Stage one: the design

Manufacturing starts from the buyer's design: a drawing, a 3D file, a reference figure, or a description precise enough to produce from, because a design described vaguely cannot be produced precisely, and because a design produced from a vague description will differ from the design the buyer imagined, however good the production is. Provide the design in the fullest form available, with dimensions, colours, materials, and details, because a design given fully can be produced faithfully, while a design given vaguely must be interpreted, and interpretation introduces differences that the buyer did not intend, and that the manufacturer cannot be blamed for, because the manufacturer produced what was given, not what was imagined.

Where a design is a third-party character, copyright belongs to third party, and this site claims no authorisation, licence, or partnership for any such design, and a design whose rights position is unclear cannot be confirmed until it is clear, because producing a third-party design without rights clarity risks the buyer, the manufacturer, and the design's owner, and because a manufacturer who produces without clarity assumes a risk that no order is worth. Provide the design and the rights position, in the inquiry, so the supplier can confirm what can be produced, rather than assuming it from a general capability statement.

Stage two: the prototype

The prototype is the first physical version of the design, made to test whether the design works in three dimensions, whether its proportions, details, and colours match the design, and whether its material suits its use, because a design that looks right on paper may look wrong in physical form, and because a prototype reveals those differences before the mold is made, when correction is cheap, rather than after, when correction requires remaking the mold, at cost, delay, and dispute. Approve the prototype carefully, in person or from photographs and samples, because a prototype approved hastily is a design approved with errors, and because errors approved at prototype stage become errors in mass production, multiplied by the order quantity.

A prototype takes time, because it must be designed, made, finished, and reviewed, and a buyer who rushes the prototype stage will receive a prototype that has not been properly reviewed, and will approve errors that a careful review would have caught. Allow the prototype its time, review it against the design, line by line, detail by detail, and approve it only when it matches, because a prototype approved correctly is a mold made correctly, while a prototype approved hastily is a mold made wrongly, and a mold made wrongly is an order made wrongly.

Stage three: the mold

The mold is the tool that shapes the figure, made from the approved prototype, in metal or resin, depending on the material and the quantity, and it decides the figure's shape, detail, and consistency, because every figure from that mold will share its shape, and because a mold made well will produce consistent figures, while a mold made poorly will produce inconsistent ones, with flashing, warping, or missing detail. The mold belongs to the buyer, and is used for the buyer's products only, as stated in the official site's descriptive template, and a buyer should confirm the mold terms, in writing, before payment: who owns it, what it may be used for, where it is stored, who maintains it, and what happens when production ends.

A mold takes time to make, because it must be machined, polished, tested, and corrected, and a buyer who rushes the mold stage will receive a mold that has not been properly tested, and will produce figures with errors that a tested mold would not have. Allow the mold its time, approve its test figures against the prototype, and confirm its ownership, in writing, before mass production, because a mold approved correctly is mass production done correctly, while a mold approved hastily is mass production done wrongly, multiplied by the order quantity.

Stage four: the pre-production sample

The pre-production sample is the first figure from the production mold, made to confirm that the mold, the material, the colours, and the finishing all match the approved prototype, before mass production begins, because a sample that matches is mass production that will match, while a sample that mismatches is mass production that will mismatch, multiplied by the order quantity. Approve the sample carefully, against the prototype and the design, because a sample approved hastily is mass production approved with errors, and because errors approved at sample stage become errors in every figure produced, at the cost of the whole order.

Some designs use a color sample instead of, or as well as, a pre-production sample, where colour is the critical check, because a figure whose shape matches but whose colour mismatches is a figure that fails its design, however good its shape is. Confirm which sample your design needs — pre-production, color, or both — in the inquiry, naming the design, because a sample type assumed from another design's process may not suit yours, and because a sample stage skipped without agreement removes a check that would have caught an error.

Stage five: mass production

Mass production makes the order quantity, figure by figure, from the approved mold, in the approved material, in the approved colours, with the approved finishing, and it takes the longest of any stage, because it must make many figures, each to the same standard, and because a mass production run that rushes will produce inconsistent figures, with varying detail, colour, or finish, while a run that allows its time will produce consistent ones. Allow mass production its time, and agree the inspection standard before it begins, because a standard agreed before production is a standard that can be checked, while a standard agreed after production is a standard that cannot be enforced, however reasonable it appears.

Mass production also needs packaging, because figures must be packed to survive shipping, in the packaging agreed — Opp bag, window box, gift box, or another agreed form — and a buyer who agrees packaging late will receive figures packed in whatever was available, rather than in the packaging that suits their market, their brand, or their gift purpose. Agree packaging before mass production, in writing, with the design, because packaging agreed early is packaging that will be ready, while packaging agreed late is packaging that will delay, or disappoint.

Inspection and delivery

Inspection checks mass production against the approved sample, figure by figure or by sampling, for shape, detail, colour, finish, and packaging, because a run that is not inspected may contain figures that do not match, and because a buyer who receives unmatched figures must return, replace, or discount them, at cost, delay, and dispute, while a buyer who inspects, or agrees inspection, before shipping will receive figures that match, or will know before shipping that they do not. Agree the inspection method, the sampling rate, and the acceptance standard, before mass production, in writing, because an inspection agreed early is an inspection that will be done, while an inspection agreed late is an inspection that will be disputed.

Delivery follows inspection, on the shipping terms agreed, and a buyer who agrees shipping late will receive figures shipped on whatever terms were available, rather than on the terms that suit their market, their schedule, or their budget. Agree shipping before mass production, in writing, with the design, because shipping agreed early is shipping that will be ready, while shipping agreed late is shipping that will delay, or cost more than expected, and because a delivery that arrives late, however good its figures, is a delivery that disappoints its market.

Timelines: per-design, not per-site

Timelines differ by design, by material, and by family, and a timeline stated for one design must not be assumed for another, because designs differ in complexity, in mold work, in finishing, and in quantity, and because a timeline that fits a simple design will not fit a complex one, however similar they appear. No timeline figure is stated in this article, because this article is a general process guide, not a family page, and because a timeline figure stated here, without a design, would be read as a general timeline, which would mislead every design except the one it was stated for. The family pages and the production timeline inquiry page state timelines only as marked family examples, each for its own family, and a buyer who wants a timeline for their design should read the inquiry page for their family, and confirm the timeline for that design, in writing, before payment.

Confirm the timeline for your design, in writing, with its start point, its end point, and its exclusions, because a timeline stated without them is a timeline that cannot be planned on, and because a buyer who plans on a timeline counted from the wrong start, or excluding shipping when shipping was expected, will plan for a delivery that arrives later than expected, with a project delayed, a customer disappointed, and a schedule disrupted. A timeline confirmed for your design, in writing, before payment, is a timeline that can be planned on.

What to confirm, before ordering

Before payment, confirm the design, the material, the scale, the quantity, the minimum order with its unit, the timeline with its start and end, the mold terms with their meaning, the packaging options, the price terms, the inspection method, the shipping terms, and the certificates that apply to your market, by name, with documents attached, in writing, for your design, not for custom manufacturing in general. Where a design is a third-party character, copyright belongs to third party, and confirm the rights position, in writing, before ordering, because a design whose rights are unclear cannot be produced until they are clear.

A buyer who confirms the design, the stages, the timeline, the mold, the packaging, the inspection, the shipping, and the rights, in writing, before payment, has done the work that prevents the common failures: the vague design, the hasty prototype, the untested mold, the unapproved sample, the inconsistent run, the uninspected shipment, and the unclear rights. A buyer who skips that work has saved an hour and risked an order, and the hour saved is rarely worth the order risked.