WHAT THE PATH LOOKS LIKE
One shop from first print to first paid order.
The gap that kills inventor programs is the handoff between the prototype shop and the production shop. Different vendors, different files, different assumptions. We close that gap by carrying the part through both stages under one roof, then handing off a package a production supplier can build from.
PROTOTYPES ON OUR FLOOR
Five processes, one building.
FDM, SLA, and SLS additive, urethane casting, and CNC machining, all on our floor in Auburn Hills. The engineer who modeled your part walks to the machine that builds it, so a fit problem found on Tuesday is a revised print on Wednesday.
LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION
First real orders without tooling debt.
Low-volume runs come off our floor or through vetted supply chain partners we have qualified on Tier 1 work. Urethane casting and CNC bridge the gap between prototype and hard tooling, so you can fill first orders and prove demand before committing tooling money.
HANDOFF PACKAGE
Everything your production supplier needs.
When volume justifies a dedicated production supplier, you leave with released drawings, full native CAD, inspection documentation, and PPAP support if your buyer requires it. The package is built so a supplier can quote and build without a phone call to us.
HOW A PART MOVES TO PRODUCTION
Prototype to supplier, in four steps.
Each step has a defined exit criterion. You decide at each gate whether to continue, pause, or take the package elsewhere. You own it either way.
Prototype
Working parts in FDM, SLA, SLS, urethane casting, or CNC on our floor. Fast iterations against the requirement.
Verify
Fit, function, and tolerance checks documented against the drawing. Design revised until the part passes, not until it looks done.
Low-volume run
First production quantities from our shop or vetted partners. Inspection documentation on every lot.
Scale to supplier
Released drawing package, native CAD, and PPAP support hand your product to a high-volume supplier without rework.
WHY ONE SHOP MATTERS
Every vendor handoff is a place your program can stall. We removed the worst one.
The typical inventor path runs through three or four unrelated vendors: a design freelancer, a print bureau, a machine shop, then a contract manufacturer, each one re-interpreting files made by the last. Every handoff adds weeks, and the errors surface at the most expensive stage. On our programs the prototype and the low-volume run happen in the same building, driven by the same engineers, against the same drawing set.
We are a design and engineering firm, not a high-volume manufacturer, and the path is built around that honesty. Our floor carries you from first print through first paid orders, and when your volume outgrows us, the release package moves your product to a production supplier we help you qualify. Engagement is fixed-fee where scope is clear, time and materials where it is exploratory, or a hybrid. First conversation is free. Mechanical only, external medical devices only, no implants.
Brian Smith, Director of Engineering
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions and answers
How do I go from prototype to production?
The part moves through four gates: a working prototype on our floor, verification of fit, function, and tolerance against the drawing, a low-volume run with inspection documentation on every lot, then a released package that hands the product to a high-volume supplier. Each gate has a defined exit criterion, and you decide at each one whether to continue, pause, or take the package elsewhere. You own it either way.
What is bridge tooling or low-volume production?
Low-volume production fills first real orders without tooling debt. Urethane casting and CNC machining bridge the gap between prototype parts and hard tooling, so you can ship to early customers and prove demand before committing tooling money. Runs come off our floor in Auburn Hills or through supply chain partners we have qualified on Tier 1 work.
Does ADAPT run production volumes?
We are a design and engineering firm, not a high-volume manufacturer, and the path is built around that honesty. Our floor carries a part from first print through first paid orders using FDM, SLA, and SLS additive, urethane casting, and CNC machining. When volume outgrows us, the release package moves your product to a production supplier we help you qualify.
When do I need to switch from prototypes to production tooling?
When annual volume makes a dedicated production supplier cheaper than low-volume processes, which is the point the handoff package is built for. That package includes released drawings, full native CAD, inspection documentation, and PPAP support if your buyer requires it, assembled so a supplier can quote and build without a phone call to us.
TALK TO AN ENGINEER
Tell us what you are building.
Send the program brief. An engineer on our team will read it and respond within one business day. Not a sales coordinator. Not a routing form.