Prototype to Production: NPI With One Supplier
Four stages from first drawing to stable volume: design support, prototype verification, low-volume bridge, volume and packaging. Programs and inspection records carry forward, so no stage restarts the learning.
Four Stages, One Supplier
Most machining shops quote you stage one or stage four, not the road between. KGL's route runs through four named stages: design support, prototype verification, low-volume bridge, and stable volume with packaging. The point is not the vocabulary; it is that programs, fixtures and inspection records carry forward, so each stage inherits the confidence of the last.
The Four Stages in Detail
| Stage | What happens | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Design support | DFM review on your drawing: tolerance realism, material selection, finish callouts, fixturing plan | written feedback with the quote, within 24 hours |
| 2. Prototype verification | 1 to 10 pieces in 7 to 15 days, CMM report against the drawing | parts plus dimensional data for your design review |
| 3. Low-volume bridge | 10 to 1000 pieces on the same programs, AQL sampling, FAI per AS9102 on request | stable batches while your product finds its market |
| 4. Volume and packaging | Multi-machine scheduling, agreed inspection plan, your packaging and labels | production batches with the documentation chain intact |
Where Your Program Enters
| Program type | Entry point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New product development | all four stages | single supplier, single quality system |
| Design iteration cycles | stages 1 to 2 looping | fast re-cuts, no supplier switching |
| Crowdfunding and market pilots | stages 2 to 3 | batch sizes flex with demand |
| Stable products | stages 3 to 4 | rolling schedules, volume pricing |
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Stages | Design support, prototype verification, low-volume bridge, volume and packaging |
| Continuity | Programs, fixtures and inspection records filed under the part number across all stages |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm standard, ±0.002 mm on critical 5-axis features, same at every stage |
| Documentation | Quote with DFM feedback, CMM reports, FAI per AS9102 on request, AQL batch acceptance |
A concrete pattern: on a humanoid robot joint program we machine 6061-T6 housings and covers in one customer's line and steel counterparts in black oxide, eleven part numbers at a hundred pieces each, with balloon-charted inspection items and laser-engraved serials. That program started as single-digit prototypes; the reason it scaled without a supplier change is the stage discipline above.
Related pages: low volume CNC machining for the bridge economics, rapid prototyping for stage two, case studies for programs that walked this road.
Cross entrances: by industry | by material | start with a quote.
Prototype to Production FAQ
What does NPI support actually include?
Design-for-manufacturing feedback on the first drawing, tolerance and material reconciliation, prototype batches with full measurement data, then a production route that reuses the validated programs. You keep one supplier conversation from first cut to stable volume.
How do you avoid the classic prototype-to-production gap?
The gap appears when prototypes run on one machine set and production on another. We run both on the same production machines and keep the fixture programs and inspection records filed, so batch two behaves like batch one at any size.
At what volume should we move from CNC to molding?
We quote both honestly. Roughly: below a thousand pieces CNC usually wins; past several thousand identical parts, molding amortizes. Between those poles it depends on geometry, and the quote shows the crossover instead of hiding it.
Can you package and ship production batches per our labels?
Yes, production packaging follows your labels, trays or carton spec, and batches ship with inspection documentation per the agreed AQL plan.
Send Your Drawing
Quote with engineering feedback within 24 hours; prototypes in 7 to 15 days.
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