Prototype vs Production: the Crucial Differences
- Jul 16
- 7 min read
In the industrial design and manufacturing industries, products are developed in 7 stages. The focus of this article is to explore three critical stages: prototyping, batch production, and mass production. Understanding the differences between these stages is essential for inventors and entrepreneurs who are developing their new products.
This article will explain the differences between prototyping, production, and mass production. To speak to one of our Perth product designers or engineers, contact us by email or through our contact form.
Contents:
In Summary:
Product designers and inventors use prototypes to test whether an idea will work effectively. Separately, final products are manufactured at scale to be used and enjoyed by customers.
In addition, the differences between prototyping and final production can include:
The total cost of this stage
The cost per unit, which will be much higher for prototypes
The materials used
The production method and technology
The strength and mechanical properties of the product
Factor | Prototype | Production |
Goal of stage | Test your design or product to see how well it functions and what changes may be required. | Manufacture your products in an efficient way so you can use or sell them. |
Quantity | One or a small number of prototypes | Tens, hundreds, thousands, up to millions |
Total cost of stage | Usually lower as quantities are smaller | Usually higher overall if quantities are high |
Cost per unit | Much higher cost per unit as there are no economies of scale or automation | Lower - anywhere from 10c to tens of thousands of dollars per unit |
Material purchasing | Usually small quantities | Bulk purchasing |
Tooling investment for manufacturing process | Usually low or minimal (e.g. 3D printing) | Can be a substantial cost (e.g. injection moulding) |
Design changes | Relatively easy compared to later stages | Expensive and time consuming |
Process efficiency | Limited or no optimisation | Optimised for cost and speed |
The Prototype Stage
One of the primary stages in the product development process is prototyping. The main purposes of this stage are to decide whether the project is feasible, and fix any problems.
What is a Prototype?
A prototype is an early version of a proposed product or part. It is used to test and fix any problems in the design or idea. There are many types of prototypes including:
Sketches
Homemade Creations
Professional Functional Prototypes
Display or Form Prototypes
You might use all four methods of prototyping when developing your product. In your spare time, you might sketch out a design for an awesome product. Next, you might create a rough prototype using materials found at home.
After you test out your product, and you want to explore the idea further, you can bring your experiments to a product design and development company. That’s where Idea to Life comes in.
At Idea to Life, we create functional prototypes that test a product’s functionality and user experience. A functional prototype is an excellent way to get proof of concept for a part before manufacturing, and test whether a mechanical function works correctly.
As prototyping is often an interactive process, the stage is tightly interlinked with product design. If you’re in that stage of the process, discover more about Idea to Life's product design process.
Once a final functional prototype has been created and undergone rigorous testing, it guides the rest of the product development process.
The final prototype you may make is a display or dummy prototype. These are focused on the final fit, finish and form of the product.
In this type of prototype we use various prototyping techniques to replicate mass manufacturing process finishes, therefore making the prototype look exactly like the final product.
Display prototypes can be fantastic marketing tools, critical for garnering attention around your product and driving orders to propel production.
What Makes a Prototype Different From Final Production?
One primary difference between a prototype and a final product is the materials used. Commonly, a working prototype is 3D printed using plastic, while final products are manufactured using many different processes. As 3D printing is relatively quick, this process is often called rapid prototyping.
Another essential factor to consider is that the cost per unit will be higher in the prototyping stage. This is because few prototypes of each design are made, meaning there are minimal economies of scale. It should also be noted that designing a prototype can be labour intensive and therefore entail a relatively high cost per unit.
However, one benefit of the prototyping stage is that the total cost will be lower, as fewer parts will be made.
Another benefit is that a prototype can be used to gauge the interest of investors or your target market. This will help you increase publicity and decide how many products you want to manufacture in the initial batch.
The Batch Production Stage
Once a final working prototype has been created and validated, you are now ready for the batch production stage. Batch production is when 10-100 products are manufactured, and only occurs once initial designs and prototypes are signed off on. It is always best to fix any problems before progressing to the next stage.
How is Production Different From Prototyping?
There are many differences between the prototyping and production stages. Notably, changes during the production stage can increase time and costs for your project.
Another difference is that a final product’s materials often differ from the prototype. In most cases, final products will be manufactured using advanced plastic or metal processes.
Due to decreased labour costs and increased economies of scale, most production processes will reduce the cost per unit of your product.
Another important factor to remember is that the cost of tooling and setting up the production process can be expensive. This means setup and tooling costs for some processes may not be feasible for small batches. This is why most choose to outsource their manufacturing.
3D printing is often a good option if you’re looking to manufacture small amounts of a product. However, CNC machining, casting, or other processes may be used depending on the size of your production batch. Contact us to learn more about the best manufacturing method for your product idea.
During the production stage, Idea to Life works with our sister companies: Adarsh Australia, PG Watson, and Afaridan Plastics. These companies are specialists in various manufacturing processes, and can create high-quality end-use products.
The Mass Production Stage
Manufacturers may use the term “mass production” when manufacturing thousands of standardised products. By this stage, only small details, if any, should have to be changed.
How is Mass Production Different From Batch Production?
The difference in classification between production and mass production is primarily due to the number of products being manufactured. In the mass production stage, economies of scale can be increased, and costs per unit can be reduced further.
Additionally, manufacturing is often completed overseas to reduce labour costs.
Depending on your financial investment and the size of your target market, not every product is best suited for mass production. This is because the total cost required for mass production is significant, especially when compared to creating prototypes.
Prototype Cost vs Production Cost
Prototype costs and production costs are evaluated differently because each stage has a different purpose. Prototyping focuses on testing, learning and improving the design, while production focuses on repeatability, efficiency and reducing the cost per unit.
A prototype will usually have a higher cost per unit because the design, setup and manufacturing costs are spread across only one or a small number of parts. Production normally requires a greater upfront investment, but the cost per unit can decrease significantly as larger quantities are manufactured.
The main factors that influence prototype and production costs include:
Product Design, Engineering, and 3D Modelling
Early-stage product development requires research, concept development, engineering, 3D modelling (CAD) and Design for Manufacture (DFM). These costs are a part of the prototyping stage as the design is still being developed and refined.
Before production begins, additional work may also be required to improve manufacturability, reduce material use, simplify assembly and ensure the product can be produced reliably.
Prototype Manufacturing Process
Prototype manufacturing methods are usually selected for speed and flexibility rather than the lowest possible unit cost. Common methods include 3D printing, CNC machining, laser cutting, fabrication, vacuum casting and hand assembly.
These processes allow small quantities to be manufactured without investing in expensive production tooling. However, the cost of each prototype may be much higher than the eventual production cost per unit.
Testing and Design Revisions
Prototypes are often tested for fit, function, strength, usability, appearance and regulatory compliance. The results may lead to further design changes and additional prototype iterations.
This testing adds cost during the development stage, but it can prevent more expensive problems once the product enters production. Identifying an issue before tooling is manufactured is generally much cheaper than correcting it after production has started.
Materials, Setup, Tooling, and Assembly
Prototyping materials are often more expensive due to small purchase quantities or the use of substitute materials for testing. In production, materials can typically be sourced in bulk at lower cost and optimised for performance, manufacturability and reduced waste.
Manufacturing processes such as CNC machining require setup, programming and calibration regardless of quantity. For prototypes, these costs are applied to a small number of parts, while in production they are spread across larger volumes, reducing the cost per unit.
Large scale production may also require dedicated tooling, jigs and fixtures to improve speed, consistency and quality. Although these introduce higher upfront costs, they enable more efficient manufacturing and lower unit costs over larger production runs.
Prototype assembly is often completed manually and may take longer because the process has not yet been optimised. Production assembly can be improved through better component design, dedicated fixtures, standardised work instructions and greater repetition. These improvements can reduce assembly time and lower the cost per unit.
Minimum Order Quantities
Some manufacturers and suppliers have minimum order quantities for materials, components, packaging or production runs. This can increase the initial cost of moving into production, particularly when the first order is relatively small.
Larger order quantities may reduce the unit cost, but they also require greater upfront spending.
Overall, prototype costs are generally higher per unit because they include development, setup, testing and design changes across a small number of parts. Production costs usually involve a relatively large initial investment in tooling, materials and manufacturing preparation, but these costs can be spread across a greater quantity.
The most cost-effective approach is to use prototyping to resolve design and manufacturing issues before committing to production tooling and larger orders.
Prototype vs Production: The Key Difference
The key difference between prototyping and production is that prototyping is used to test the feasibility of a design or product. In contrast, production increases manufacturing batch amounts and reduces the cost per unit.
In other words, prototype development has a small total cost compared to production or mass production. However, the production stages are more cost-effective when manufacturing many high-quality products ready for mass markets.
To learn more, speak to one of our engineers about your product idea.