PRODUCT REALIZATION CYCLE:

The mission of Keystone Ideas is to improve the success rate of product commercialization for inventors, business start-ups, and small manufacturers through the incorporation of a systematic multiphase pathway into the product development process. The sequence includes four phases: feasibility, design, sourcing, and production. During each phase staff will keep leads up-to-date of their role and the risks associated with the project, including such things as how they are expected to interact with project engineers and approximate costs.

RELATED INFORMATION:

Confidentiality / Non-Disclosure:
To initiate the confidentiality process, please e-mail your non-disclosure/confidentiality document to the Keystone Ideas contact engineer. The engineer will fill out a Penn State University standard checklist. The checklist attached to the received document will be forwarded on to an appropriate PSU officer. The PSU officer will review information and make potential revisions to the document. The revision process, if necessary, will occur between PSU and customer. The PSU officer will sign final document once revisions are agreed upon. This process typically lasts from 3 to 10 working days depending upon revisions required.

Checklist to Determine Fit:
PTC engineers have developed an internal checklist of questions to help determine whether an applicant to the Keystone Ideas program is eligible to participate. Questions are asked of the applicant that involve residence, company size, and other pertinent data. Data collected is only used to determine eligibility and is not used for any other purpose.

Initial Meeting with Potential Customer:
The initial meeting with a potential customer will be scheduled after a brief telephone conversation with a Keystone Ideas contact engineer. The initial meeting typically lasts anywhere from 1 to 3 hours and includes full disclosure of the product concept to the Keystone Ideas engineering staff. A customer should come to the meeting prepared to discuss the product concept, what has been accomplished to date, end use environment, possible loading conditions, etc. A customer also should bring any sketches, drawings, or hand-made prototypes that apply.

Once this meeting is completed, the Keystone Ideas engineering staff will determine the final eligibility of the customer for the Keystone Ideas program. Final eligibility will be based on an internally developed checklist. The customer will be contacted about final eligibility within approximately 1 to 2 working days of the initial meeting and will be provided with a proposal outlining the scope of work to be completed.

Initial Feasibility Study:
Initial feasibility is a crucial step in the process that, in the end, can better define the product design and development path. Feasibility reviews the material, the design concept, possible manufacturing methods, and also can provide valuable ballpark tooling and piece price estimates. These can then be applied to a business plan and used to evaluate if the project should proceed and what target costs should be achieved.

Patent:
A U.S. patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor(s), issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The right conferred by the patent grant is, in the language of the statute and of the grant itself, "the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling" the invention in the United States or "importing" the invention into the United States. To get a U.S. patent, an application must be filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or compositions of matters, or any new useful improvement thereof.

Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture.

Please refer to www.uspto.gov for full patent information.

Business Plan:
Please refer to the Small Business Administration website for information on how to develop a strong business plan - www.sba.gov/starting/indexbusplans.html

Product Design and Development:
The product design and development phase will begin once the feasibility of Phase 1 has been jointly determined. This phase includes the generation of 3D solid models as necessary for the development of the product. A 3D solid model is created using SolidWorks or Pro/ENGINEER software packages because it can be used directly for future prototyping, analysis work, tooling quotes, etc. The 3D solid model is also used because of the ease of visualization of the product. The computer model can also be viewed on the Internet based software package ConceptStation from anywhere in the USA. Use of this service is free to PTC customers for viewing their products via the Internet. All that is required is an Internet connection.

Rapid Prototyping/Rapid Tooling:
Rapid prototyping and rapid tooling techniques are varied and will change according to each product's unique demands. For some basic prototyping information, please refer to the following:
www.pasourcing.com/plastics/plastics.htm

Engineering Changes:
Product designs are typically not complete after the initial computer model is developed or even sometimes after the first prototype is built. Keystone Ideas engineers realize the fact that customers change their minds about initially desired features or just that new design features can come to light once a prototype is in hand. Keystone Ideas engineers continue to work with the customer through this possible desired changes phase to develop the best possible product.

Sourcing:
The Keystone Ideas engineers will effectively be able to locate PA based resources for the required tooling/molding of the customer's product and obtain competitive quotes. The quotes will be shared with the customer. The engineers can then schedule facility tours and meetings as required to further facilitate the communication between the customer and the PA resource selected.

Joint Meeting with Sources:
Many times a customer does not have the entire technical "lingo" that is used in the plastics industry. This, at times, can cause miscommunications and other related issues to develop which impact part quality, tooling quality, and even project deadlines. By meeting with both the customer and the source together, PTC engineers can provide a valuable technical link and keep communication lines open to both ends.

Finalize Design:
A final design must be approved by the customer and by the tooling source before tooling is attempted. This will allow all expectations to be listed and discussed with both parties present.

Tool Build:
Once a PA source is selected by the customer, Keystone Ideas engineers can provide the customer with additional technical assistance as requested during the tool build and debugging phase.

Initial Production:
Initial production allows for a sampling of parts to be manufactured and evaluated by a customer before the entire required run is produced. This allows any issues to be resolved before a larger quantity is produced.

Full Scale Production:
At this stage, the customer has verified the parts are satisfactory and the full number of parts can be produced via the contracted amount.

Project Management throughout Cycle:
The PTC will provide assistance during all stages of the process from concept to production.

Commitment Level Increases with Each Phase:
At each stage, the customer is required to commit to an increased level of capital infusion to show their commitment to the project. However, the capital required is much lower than a traditional project cost structure.