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My mom has an idea for a cooking related tool/utensil. I presume she will need to get a prototype designed and built so she can gauge interest and ultimately find someone to do mass production. I have no idea of where to start in this context. I would appreciate any guidance. Thanks! |
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Depending on the particular utensil building a working prototype may be expensive. For example does it need to be dishwasher safe or meet FDA guidelines for food safety etc.? In such a case it is probably better to start by building a mockup that looks like the real thing and can be used to show people what the real device will look and feel like. Doing mockups is a common industry practice to save cost. For example a car manufacturer would make a scale (or full size) model out of clay and test it in a wind tunnel before making an actual car. If making such a mockup is not practical for some reason then a good first step is to build a virtual mockup on the computer using a 3-D CAD program so people can see what it will look like. If you are so inclined you could probably do this yourself using a program like Google Sketchup. The next step after you have a 3-D model on the computer might be to have it printed on a 3-D printer. There are commercial services that do this as well a home units like the Makerbot. |
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Often to keep costs down, china is a common start to get products manufactured, but you mention prototype too within your question. As far as getting a prototype built it could be done in her own country, regarding design she would need to find and pay someone to work with, she will need to know what she has in her mind as a minimum. Patents might be necessary if she feels that she has something that needs to be protected, it can be costly, sometimes unnecessary. But before going ahead with prototypes she might gain from talking to people who might be her future customers, will her utensil solve a problem, make something easier or just be gimmicky. If she does reach the stage of mass production then it is advised that she travel to the country where they will be manufactured and meet the right people as opposed to looking for someone online. |
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