Do you know that you can create your electronic hardware product?
Well, yes, you can. The new electronic hardware product market is expanding. And you don’t need to be an engineer to develop your own hardware product. Nowadays, things are more accessible than ever before.
If you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, startup, or small business owner with experience in the tech industry, this guide will help unlock your potential. The time is right for individuals and teams alike who want their innovative product idea.
So let me teach you all how it is done.
Develop a Product Development Strategy
Entrepreneurs and startups have various options for developing their new hardware products, but the best overall strategy is often a combination of the five strategies described below.
Develop the Product Yourself
The best way to get a great product is by working on it yourself. If you have the skills, then go ahead and take things as far as possible because this will save money for both yourself and your company in time.
Bring on Technical Co-Founder(s)
The best course of action for non-technical founders who are not tech-savvy is to bring on an experienced technical cofounder. At least one member of your startup team needs to know product development to manage this process correctly.
Hire Freelance Engineers
Hiring freelancers to work on your team is a great way to fill any gaps in technical ability. But you need more than just engineering talent. So be sure not only to hire for skills but also management and leadership capabilities as well.
Outsource to a Firm
Avoid relying on expensive design firms for your new product. However, as a startup founder, it is vital not to let the initial stages of development involve any outside help because you will be more liable if something goes wrong. That money isn’t recoverable under the law.
Partner with a Manufacturer
Finding an overseas manufacturer that already makes products similar to your own can be a great way of cutting out some costs and time. This is because they have their own engineering and design teams working on the development process, which means you won’t need additional help from others outside.
Once you decide on the above, it’s time to start the development process.
Design a Preliminary Production Design
Start with a PPC (Preliminary Production Design). A preliminary production design step focuses on what you would need for it, its cost, and profit margins among other things like feasibility or manufacturability.
System Block Diagram
A system-level block diagram is an essential tool for the design process. It helps you to define each electronic function and how they interconnect with one another. Most products require a lot of different components, like displays and sensors. They then interface with the microcontroller via serial ports for communication purposes.
Production Components Selection
By selecting the various production components, you can create a preliminary BOM for your product. This will determine what parts are needed to produce it at an affordable price with high-quality standards that meet customer needs.
Estimate production cost
You should know the cost of your product’s manufacturing unit from start to finish. This information helps establish the best sales price, inventory costs, and total production cost.
Design the Schematic Circuit Diagram
The diagram shows how every component, from microchips to resistors connects together. You can never have too many sub-circuits. This is because you will need to use a separate one for each block in your system and connect all those.
3. Design the Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
Now that you have your circuit designed, it’s time to start printing. The PCB will be the physical board holding all of those electronic components and connecting them. Ensure your PCB layout meets the design rules for a particular electronic manufacturing process, and it will match what’s shown in our schematics.
4. Generate the Final Bill of Materials (BOM)
You have created a preliminary BOM as part of your production design, but now it’s time for the complete list. The main difference between these two is that there are many low-cost components like resistors and capacitors which don’t need their section—they’re cheap enough to be forgettable.
5. Order the PCB Prototypes
The next step in the process of creating electronic prototypes requires you to produce printed circuit boards. You can either do it yourself or outsource this work for more prominent manufacturers who will have better access and capability when completing orders with your design software’s Gerber files. Axonim specialists can help you in the process.
6. Evaluate, Program, Debug, and Repeat
Creating your first prototype is often an iterative process. You will go through many various iterations before settling on the design you want. At each stage, identify any problems with what’s being made so they can be fixed quickly and efficiently. This way, there are no major issues when it comes time for production.
7. Develop the Enclosure
Custom-shape plastic or metal pieces will require a 3D modeling expert, but better yet, hire an industrial designer.
8. Create a 3D model
As the exterior of your product lies in 3D computer modeling, it is essential first to develop a model.
9. Order Case Prototypes (or Buy a 3D Printer)
3D printing is the most common way to create prototypes, but there are also other methods. An additive process will build up layers of plastic by cutting away parts of an existing design until you get your desired shape or form.
10. Evaluate the Enclosure Prototypes
You can usually get away with a few quick sketches to test out your enclosure design. 3D computer models are excellent for visualizing what you’re imagining. But nothing beats holding something in your hands that’s real, and prototypes allow both functional AND cosmetic changes, which might be necessary once all is said done.
11. Transition to Injection Molding
To manufacture your product, you need the right kind of plastic. Injection molding is an ancient technique that can be used for making this type of material. Technology is a cheap and efficient way to make millions of the same thing.
Molds are expensive, but they have one significant advantage: producing lots at once with just one setup cost.
12. Certify Your Product
To assure the safety of our customers, all electronic products are required to have various types of certification. The certifications required to depend on the region you plan on selling them.
Summing up
We hope this article has provided you with some helpful information about developing a new electronic hardware product. Many factors go into creating the perfect device, but we’ve done our best to provide you with some of the most critical aspects for consideration.