There are several steps to follow in order to successfully design, prototype and manufacture your product but before we talk about that, there are several questions that you may need to have the answers for during the process of developing your product. Some of which may determine the success of the product.

* Have you checked existing patents for a product like yours?
* Will your product fulfill a need? Could it be desired?
* Who will buy it? Can they afford to purchase your product?
* Are the manufacturing costs lower than the reasonable selling price?
* How do you plan to market your product?
* Are you prepared for any legal issues that might arise?
* Do you have detailed information about the product and design sketches?

These are some great questions to think about in order to determine if you’re prepared to get started developing your invention into a sell-able product. However, some of the answers to those questions can be determined as you move along with your project. At this point, you might be asking yourself; what do I do first? Well, some people will tell you to get a patent first and others will tell you to design and prototype the product first. There are benefits to both. Having a patent before prototyping secures your idea and gives the designers something to work with when designing the product. Not having a patent first will allow the product to be developed as it needs to and the patent can be written around the finalized product. If you don’t have a patent first, be sure to have a Non-Disclosure Agreement signed. Either way you choose, the first step is to consult with a product development company who offers services that can help get your product off the ground.

The development of your product can be an easy process with great results in the end. There are several types of companies out there that can help you accomplish your goals. Product development companies like Creative Edge Products can help design, patent and in some cases manufacture your product. There are companies that can help you market your product or company and help bring in those sales. There are also business development companies that will help implement growth opportunities for your company. SCORE is a great resource for small business advice.

The Cigar Cap project was a very interesting project and the design proved to be tricky. Although small, the cigar cap had many different challenges. We were limited to an overall size of about 1 inch which made everything we designed fragile. Some of the fragile parts were also under load by a high pressure spring so the design had to be small and strong to be able to withstand high spring pressure form the spring. In the end, the Cigar Cap turned out very well and we have managed to work out the kinks of even the small and tricky products we work on.

We worked with our clients closely so that we could design a device to their specifications, one that provided a goggle-like visor wiper that fits on any on-road motorcycle helmet and secures tightly with 3 easy to use straps. We really enjoyed working on this project and accomplishing the goals required by our clients.