Preliminaries     Prototyping     Manufacturing 

As a client of WTSi, you can expect us to respect your privacy and sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before discussing your project in detail (click to download here: WTSi Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement). We also understand that costs and schedule are premium considerations for our clients and both issues figure heavily into your solution. After reviewing your requirements and discussing your project, we will provide a clear indication on how we think you should proceed - which often includes further clarification of your technical requirements, project schedule, and budget. Ultimately, a schedule with well-defined milestones will be produced for your consideration; at WTSi, we know that success depends on the customer having milestones in the project schedule to gauge success as the project progresses.  Below are some bullet-points for the different types of efforts that WTSi provides. Please use the above menus to locate more detailed descriptions of each type of effort.  Also, please see our consulting page for more specialized services we provide outside of building prototypes and manufacturing product.

PRELIMINARIES

Electronic development projects typically begin with the idea of a physical deliverable, however, building a prototype is not necessarily the definitive starting place.  WTSi can assist with some of the more common preliminary efforts including:

• producing written design requirements,
• researching 'prior art' as it pertains to patent viability of the customer's product,
• producing content for a provisional patent,
• developing a proof-of-concept effort to determine product viability,
• market research as regards product-differention and other topics,
• discussions as regards required/desired/optional features (including their benefits and costs), and
• clarifying the user experience (UX) of the product.

Preliminaries     Prototyping     Manufacturing 

PROTOTYPING

Typical prototype design flow: 

• The customer's written requirements are reviewed and a WTSi provides a draft Statement of Work (SOW) for the customer's review.
• The SOW is updated (as required).  Price, terms, deliverables, and a schedule are agreed upon.  
• Preliminary research and/or proof-of-concept efforts to determine viability of the project (as required)
• Discussion as regards any research and/or proof-of-concept efforts (as required)
• Circuits are designed (and the schematic is captured) with readily available components.
• A BOM (Bill Of Material) is generated and components are ordered.
• Enclosure design and any mechancial assembly designs are initiated (as required)
• Electronic and mechanical efforts are reviewed for "Design For Manufacture" (DFM) and "Design For Test" (DFT) compliance 
• Printed Circuit Board (PCB) layout is completed and bare boards are ordered in prototype quantities.
• Enclosure design is finalized (with finalized PCB outline, mounting holes, etc.)
• 3D-prints of the plastic enclosures are ordered in prototype quantities.
• Embedded code (if required) is initiated while boards are being fabricated.
• Circuit Card Assemblies (CCA) are built in prototype quantities.
• Full product is assembled (3D-printed plastic enclosure, CCA, and any other physical components).
• Board "bring up": assembled boards are debugged as regards electrical design, PCB fabrication, and assembly issues
• Code is debugged and tested against the written requirements
• All design files are updated to reflect any modifications to the prototype circuit board.
• On final payment, the customer owns all source design files: schematic, BOM, PCB layout files, gerbers, embedded source code, FPGA design. Now any contract manufacture can manufacture your production boards.

Preliminaries     Prototyping     Manufacturing 

MANUFACTURING & TURNKEY SOLUTIONS

At WTSi, we are dedicated to helping you with all aspects of your electronic product development solution from concept to full-functioning prototypes.  Additionally, we will also help you identify your vendors (and manage their efforts) in your transition from electronic product prototypes into high-volume production.  WTSi can also help you migrate from any existing vendors to new vendors.  WTSi is also prepared to deliver turnkey solutions on a customer-by-customer basis.  Rather than helping you identify and manage your manufacturing vendors,  WTSi can  also provide a quote to independently manage all your third-party manufacturing vendors for a turnkey solution - from PCB fabrication to testing, packaging, and shipping your product. These vendor efforts include:

• fabrication of injection molds,
• injection molding,
• PCB fabrication,
• circuit card assembly and test,
• box or product assembly,
• pre-packaging product test,
• packaging, and
• shipping.

Preliminaries     Prototyping     Manufacturing 

CONTACT WTSi