Matt,i’am a tool and die maker with an onsite machine shop, no CNC, only manual machines,i can quote you a price on fabricated parts and assembly work done at a very good price.Check my ref. bio at edison nation website. You may contact me at Kmith@carolina.rr.com or call the great carolinas at 704-854-8384 between 1:00-6:00pm eastern time. Thanks

Try: Quickparts.com for rapid prototyping. You just need a CAD (.stl) file of your design.

If you need a great mechanical designer to sketch up your idea in CAD and provide you with the (.stl) file that you need for Quickparts.com try Design Interface, Inc in Maryland. Call (410) 861-9077 ask for Billy Mamakos.

Once you have the .stl file you can upload it to Quickparts and they will tell you how much your rapid prototype will cost instantly! I’ve used both of these vendors in the past and they are both awesome!

Prototype normally made by CNC machining, hand polish, and painting. And only several pieces, you know, during prototype, the machine set up need time, materail arrange also need time and there will be some waste.
But the actual products be made by tooling, injection & casting or thers. So, that is why prototype cost a lot but actual price is much lower.
But prototype sometimes is a needed to test your design, so you have to do it before switch into mass production.

Something you may want to consider doing also…I formed a company to loan money to that covers and records the expenses of my ideas. For example one patent I have over 100K loaned out…patent fees, attorney fees, R&D, multiple drawings, multiple prototypes, travel meeting manufacturers and tooling companies. So if I decide to get investors or sell part ownership these loans are on the books and payable back to me with interest.

Some times it depends on your future relationship with the company makeing the prototype. Because I agreed to have the fabrication shop do the manufacturing, they did the prototypeing for only a couple hundred more than the cost of the finished product.

Look around for someone who has the capability to do your manufacturing as well as your prototyping.

Hello Matt,

Welcome Matt,
Many years ago I paid a prototyping company $1,000. to make a plastic drawing tool for me. They were nice, very professional and did a good job. The prototype was made from several individually handmade, carefully crafted/machined parts, all of which had to be initially drafted to spec. Afterwards I spent thousands more to have an injection mold made based on the prototypes function. With the mold made, a hopper full of little plastic beads were melted and injected into the mold at just a matter of seconds each. With a little assembly my two dollar parts were ready for pickup.
This of course is just one example and I have learned a few short cuts in prototyping since, but I hope this helps.