The Hardware Path https://thehardwarepath.com/ A plain-language guide to developing a physical product en A prototype's unit cost is not the production unit costhttps://thehardwarepath.com/guides/prototype-cost-vs-production-cost/https://thehardwarepath.com/guides/prototype-cost-vs-production-cost/Thu, 12 Nov 2026 12:00:00 +0000Why prototype parts cost ten to forty times more than production parts, a worked sheet-metal bracket example, how tooling and quantity drive the gap. Why nobody can quote a new product up fronthttps://thehardwarepath.com/guides/why-nobody-can-quote-a-product-up-front/https://thehardwarepath.com/guides/why-nobody-can-quote-a-product-up-front/Thu, 12 Nov 2026 12:00:00 +0000Why engineering firms cannot price a whole new product at the start, what the uncertainty curve is, what plus-or-minus 20% really means.