A fractional manufacturing engineer for your hardware startup
Anvol, Inc. (Delaware) gives hardware startups a part-time manufacturing engineering team, with engineers in Shenzhen: BOM cost-down and alternate parts, DFM, a second quote from a partner line, first article and test. We took a lidar robot car from design to 10 delivered units in one month, $5,000 development plus $150 per car. Work starts with a fixed-price review of one board or product, quoted within one business day of getting your files.
Updated
Step 1: a fixed-price review
- BOM
- Which parts drive the cost, which are at risk of shortage or end-of-life, and approved alternatives for each.
- Manufacturability
- Boards, enclosure process and assembly checked for the quantity you plan, and where the first batch would get stuck.
- A second quote
- A price from one of our partner lines for the same build, so you can compare with your current supplier.
- What you get
- A written list of findings and fixes, ranked by cost and risk. The price is fixed before we start and depends on the size of the board or product.
Step 2: monthly, if you want to keep going
- Hours
- A set number of engineering hours each month, agreed and priced after the review.
- What the hours cover
- Supplier follow-up, process choices, the first article built on the line and checked against your prototype, test fixtures, and the fixes it shows.
- Reporting
- A written update every week on what moved, what is blocked and what it costs.
Builds we have taken through it
| Build | Units and unit cost | Development | Development time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lidar line-following car | Delivered: 10 at $150 each | $5,000 | 1 month |
| Six-legged robot | Parts $180 per set at 10 sets | $5,000 | 20 days |
| ROS 2 omnidirectional robot | Parts about $800 per unit at 50 sets | $4,500 | 18 days |
Reference figures are our engineers' numbers for a similar build, not invoices or quotes. Only the lidar car is a delivered price.
Who does the work
Anvol, Inc. signs the contract. The work is done by our engineering team in Shenzhen, led by Zisheng, close to the partner lines that build the first article. We work with you over video calls and a shared document, in English.
Not included
- Certification testing (FCC/CE)
- Done by a test lab and quoted separately when a product needs it.
- Defense and export-controlled work
- We do not take ITAR, CUI or defense projects.
- Changes outside the written scope
- Re-quoted, with a new timeline, before work continues.
Related: DFM review for a robot → · EVT, DVT and PVT → · low-volume robotics runs →