Many part quality issues in plastic injection molding are blamed on the manufacturing process. In practice, the root cause is usually the design itself. If a plastic part is not designed for injection molding, the tool can’t really be blamed when defects start to pop up.  Design decisions directly affect how a part fills, cools, and ejects from the mold. When those decisions are flawed, the result is visible on the production line: warped parts, sink marks, poor surface finis

In case you have not brought a product to life, product development is an iterative process. Teams move from early concepts to prototypes, validate those prototypes, uncover issues, and refine the design multiple times along the way. This back-and-forth is necessary to improve performance, usability, and manufacturability, but it cannot continue indefinitely.  As a product gets closer to production, ongoing design changes begin to create risk for tooling, sourcing, scheduling

Many manufacturing timelines look straightforward at the start. Two weeks for DFM, thirty days for tooling, and another thirty days for production. On paper, it feels pretty straightforward.  Most delays that occur later in a project are not caused by poor execution, but are the result of poor planning. Issues that come up during tooling trials, early builds, or production ramp because risks were never properly addressed upfront. The common root cause is insufficient product

Once a product reaches mass production, many teams assume that the design is effectively “locked-in.” In reality, engineering changes are common throughout the lifecycle of the product. Engineers are always trying to make improvements, reduce costs, and more. It’s important to track these changes and set up a process of how to manage ECOs in mass production.  An Engineering Change Order (ECO)  in mass production is not just needed by the engineering team but the entire produc

In product development, many product issues do not originate when you produce the product; they originate in design decisions made before a factory is ever involved. Choices around part materials, fastening methods, tolerances, PCB layout, and internal structure all have consequences that show up down the line. Yet in many organizations, manufacturing input is still introduced too late in the process. This gap has led to the growing use of JDM suppliers, or Joint Development

The famous quote, “the only constant in life is change,” is also true for a product's design. Very rarely will you have a design that never goes through any changes. As you move through development and into production, you will often discover opportunities to improve performance, reduce cost, address quality issues, or adapt to new supply chain realities. These changes may be necessary, but implementing them directly on the factory floor without structure can lead to confusio

When you are designing a part, the finish is one of the more important decisions made, as it has a major impact on how your product looks and is perceived by the customer. On top of looks, the right surface finish can improve corrosion resistance, durability, and wear resistance. It can also enhance the appearance of the product, whether you want a glossy color, a matte industrial look, or a clean metallic surface. Among the most common finishing methods used in manufacturing

A strong contract manufacturing partnership doesn’t happen by luck. It’s something you build through transparency and shared values. When a brand and a contract manufacturer work together over the long term, both sides benefit: product quality improves, timelines become more predictable, pricing becomes more stable, and the manufacturing process itself becomes more efficient. Yet many companies approach contract manufacturers in a purely transactional way. They send drawings,

As robotics companies move from prototyping to production, one question they need to answer is whether to assemble their products in-house or outsource to a contract manufacturer. This decision shapes not only cost and lead time but also how scalable, reliable, and competitive their business can become. In-house assembly can offer tighter control and a direct connection between engineering and production. On the other hand, outsourcing assembly to an experienced manufacturing

In manufacturing, even small failures can lead to extended lead times and costly rework. That’s why the best contract manufacturers do not wait for issues to arrive, they are proactive about finding them. PFMEA, or Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, is a structured tool that helps identify and address potential risks in a production process before they impact output. Unlike traditional quality checks that happen after production, PFMEA focuses on preventing problems a