A prototype works. The team signs it off. Everyone feels confident.
Then production starts, and unexpected failures appear.
Why does this happen?
In this episode, Adrian is joined by Paul Adams, the Sofeast Group's Head of New Product Development, to discuss the gap between prototype and production. This is part one of a two-part discussion on why working prototypes can still fail once products move toward mass production.
Paul explains why prototypes and production units are often not the same thing, even when they look identical. The episode covers five areas where important changes can creep in:
Components
Firmware
Suppliers and factories
Tolerances and process variation
Validation basis
The key point is simple:
A prototype proves the concept. Production proves the process.
Understanding that difference helps hardware teams, product developers, and importers avoid painful surprises when moving from a successful prototype to production.
In part two, next week, we’ll continue the discussion by looking at common real-world failure patterns, including component swaps, firmware tidy-ups, factory transfers, and how a structured NPI process helps close the gap.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction: why working prototypes can still fail
02:09 Prototypes and production units are not the same thing
03:46 The gap between prototype and production
04:23 Five things that change before production
04:36 1 - Components: prototype parts vs production parts
09:17 2 - Firmware: why prototype code is not production-ready
12:03 3 - Suppliers and factories: why process knowledge gets lost
16:50 4 - Tolerances and process variation
19:54 5 - Validation basis: What exactly was tested?
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Sofeast. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Sofeast och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
