PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
Expert Prototype Development
Build, Test, & Refine Your Product
From proof-of-concept to production-ready — Synectic's prototype developers help you validate your design, impress stakeholders, and reach manufacturing with confidence.
WHAT WE DO
Prototype Development That Bridges Concept and Production
Prototype development is the structured process of building and refining early versions of your product to validate performance, usability, and manufacturability. It’s where ideas become tangible — and where expensive manufacturing mistakes get caught before they happen.
At Synectic, we’ve developed thousands of prototypes across medical devices, consumer products, capital equipment, and defense applications over 40+ years. We don’t just fabricate parts — we conduct first article inspections, assemble complete units, test against your product specification, and iterate until your design is ready for production.
Because we’re vertically integrated with the Mack Group, every prototype we build is developed with manufacturing in mind from the start. Design for manufacturing principles are applied throughout, so the path from final prototype to production tooling is direct — no translation gap, no surprises.
THE MACK GROUP ADVANTAGE
Seamless transition from prototyping to manufacturing
Synectic Product Development
Mack Prototype
Mack Technologies
Mack Molding
FABRICATION METHODS
In-House Prototyping Capabilities
We use an extensive array of prototyping methods — selected based on your material requirements, tolerances, lead time, and production intent. All fabrication is performed in-house, giving us direct control over quality and turnaround.
3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing)
The fastest and most cost-effective method for early-stage prototypes. Ideal for checking form, fit, and basic function. We use FDM, SLA, and SLS processes depending on the required surface finish, material properties, and detail level.
Best for: Early concepts
Fast turnaround
Low cost
CNC Machining
Precision subtractive machining for functional metal and plastic prototypes. CNC machined parts closely replicate production intent in materials and tolerances — making them ideal for structural testing, thermal analysis, and regulatory verification activities.
Best for: Functional testing
High precision
Metal & plastic
Urethane Casting
An excellent bridge between 3D printing and injection molding. Urethane casting produces small runs of durable, production-quality parts using silicone molds — perfect for beta units, investor demos, and pre-production validation without tooling cost.
Best for: Small production runs
Production-quality finish
No tooling required
Silicone Molding
Used for flexible components, overmolds, seals, and soft-touch elements. Silicone molding allows us to prototype parts that would otherwise require expensive production tooling — validating ergonomics and material behavior before committing to manufacturing.
Best for: Flexible parts
Seals & gaskets
Ergonomic testing
PROTOTYPE TYPES
The Right Prototype for Every Stage of Development
Not all prototypes serve the same purpose. We match the prototype type to your development stage, budget, and validation objectives — avoiding over-engineering early and under-engineering late.
Proof-of-Concept Prototype
Looks-Like Prototype
Works-Like Prototype
Production Prototype
OUR PROCESS
How Our Prototype Development Process Works
Our prototype development process is structured, documented, and aligned with your long-term manufacturing objectives — so every iteration brings you closer to a production-ready design, not further from it.
Define Objectives
Identify what questions the prototype needs to answer. Clarify performance goals, intended users, and validation requirements.
Design & CAD
Create or refine detailed CAD models and drawings. Conduct digital simulation where appropriate to reduce physical iterations.
Fabricate
Select the right prototyping method and materials. Fabricate parts and conduct first article inspection (FAI) to verify accuracy.
Assemble & Test
Assemble components into a complete prototype. Execute approved test protocols against your product specification.
Iterate & Transfer
Refine based on test results. Repeat until design is validated and ready for manufacturing transfer.
PROTOTYPE TESTING
Identify Design Flaws Before They Reach Manufacturing
Testing is built into every stage of our prototype development process — not added at the end. We employ multiple test methods depending on your product category, regulatory requirements, and validation objectives.
Bench Testing
Controlled lab testing of mechanical function, structural integrity, material performance, and assembly. Verifies design outputs meet design inputs under simulated use conditions.
Mechanical Testing
Stress, fatigue, load, and durability testing to confirm structural performance. Critical for devices and products that must withstand real-world forces and repeated use cycles.
Computer Simulation (FEA/CFD)
Finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics to predict performance before physical testing. Reduces the number of physical iterations needed and catches structural issues early.
In Vivo & In Vitro Testing
For medical device prototypes requiring biological or clinical validation. In vitro testing uses simulated tissue or controlled environments; in vivo testing confirms performance in real-world use conditions.
THE FULL JOURNEY
Prototype Development is Only One Part of the Journey
Once your prototype is validated and performing against the spec, the next phase is new product introduction — DFM review, tooling, supplier sourcing, and pre-production builds. Then production through the Mack Group. The same Synectic team that built your prototype stays with it all the way to the production floor.
Need a partner for the full journey?
WHY SYNECTIC
Why Companies Choose Synectic for Prototype Development
There’s no shortage of prototyping shops. What sets Synectic apart is what happens after the prototype — and the manufacturing foresight we bring to every part we build.
Manufacturing Built Into Every Prototype
Through our Mack Group integration, our prototype developers work alongside manufacturing engineers from day one. DFM principles are applied throughout, so your design doesn't have to be re-engineered when it's time to scale.
Multiple Fabrication Methods Under One Roof
3D printing, CNC machining, urethane casting, and silicone molding — all in-house. We select the right method for each prototype stage rather than defaulting to whatever single process a shop happens to offer.
Extensive Prototyping Expertise
With 40+ years of prototype development experiences, we understand user requirements, material constraints, and the documentation standards required for regulatory submissions.
First Article Inspection on Every Build
Every prototype we fabricate goes through a first article inspection to verify dimensional accuracy before assembly. This catches tooling and fabrication errors early — before they become embedded in your design.
Testing Against Approved Protocols
We don't just build prototypes — we test them against your Product Development Specification using approved test protocols. Results are documented and used to drive design decisions, not just filed away.
Cross-Industry Experience
Medical devices, consumer products, capital equipment, defense — we've prototyped across virtually every product category. That breadth means we bring solutions and material alternatives your single-industry shop may never have considered.
PORTFOLIO HIGHLIGHTS
Products We've Prototyped and Brought to Market
Every product below started as a prototype at Synectic and went on to full production. From medical devices to consumer products and capital equipment.
Hemodialysis Catheter Repair Kit
Premium Walking Cane
Soft Serve System
Pediatric Surgical Stapler
Police Impact Baton Family
Self-Checkout System
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
What Our Clients Say
Synectic Engineering is my go to outsourcing option for everything from research, phase 0 initial concept development through complete product development services.
You guys have been the best partners we could have hoped for to bring our projects to life.
I have worked on and off with SYNECTIC for over twenty-five years, with the same group of engineers! Consistency, quality of engineering, and retention of past DHF’s is 2nd to none.
We have been working with Synectic through the entire development of our medical device. The company and team have been an integral part of our progress.
FAQ
Prototype Development - Common Questions
What is prototype development?
Prototype development is the structured process of designing, building, and refining early versions of a product to validate performance, usability, and manufacturability. It bridges the gap between concept and production by transforming ideas into working models that can be tested and improved. Each prototype iteration builds clarity, reduces risk, and informs the engineering decisions that carry through to final production.
How long does prototype development take
In our experience, prototype development typically takes a few weeks to several months — though complex capital equipment or novel technology can take longer. Key factors include design complexity, the prototyping method used, material and resource availability, and the level of detail and testing required. We work with you upfront to set realistic timelines based on your specific product and development stage.
What is prototyping?
Prototyping is the process of creating early versions of a product to evaluate design, functionality, and performance before full-scale manufacturing. It allows product teams to test ideas in a tangible way, reducing uncertainty and guiding engineering decisions. Prototyping can involve physical models, digital simulations, or a combination of both. The goal is to gather meaningful data that informs design improvements and prepares the product for production.
Why is prototyping important?
Prototyping is important because it surfaces problems early — when they’re inexpensive to fix — rather than after tooling has been cut or production has begun. A design flaw discovered in a 3D printed prototype costs a fraction of the same flaw discovered in a first production run. Prototyping also gives stakeholders, investors, and regulatory reviewers something tangible to evaluate, which is often essential for moving a project forward.
What prototyping methods do you offer?
We offer 3D printing (FDM, SLA, SLS), CNC machining, urethane casting, and silicone molding — all in-house. We select the right method based on your prototype’s purpose, required material properties, tolerances, and production intent. For early concept validation, 3D printing is typically fastest and most cost-effective. For functional testing and regulatory verification, CNC machined or cast parts more closely replicate final production intent.
What is rapid prototyping?
Rapid prototyping is a product development method that uses advanced digital tools and fast fabrication processes to quickly create physical models of a design. It allows teams to evaluate form, fit, and function early in development without waiting for full production tooling. This approach relies on technologies such as 3D printing, CNC machining, and digital simulation to accelerate design validation. By reducing the time required to build and test iterations, rapid prototyping helps teams refine products efficiently while maintaining engineering rigor.
What is 3D prototyping?
3D prototyping uses additive manufacturing to build physical parts directly from a CAD model, layer by layer. We offer FDM, SLA, and SLS depending on the material properties, surface finish, and detail level your prototype requires. 3D printing is typically the fastest and most cost-effective method for early concept validation and form and fit testing, though it may not replicate the material properties of final production parts.
What is a protoype?
A prototype is an early version of a product built to test a concept, validate functionality, or evaluate design before full-scale production. It allows engineers, designers, and stakeholders to explore how a product will look, feel, and perform in the real world. Prototypes can range from simple visual mockups to fully functional pre-production units. The purpose is not perfection but to learn. By building and testing a prototype, teams can identify risks, refine performance, and improve manufacturability before investing in tooling and large production runs.
What is the purpose of a prototype?
A prototype’s purpose is to answer a specific question about your product before you commit to tooling or full-scale production. That question might be about form — does this feel right in the hand? It might be about function — does this mechanism work as designed? Or it might be about manufacturability — can this part be produced at cost and quality targets? Each prototype iteration should be built with a clear test objective in mind. Building prototypes without defined success criteria is one of the most common ways development timelines and budgets expand unnecessarily.
What is an example of a prototype?
A prototype can range from a rough 3D printed shell used to validate form and ergonomics, to a fully functional assembly used for performance and regulatory testing. For example, an early-stage medical device prototype might be a machined aluminum housing with off-the-shelf electronics to test the mechanical concept, while a later-stage prototype would use production-representative materials and pass through design verification testing. The right example depends entirely on the stage of development and what question the prototype is intended to answer.
What is a paper prototype?
A paper prototype is a low-fidelity representation of a product or interface, typically used in the earliest stages of concept development to test ideas quickly before committing to CAD or physical parts. It’s most common in software and UX design. For hardware products, we typically move to 3D printed or breadboard prototypes at the concept validation stage rather than paper models, though rough foam or cardboard mockups serve a similar purpose for evaluating form and ergonomics early on.
What is a high-fidelity prototype?
A high-fidelity prototype closely replicates the final product in form, fit, and function — using production-representative materials, finishes, and components where possible. These are used for regulatory testing, user studies, and design validation, where the prototype needs to behave as close to the real product as possible. High-fidelity prototypes are typically built later in the development cycle after lower-fidelity iterations have already validated the core concept.
How many prototype iterations will I need?
The number of iterations depends on your product’s complexity, the findings from each round of testing, and how clearly your design requirements were defined at the start. Simple products may require 2–3 iterations. Complex mechanical devices or medical products often require 5 or more. We recommend planning for multiple iterations from a budget and timeline perspective — iteration is not a sign of problems, it’s the core mechanism by which prototyping reduces manufacturing risk.
What industries do you prototype for?
We prototype across medical devices, consumer products, capital equipment, commercial products, and defense applications. Our cross-industry experience means we bring material and manufacturing solutions from one domain into another — often finding better, faster, or less expensive approaches that a single-industry shop would never consider.
Can you prototype medical devices?
Yes. Medical device prototyping is one of our core specialties. We are ISO 13485:2016 certified, and our prototype development process follows FDA design control requirements under 21 CFR Part 820. We select biocompatible materials, conduct sterilization-compatible assembly, document all prototype testing in your Design History File (DHF), and execute approved test protocols for verification activities. We support Class I, II, and III device prototyping.
How do you get a prototype made?
The process starts with a CAD model of your product — either one you bring to us or one we develop during the design phase. From there, we select the appropriate prototyping method based on your timeline, material needs, and what the prototype needs to demonstrate. We handle fabrication through our in-house capabilities and our partnership with Mack Prototype, then assemble, test, and iterate until the prototype meets the requirements outlined in your product development specification.
Ready to Build Your Prototype
Tell us about your project and we’ll recommend the right prototyping approach, timeline, and next steps. No commitment required.