MPS Hardware, a manufacturer of custom nylon and polypropylene straps announced the availability of a service that provides free prototypes for any maker launching a Kickstarter campaign.
“We want to make it easy for Kickstarter makers to fast-track prototype development and fund-raising,” said Doug Polomsky, of MPS Hardware. “We want to help makers rapidly test ideas with consumers, build stronger supply chains and prove their concepts faster with backers. And, frankly, it is far easier to raise funds on Kickstarter when there is a prototype. Without a prototype, it’s only a concept. It can be difficult to get people to commit to your idea. With a prototype in hand, the concept instantly becomes real.”
For Kickstarter success, especially with items to be manufactured at scale, a working prototype is essential as there are huge advantages to trying several variations of a part so that fit and usability issues can be resolved before going to manufacturing. While nylon webbing is hardly innovative, any new product that needs to be carried or secured will require custom straps – and because it is used in so many different products, custom webbing is as much a critical part of the supply chain as any other part of the product.
In a Quora forum about prototyping, David Shaw, an industrial designer and founder of Metaform Product Development, suggests that “funding to get to a demonstrable pre-production prototype is essential to be able to impressively convey the merits of the product and to do accurate calculations/projections and decide the pricing, delivery, etc. Then, there’s the funding needed to push the designed/engineered product specifications through actual tooling and manufacturing which is where crowdfunding comes into play.”
For more information about MPS Hardware’s Free Custom Webbing Prototype Program, please contact (847) 350-6992 or visit MPSHardware.com for inquiries on all your custom nylon strap needs.
