What you get, step by step

1. 1

   Request

   We read your request and look up what is public about your product.

   You get: A free first look at your production run within two business days, and a few times to talk.

2. 2

   Call

   We hear what you are making, where it is stuck, how many you need and by when.

   You get: What it takes to bring your product to production, and typical cost ranges for runs like yours.

   You decide: Whether to start a production review.

3. 3

   Production review

   We review your design for production, get quotes from partner factories for each process, and plan the run.

   You get: A rendering, an exploded view, a quote by quantity, and a production timeline.

   Price: The first paid step. We agree the price in writing before we start.

   You decide: Go or stop, and how many.

   What a production review looks like

   Fictional sample FS-1 — not a real customer product. A hands-free headset that clips onto a technician's hard hat, taken through step 3.

   See the FS-1 example page for an exploded photo and the assembly video →

   

   

   No.	Part	Qty	Made by
   1	Halo band with slot clips	1	3D printed
   2	Module base	1	Molding
   3	Carrier board	1	PCBA
   4	Compute module	1	Bought module
   5	Heat spreader	1	Bought, aluminum
   6	Camera module	1	Bought module
   7	Camera lens	1	Bought
   8	Speaker	1	Bought
   9	Button switch	2	Bought
   10	Module cap	1	Molding
   11	Fold-down display arm and pod	1	3D printed, display bought
   12	Display window	1	Bought
   13	Tinted eyepiece	1	Bought
   14	Battery pod base	1	Molding
   15	Battery	1	Bought
   16	Charger board	1	PCBA
   17	USB-C charging board	1	PCBA
   18	Battery pod cap	1	Molding

   Quote by quantity · FS-1 hands-free headset

   Example figures

   Issued Oct 29, 2026 · Valid 30 days · US dollars at ₩1,325 · Made in Korea

   A real quote can come in 10–15% higher or lower.

   From the FS-1 brief: 300 units first, then about 3,000 a year. The quote runs that plan on the path we suggest; the table under it prices the same plan with steel from the start.

   Line	1 · First 300 units	2 · Then 3,000 a year
   Housings made by	Aluminum molds	Steel molds
   First units at your warehouse	Week 16	Week 37
   One-time before each run
   Housing molds, 4 parts	$15,125	$22,000
   Board stencils and test fixtures, 3 boards	$2,255	—
   Production board test build, 5 sets	$2,040	—
   Assembly line and box setup	$2,400	$600
   Certification (FCC Part 15B), if you need it	$1,800	—
   One-time total	$23,620	$22,600
   Per unit before shipping
   Housings, 4 parts	$6.90	$3.45
   Compute module, camera and display	$323.84	$273.24
   Boards: carrier, charger, USB-C	$29.10	$19.61
   Battery, speaker, buttons, cables, seals	$21.25	$15.94
   Band and display arm, printed	$32.89	$29.10
   Box, guide and cable	$6.33	$2.78
   Assembly, test and packing	$14.00	$10.40
   Scrap allowance, 2%	$8.69	$7.09
   Unit price before shipping	$443.00	$361.61
   Per unit delivered to your US warehouse
   Freight, duty and customs	$10.05	$1.90
   Landed cost per unit	$453.05	$363.51
   Whole run delivered to your US warehouse
   Total for the run	$159,535	$1,113,130
   Per unit, all in	$531.78	$371.04

   The same plan, two ways to tool

   Line	Aluminum for the first 300, then steel (suggested)	Steel from the first 300
   Molds for the first 300	$15,125	$22,000
   Molds in all, by the 3,000 run	$37,125	$22,000
   First 300 at your warehouse	Week 16	Week 19
   Both runs, delivered	$1,272,665	$1,257,540
   If the first 300 change the design	The steel molds are cut once, to the settled design	The steel molds are reworked, at extra cost and weeks

   Why we suggest aluminum first

   • The splash test, the module's surface temperature and the buttons under gloves are still to be run, so the first 300, in a field trial at two plants, will likely change the housings.
   • Aluminum molds take those changes cheaply, and the steel molds are cut once, to the settled design.
   • The first 300 reach the two plants about three weeks sooner.
   • If the design is already settled, steel from the start costs about $15,100 less in molds.

   • — in the 3,000-a-year column: paid with the first 300 and reused.
   • Duty: 0% at entry (HTS 8517.62, made in Korea), checked Oct 28, 2026.
   • We assume Wi-Fi runs on a radio module with its own FCC approval, such as the compute module's, so the FCC test is Part 15B with a radio spot check.
   • Assembly, test and packing: 35 and 26 minutes a unit.
   • To test demand before any molds, urethane-cast housings add $14,025 in silicone molds and about $25 per unit to the first 300.
   • Battery: 7.4 Wh cells with UN38.3 test reports, so units ship by air or sea without full dangerous-goods handling.

   What can move these numbers

   • Compute module and display: about 66% of the parts, and their prices and lead times follow supplier stock.
   • Resin: a chemical-resistant grade for refinery use, such as a glass-filled one, wears aluminum molds faster and points to steel from the start.
   • Hard hats: the band clips into the accessory slots of the hat models you name; each new model needs a fit check.

   Production timeline · first 300 on aluminum molds, then 3,000 a year on steel

   Example figures

   Weeks from your go04812162024283236

   Design for production weeks 0 to 3

   You start tooling week 3

   Aluminum molds, trial shots, one fix weeks 3 to 9

   You approve the sample from photos week 9

   Board test build, then PCBA weeks 3 to 9

   Pilot run, flown to you to try weeks 9 to 14

   You approve production week 14

   First 300 units, by air weeks 14 to 16

   Field trial at two plants weeks 16 to 20

   Steel molds to the settled design, two fixes weeks 20 to 29

   You approve the steel sample week 29

   3,000 run: build, test, pack weeks 29 to 32

   Ship to the US by sea, customs weeks 32 to 37

   Certification, if you need it weeks 9 to 12

   Longest pathRuns alongsideIf you need itYou decide

   • Steel from the first 300: steel molds take about two weeks longer and usually a second fix, so the first 300 arrive around week 19; the 3,000 run can follow once the field trial is done.
   • A factory holiday inside tooling, such as Lunar New Year in early February, adds about a week.

4. 4

   Production design

   We finish the design for production, from enclosure to PCB. The factory reviews it and firms up the tooling quote.

   You get: The firm tooling quote, and the changes the factory asked for.

   You decide: Start tooling.

5. 5

   Tooling

   We make the molds and run trial shots, fixing them round by round.

   You get: Photos and measurements from each round, and photos of the appearance sample to approve.

   You decide: Approve the sample.

6. 6

   Pilot run

   We build a first batch: parts, assembly and quality checks.

   You get: The first assembled units, flown to you to try, with the first article inspection report and the assembly QC results.

   You decide: Approve production.

7. 7

   Production and delivery

   We produce, inspect, pack and ship.

   You get: Inspection results for each lot, and units at your warehouse.

After launch, reorders and defect reports go through us, and we handle them with the factory.