How do you turn an idea into a working prototype in Singapore?

To turn an idea into a working prototype, you bring a sketch, a photo or a product you want to improve, and we design it in 3D, print a first version, test it with you and revise until it works. It all happens in our own studio in Singapore, as part of our product development service.

From idea to prototype at a glance

Timeline: it depends on the project, so we quote it for each one. Ask us for a date.

NDA: we can sign one before you share your idea.

The brief: a sketch and sizes are enough

You do not need a finished drawing to start. A sketch on paper, a photo, a product you like or a part you want to replace all work. What helps most is a few rough sizes and a plain description of the job: what the part holds, what it fits onto, and where it will live.

• Sizes. Measure what the part must fit, even with a ruler. A photo with a ruler beside it helps too.
• The job. Tell us what it must survive: weight, heat, sun, water or being dropped.
• The quantity. One for a pitch, ten for testers, or hundreds to sell. It changes the route.

If the idea is confidential, we sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) first, before you send anything.

Send us your sketch and rough sizes

Design: we draw it and check it can be made

Our designers draw the part in CAD (computer-aided design software) in our studio. While we draw, we check the design for manufacture, often called DFM: wall thickness, gaps between moving parts, how the part sits on the printer and how it will be made later in quantity. Fixing these on screen is far cheaper than finding them in a print.

Then comes the design review. We send you the 3D model and renders, and drawings where the part has to fit something exactly. You check the shape, the size and the details, and nothing is printed until you are happy. Design work is quoted per project. For more on how a design round runs, read our 3D design process.

Ask for a design quote for your idea

First print: choose the process by the test

A first prototype answers one question: does it look right, does it work, or does it fit? Each question suits a different kind of 3D printing.

• Fit and fast changes: filament printing (FDM). The quickest and cheapest way to check shape and fit, so it suits the early rounds when the design still changes every time.
• Looks and fine detail: resin printing (SLA). Smooth surfaces and crisp edges, for a looks-like model or a part to show investors.
• Tough working parts: nylon powder printing (SLS or MJF). Strong, slightly flexible parts for snap fits, hinges and anything that takes a knock.
• Production-grade metal or plastic: CNC machining. For a prototype that must be machined from the real material, such as an aluminium bracket or a tight-tolerance part. We still suggest an FDM print first: it is far quicker and cheaper for settling the shape before you pay to machine it.

Most products start in FDM and move to SLA or nylon once the shape settles. Our guide to FDM, SLA and SLS explains the differences. If parts must slide, snap or press together, read tolerances and clearances for the gaps we design in.

Already have a 3D file? Price the prototype now

Test and revise: several rounds are normal

The first print is rarely the last. Hold it, fit it, use it, and tell us what you notice. We change the model and print again. Each round should answer a question: does the latch hold, does the board fit, does the light spread evenly?

• Small parts are often right by the second or third round.
• Products with housings, moving parts or electronics usually take more.
• Keep the old prints. Laid side by side, they show what each change did.

The dive-housing bracket went through five white prototypes before the black final version. The air purifier in the photo at the top went from round housings with hexagon vents to an hourglass with a diamond lattice over several rounds.

Price the next round from your updated file

Small runs: silicone, then injection moulding

Once the prototype works, the next question is how many you need. For one part to a handful, we keep printing. For more, we make a mould.

• About 20 to 50 parts per mould: silicone moulding. We pour silicone around a printed original, then cast parts in rigid or rubber-like polyurethane. For a few hundred, we pour more moulds from the same original.
• Past about 1,000 parts: injection moulding. A steel or aluminium tool costs more up front, but each part then costs very little. The design should be final first, because a tool is slow and costly to change.

3D printing, silicone moulding or injection moulding compares the three in detail.

Tell us the quantity and we suggest the route

Where to start: send what you have

If you have a sketch, a photo or a product to improve, talk to us or message us on WhatsApp. If you already have a 3D file, upload it to the instant quote for a price on the print. New to ordering? How to get something 3D printed in Singapore walks through it step by step.