Prototype & NPI
ONE PIECE.
FIVE DAYS.
PRODUCTION GRADE.
MOQ 1 wire harness prototyping out of Cavite. 3-5 working day sample on standard builds, free 24-hour DFM review, no NDA required on the first round. Built on the same Komax cells, the same Cirris testers, the same IPC Class 3 operator pool the volume line uses.
1
Minimum Order
3-5 D
Sample Lead
24 H
Free DFM
0
NDA First Round
MOQ 1
Single piece
12 H
Quote turnaround
Class 3
IPC-A-620 from piece 1
Same Line
As volume production
Why Most Prototype Shops Fail You
SAME LINE. SAME CLASS.
FROM PIECE ONE.
The standard prototype-to-volume failure mode looks like this: a prototype shop ships beautiful first articles built by a senior technician on a benchtop crimper, you sign off and place the volume PO, and the volume parts come back at IPC Class 2 acceptance with a different terminal vendor and a 4-week requalification gate. We do not run a separate prototype shop for exactly that reason. The Komax KMK that crimps your single sample today is the same cell, calibrated to the same ±5 N pull-force, that will run the 5,000-unit annual program 90 days from now.
If your prototype is HV, IP-rated, or overmolded, see the matching sibling pages — high-voltage, waterproof, and overmolded. The prototype workflow on this page applies to all of them, with extra lead time built in for validation and tooling. For the unconstrained custom baseline, see custom wire harness.
NPI Capability Block
WHAT MOQ 1
ACTUALLY MEANS.
MOQ 1 — Real, Not Marketing
We will build a single piece. The same Komax KMK crimp cell, the same Cirris HiPot tester, the same IPC-A-620 Class 3 trained operator. There is no “prototype line” running on cheaper equipment — that is how prototype quality drift creeps into production.
3-5 Working Day Sample
From approved drawing to dispatch in 3-5 working days for AWG 30-8 harnesses with in-stock connectors. Adds 2 days for IP-rated builds (validation runs on site). Adds 4-7 days for HV builds (HiPot serial cycle). DHL air to LAX/JFK arrives in 4-6 calendar days.
Free 24-Hour DFM Review
Send a drawing, photo, or even hand-sketch. Engineering replies in 24 hours with: cost-down call-outs (terminal alternates from Molex / TE / JST), testability call-outs (recommended continuity probe points), reliability call-outs (where overmold or shielding pays back). No NDA required for the first round.
Production-Grade From Piece One
Every prototype gets the same documentation as a production unit: cross-section pull-force log, Cirris continuity report, HiPot result with serial number, IPC Class 3 acceptance sign-off. Switching from NPI to volume requires zero requalification — the data is already there.
NPI to Volume in One Site
Prototype, NPI run, pilot lot and volume production all share the same Cavite floor. There is no tooling rebuild, no team transition, and no factory transfer. Most customers go from 1-piece sample to 5,000-unit annual program in 90-120 days without changing a single part of the build cell.
Iteration-Friendly Workflow
Average prototype program goes through 1.8 revision rounds before pilot. Each revision is 5-7 working days. We hold the BOM in revision-controlled format and ship a comparison matrix between revisions so the engineering team can see exactly what changed and why.
Specification Sheet
PROTOTYPE
ENVELOPE.
MOQ
1 piece — no “minimum 5” or “sample fee” gates
Sample Lead Time
3-5 working days standard · 5-7 days waterproof · 7-10 days HV / overmold
Quote Turnaround
12 hours from drawing receipt
DFM Round
24-hour first-pass review · free · no NDA required
Wire Gauge
AWG 30 to AWG 8 · same envelope as volume custom
Connector Brands
Molex, TE Connectivity, JST, Amphenol, Hirose, JAE, Sumitomo, Deutsch (TE)
Acceptance Class
IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 from piece one — not Class 2 quietly
Documentation
Continuity report, HiPot result, cross-section, pull-force log
Revision Rounds Avg
1.8 per program · each round 5-7 working days
Validation Lab
On site — ESPEC SH-262 salt fog, IPX9K spray, 5 kV PD bench
Pilot Volume
5 to 200 pieces · same fixture board as the sample
NPI to Volume Cycle
90-120 days typical · 60 days fast-track for repeat customers
Pricing Tier
NPI rate · steps down 22% at 500 pcs · 31% at 5,000 pcs
Air Freight
DHL / FedEx air to LAX-JFK in 4-6 calendar days from Manila
Concept To Volume
SIX STEPS, NO
REQUALIFICATION.
Concept / Sketch
Send anything: hand sketch, photo of an existing harness, DXF, BOM. Engineering replies in 24 hours with quote and DFM call-outs. No NDA required.
Sample Build
First-article in 3-5 working days on the same Komax cells the production line uses. Cross-section, pull-force, continuity report bundled with the sample.
Iterate (1-3 Rounds)
Average program goes through 1.8 revisions before pilot. Each round 5-7 working days. Revision-controlled BOM with change matrix shipped each round.
Pilot Lot (5-200 pcs)
Pilot run on the same fixture board as the sample. 5 to 200 pieces typically. Real production conditions, real production rate.
PPAP / Sign-off
PPAP Level 3 generated during pilot. ISIR, control plan, capability study (Cpk ≥ 1.33). Customer-portal upload supported. Volume launch unblocked.
Volume Production
Same fixture board, same operator, same Cirris tester. Pricing steps down 22% at 500 pieces, 31% at 5,000. Same lead time as any production part.
Application Map
SIX NPI
USE CASES.
Hardware Startup MVP
Single-piece prototypes for Y Combinator and SOSV-class hardware startups. We have shipped first-article harnesses for 40+ funded hardware companies in the last 24 months.
Engineering Validation Build
EVT and DVT lots of 5-50 pieces with full PPAP-equivalent documentation. Used by Tier-2 automotive and medical OEMs as pre-PPAP qualification runs.
Field Repair / Spare Part
One-off replacements for legacy systems where the original BOM is lost. We reverse-engineer from the failed sample — typical lead 5-7 working days.
Cost-Down Bake-Off
Side-by-side prototypes against your current supplier's BOM, with proposed Molex / TE / JST alternates. Used to validate cost-down before issuing volume RFQ.
University Research Lab
Single-piece research-grade harnesses for university lab and government R&D. Smaller program docs, faster turnaround, no minimum-order penalty.
Pre-Production Pilot Lot
100-500 piece pilot to de-risk volume launch. Same fixture, same operator, same tooling — data carries forward into the production PPAP without a requalification round.
Founder Note
“The reason most contract manufacturers separate prototype and volume into different cells is that prototype margins are thin and they want to protect the volume line throughput. We do the opposite — by running prototype on the production cell, the operator gets paid to learn your part before the volume PO arrives. That is why our first-pass yield at volume launch sits north of 99%.”
Mr. Fei Bo Hu
President · Xudong Group · XUDONG
NPI FAQ
SIX QUESTIONS
HARDWARE TEAMS ASK.
Q.01Is the MOQ really 1 piece?
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Is the MOQ really 1 piece?
Q.02How fast can I actually get a prototype harness in hand?
+
How fast can I actually get a prototype harness in hand?
Q.03Do I need to sign an NDA before sending you a drawing?
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Do I need to sign an NDA before sending you a drawing?
Q.04What documentation comes with a prototype harness?
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What documentation comes with a prototype harness?
Q.05How does a prototype move into volume production without quality drift?
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How does a prototype move into volume production without quality drift?
Q.06What is the cost difference between prototype and volume?
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What is the cost difference between prototype and volume?
From NPI to Volume
RELATED HARNESS
VARIANTS.
Custom Wire Harness
Production-tier custom build at 500+ pieces. Pricing steps down 22% versus NPI rate, same line, same operators.
Read moreBox Build Assembly
Cable plus enclosure integration up to 1,200 components. NPI-grade box build with single PO and timeline.
Read moreTesting & Inspection
Cirris testers, salt-fog cabinet and IPX rigs all on site — validation runs alongside NPI assembly, no lab queue.
Read moreWhere NPI Lands
PROTOTYPE-FRIENDLY
VERTICALS.
Robotics & Automation
Cobot, AGV and AS/RS startups iterating fast. MOQ 1 prototypes with drag-chain TPE jackets.
See industryMedical Devices
ISO 13485 cleanroom NPI for diagnostic, infusion and patient-monitor R&D programs.
See industryAutomotive & EV
EVT and DVT lots for Tier-1 and Tier-2 OEM engineering teams. Pre-PPAP documentation track included.
See industryPrototype & NPI
Prototype Wire Harnesses · MOQ 1, 7-Day Sample.
Single-piece MOQ for prototype and NPI, hand-built or short-cell production with full IPC-A-620 acceptance.
Assorted jumper leads
Mixed JST, spade, and ring-terminal pigtails
D-Sub 25-pin test cable
DB-25 + bullet-pin breakout for bench validation
IDC ribbon flat-cable jumper
10-pin grey ribbon, 1.27mm pitch
Real Project Snapshot · US · marine · 2025-Q3 → 2026-Q1
A Build We Already Shipped In This Lane.
Scenario
A US marine OEM sought a new supplier for custom wire harnesses and audio systems, initiating a rigorous multi-month evaluation process involving multiple business units.
Challenge
The customer issued 6 separate RFQs over two months and engaged in a 64-email deep-dive technical thread, demanding strict weekly delivery, tariff mitigation, and cost competitiveness compared to incumbent suppliers.
Outcome
Successfully navigated the extensive qualification process, secured the tooling order, and transitioned into the prototyping phase for mass production.
Anonymized customer detail. Concrete numbers preserved verbatim.
Reviewed by Hommer Zhao- Cavite-based wire harness engineer at XUDONG, IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 trained, 8+ years in automotive & medical harness manufacturing.
Next Step
Send The Sketch. We Ship In 5 Days.
MOQ 1, free 24-hour DFM, no NDA on the first round. Same Komax cells and Cirris testers as the volume line — production-grade quality from piece one. Quote returned within 12 hours. NDA on file. No obligation.