e. don’t have to migrate
things to keep up with needs)
!
• HTTP/HTTPS
!
• Constrained Application Protocol
(CoAP)
!
• MQTT 3.1
!
• If leveraging health data, need
to be HIPAA Compliant!!
78. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Factory Checklist
• Where is everything warehoused?
• Do we have access to managers
and supervisors?
• Do they have resources
necessary?!
• Do they have partners necessary?!
• Is everything clean and dry?
• Do they have scope to scale up or
down?!
• How quickly can they change
production?!
• Clear payment terms?
• History with similar products?
• Prepared to start (capitalized
enough?)
• Stable management and finances?
Sources: Dragon Innovations, and “From Concept to
Consumer” Phil Baker, Experience!
79. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Production
• Design Finalization
• Design for Manufacturing
• Tooling Development: Key considerations…!
• Assembly Design / Process Design for Mass Production
• First Prototypes Built
• Tooling Release: Drawings, CAD files, BOM,
Prototypes, Accompanying Materials
80. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Production (continued)
• Tooling Finalization (Tools get built!)
• Tooling debugging (in the process)
• Production-Grade Prototypes (Testing all
processes)
81. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Design for Manufacturing:
!
Make it easy/simple to actually produce!
!
• Reduces costs, mitigates risks, faster, and more
reliable
!
• Number of pieces & Ease of assembly influence
costs most significantly
!
• Simpler shapes
!
• Less temperamental materials
!!
• Typically low five figures to mid six figures,
manufacturer completes/refines designs to make it
more optimized for construction and assembly
!
• Get literal to estimate process (how long does it take
to put together w/ how many units w/ how many
assemblers?)
82. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Saving Money:
• Materials: Investigate Similar Products, Define
Properties, Shop Carefully, Consider Key
Factors
!
• Lifecycle of Tooling and Molds
!
• Reduce the Complications
!
• Appropriately Setting Tolerances (Less
Tolerance for Failure = More Time & Money)!
!
• Less Assembly, Less Pieces, Less Fasteners
!
• Understand Order Thresholds for Discounts
!
• Reduce Scrap !
83. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Tooling:
• Tools v. Molds
• Different Processes, Materials, and
Loads Require Different Tooling
• High-Volume/Quality-Finish =
Harder Materials (Steel)
• Low-Volume/Lower-Quality = Softer
Materials (Plastic, Aluminum,
Elastomer, Wood, etc.)
• Balance cost of low-cost tooling
(sometimes higher unit costs)
84. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Tooling Process
• five to six figure costs
!
• 50% up front
!
• 50% when ready to roll
!
• Maintain ownership
!
• Mobility of Tooling
85. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Assembly Fixtures
“The things we need to
make this work and get it
produced.” !
!
Specific tools, trays,
equipment, etc.
!
Typically: $XXX - $XX,XXX
86. Maxim Wheatley
2014 “Ramp Up”
• Assembly Process Finalized &
Set-Up
• Assembly Fixtures Finalized and
Installed
• Instructions Completed
• Workforce Trained & Prepared
• Final Testing Prior to “Go-Button”
• Production Rate & Inventory
Refining…
88. Maxim Wheatley
2014
“Inventory is
Fundamentally Evil” !
!
- Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
!
!
!
89. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Manufacturing Tips
• Snap-Together/Fastener-Free =
Best
!
• Inspection at all stages!
!
• Avoid colors that are easily
variable and difficult to match
!
• Pre-certified batteries!!
!
• “Common” components = Good
!
• Ejection ports!
!
• Get it to the factory…
91. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Patents
• Utility: Processes, machines,
compositions, “articles of
manufacture”, and improvements of
the aforementioned. What/How it
does something.
• Design: Aesthetics that do not
dictate function.
• Provisional: Quick, easy,
establishes filing date, best when
done in conjunction with plan to file
properly. (“Patent pending”)
92. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Patents
• Costs: Time & Money
!
• Defendible?
!
• Policeable?
!
• Makes Sense for Lifecycle?
!
• Relevant?
!
• Patent-Pending isn’t
Enforceable
93. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Out-Competing Copiers…
• Brand
!
• Design
!
• Marketing
!
• Experience
!
• Customer Service
!
• Warranty
!
• Community
!
• Next Version, Next Product
!
• Software, Software, Software
!
!
94. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Ergonomics
• Understand users and use-cases
• Obtain relevant
measurements dimensions
• Complete tests with all
types of users
• Factors in safety
95. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Product Testing
• Testing temperature,
running, humidity, shock,
vibrations, drop test (w/
and w/out packaging)
!
• If emits a frequency of
500KHz+ requires FCC
testing (UL) ~2-3 months
!
• $20,000 - $50,000 range
!
• Stress Testing
Components vs.
Composite Product
96. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Pricing
“Total Direct Costs” = BOM +
Direct Labor
!
“Direct Labor”: Typically ~10% of
BOM
!
“Factory Costs”: Typically ~30%
of TDC
!
FC = TDC x 1.3
!
Overall, consider BOM x 1.5 as a
good margin (to include shipping,
tooling, logistics, etc.)
Source: “From Concept to Consumer”, Phil Baker
97. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Pricing
BOM x 1.5 = ~Final Cost
!
Final Cost / (1 - Margin %) =
Cost to Retailers
Source: “From Concept to Consumer”, Phil Baker
102. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Fulfill
• Assembly Locations…
• Fulfillment Locations
• Packaging for Retail v. Packaging for
Web
• Inventory v. Drop-Ship v. Back-Order
• Prepare for Returns
• Pick-Pack Systems
• Leverage Existing Systems (i.e. Amazon
Fulfillment Centers)
103. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Processes
• Plastic Molding: Thermoplastic (soften w/
heat) Thermoset Plastic (harden w/ heat)
• Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM):
Metal cutting process used for metal tool
forming
• Multi-Cavity v. Single-Cavity!
• Blow-Molding (Extrusion, Injection, Stretch)
• Thermoforming: Plastic Sheets Heated &
Forced Into Cavity w/ +/- Pressure
“Steel Safe”: tool
details that can be
added later without
adding material to the
tool itself.
Multi-Cavity Usually
More Expensive
Check out Mold-Tech
Corporation
104. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Processes
• Casting: Molten Plastic
• Compression Molding: Heated Mold
Forms Shape
• Extrusion: Heated plastic is forced
through a die to create a continuous piece
• Injection Molding: Liquid Plastic is
injected into a cavity to cool
• Reaction Injection Molding (RIM):
Catalyst & Resin Combined to Create Rigid
Part
With Compression
Molding, “Flash” can
be an issue, this adds
to cost
Casting = Low
Volume!
!
Injection = High
Quality Finish
Ejection Ports &
“Knit-Lines” can be
issues…
105. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Processes
• Fused Deposit Modeling (FDM):
CAD file instructs layered resin
• Stereolithography (SLA) 3D
Printing! Layered. Slow, not-scalable
(usually), highly-detailed.
FDM isn’t suited for
high-quality parts or
production grade
prototypes
Speed, cost, quality,
depends heavily on
materials, machine,
and settings
Usually requires
secondary processes
to finish/finalize
106. Maxim Wheatley
2014 Processes
• Computerized Numerical
Control (CNC) Milling: Metal,
plastic, or composites. great
for functional prototypes.
• Die-Casting: Molten metals
into molds with pressure
• Deep-Draw Stamping: Hollow
shapes created by stamping
metal over a mold
CNC is slow and can
be expensive for mass
production
Needs low melting-point
metal
Usually requires
secondary processes
to finish/finalize
107. Maxim Wheatley
2014
“If you’ve got a great
product, one way or
another, it all works out.” !
!
- Larry Hatch, President of AMTI
!
!
!
108. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Thanks for making it through!!
!
!
!
!
This is the presentation I wish I’d
had when I began. I hope it serves
you well!
110. Maxim Wheatley
2014
Recommended Reading
• “From Concept to Consumer: How to Turn Ideas Into Money” — Phil Baker
• “Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design” — Chris Leften
• “The Silent Intelligence” — Kellmereit, Obodovski
• Reddit /r/hwstartups!
• Quora!
• “Prototyping & Low-Volume Production” — Rob Thompson
• “The Design of Everyday Things” — Don Norman
• “Universal Principles of Design” — Lidwell, Holden, Butler
• “Zero to Maker” — David Lang