There exists a common misconception that materializing great ideas into a finished product is an insurmountable task. Sure the steps to production can be frustrating but that doesn’t deem them impossible. In today’s hyper-capitalist economy new products are realized daily and it cycles through a process because of the inventors dilemma. The majority of them by huge corporations with years of research, history in the field, and inexhaustible mounds of resources, but some of the greatest ideas come from ordinary people.
We all have a friend, family member or coworker that promises to revolutionize an industry with their groundbreaking idea. Usually the conversation about a great idea is followed by a discussion on where to spend the millions, but quickly looses steam thereafter.
That’s because the link between conceptualizing a great idea and collecting revenue from its creation is difficult to bridge- this is where people become disillusioned and bright ideas fade into darkness.
That shouldn’t be the case. Don’t let your lack of experience hold your idea captive. Imagination comes naturally, but creation requires initiative, so take the first step and bring your ideas to life. Hire someone to make the prototype development process easy for you.
To protect your ideas and save you the hassle of litigation, your designers should have a few things in place. Every project should begin with a non disclosure agreement as well as a patent inquiry in order to protect your idea and avoid product infringement. Thereafter, the project moves to the development process.
The Inventors Dilemma : Development Process in 3 Phases
- The first is the (incubations phase) and depending on the maturity of your idea, this step can start with a rudimentary sketch on a paper napkin or an alteration on a working prototype. This is where the characteristics of the product, and the design intent are defined.
- The second is the “blueprint phase”. This is where Computer Aided Drawings are rendered for virtual prototyping. Once all the concepts have been finalized and necessary alterations made, the draft models will be rendered for prototype construction*.
- Last is the Prototype phase. After all the necessary adjustments have been made, the project moves to the last stage where a prototype is rendered for production. The goal of this phase is to accurately and unambiguously capture all the geometric features of a product or a component.
*2D and 3D CAD drawings are used to specify the exact design of each component that goes into the manufacture of cars, planes, medical devices, and nearly every other manufactured item. The end goal of a mechanical engineering drawing is to convey all the required information that will allow a manufacturer to produce that component.