From prototype to Kickstarter to production

Many PCB manufacturers refrain from launching their products on Kickstarter due to the complexities involved. The traditional PCB developers require a minimal order of a few thousand to start the prototyping process. The feasibilities of manufacturing work out only with bulk production as huge investments are involved. Therefore, the cost of developing few prototypes for a Kickstarter seems too high.

Kickstarter product manufacturing

Kickstarter is an excellent platform for launching creative, design, and technology products. A working prototype for PCB electronics is a major component of any Kickstarter project. In some cases, though, factors like large processing time, massive budgets, and complex manufacturing procedures, might enable a product to reach the Kickstarter platform.

Cloud manufacturing is a boon for Kickstarter prototypes, especially for electronic products. Using this technology, the Kickstarter creator can upload his/her designs using online software and order the exact number of prototypes he/she requires. The manufacturer takes care of the production and shipping procedure. The quotes can be received immediately and the production process is speedy.

The PCB prototyping can be easily done within the US, making the project more cost effective and quick. With more in-house production of PCB prototypes, the costs of production have also become competitive. A competent cloud manufacturer will provide timely services and install an online portal that showcases the progress of his work. The project creator can easily track the progress of his production.

With Kickstarter manufacturing, the project creator does not have to take the manufacturing and inventory handling responsibilities. Some manufacturers even provide an API where customers can easily place their orders and the product gets immediately dispatched. This way the creator can easily concentrate on the design and innovation of his PCB electronic business.

Cloud manufacturing for PCB electronics

A Kickstarter creator requiring PCB electronics can upload the designs and get immediate quotes for their PCB products. This new league of cloud manufacturers accept the orders online and initiate the manufacturing process in a speedy and effective way. These manufacturers can combine small orders of creators and combine them with other bulk orders to reduce the production costs. And if the PCB campaign kicks off, these manufacturers can increase the production capacity immediately.

Your PCB partner can provide a catalog of House Parts which comprises of common items that the vendors offer for optimum prices. This catalog reduces the search time and saves on costs. A PCB electronics partner will provide sophisticated assembly service of your components and package and ship them when an order is placed. The top-class PCB manufacturers have superior software with an integrated ERP system to make the customer experience and order processing a fluid procedure.

The right PCB electronic manufacturer will not only produce your orders at a competitive price and short turnaround rates, they will ensure the consistency of quality. Some vendors offer various stages of PCB testing operations. The best in the industry offer a transparent tracking system. The creator can track the work progress, manage his accounting, judge the quality of his product, and track orders in real time.

PCB prototyping

For a Kickstarter campaign to reach its optimum goal, the role of a PCB service partner is crucial. The service provider should provide a seamless procedure of production, assembly, and shipping. As a project creator, once you receive the funds to start your project, the PCB partner's role should take over from there.

Some manufacturers like MacroFab offer online rapid PCB prototyping where you can monitor the manufacturing processes in real-time. They integrate small orders with bulk volumes of production, thereby reducing costs considerably.

With MacroFab, you can upload your design and other order requirements and get the quotes instantly. Their handy user-interface enables the creator to judge the advancements in production at every stage and can be updated about the advancements via email. You can ship your product parts to them and manage your inventory online. The storage is secure and warehouses are attached to the manufacturing units, thus reducing transit time and costs. They also provide multiple shipping options and provide the best deals from shipping carriers.

It is best for Kickstarter project creators to choose a PCB electronics manufacturer which has an advanced API system. Ideally, it should be sophisticated enough to allow you to manage the prototyping process and integrate all aspects of resource planning, seamless production, monitoring and e-commerce systems. If you are launching a Kickstarter campaign for the first time and have never worked with PCB manufacturers before it is extremely efficient to choose one which has all of those technologies built into one platform.