first i just want to apologise if this is in the wrong section or in fact against the rules!
ok so this is probably a bit of a difficult question to answer but there seems to be a lack of information on the internet for n00bs like myself! That or i'm just not looking in the right place!
I was just curious as to whether or not anyone had any links or information about getting a toy made and the process involved? Is there such a thing as a manufacturer that will make them for you if you have designs etc? should i give jim'll fix it a call?
I guess it's not a common thing for people to ask and i imagine it would be a lengthy and costly process too but i'm kinda intrigued now! I blame LH for being awesome and running the design competition!
It would be pretty awesome to become the next Tenga lol!
I'm sure (may have been on tele once, unless I'm making that up) you can get casts of your cock made into dildos by some companies but I don't know how you would go about such a thing, and whether they would make something completey from scratch for you - I suppose if you paid them enough they would though!
*shrugs* I'm not very good with things like this - WandA might know when he's not busy essaying
yeah i'm more interested in the more mechanical type stuff! Stuff like the clone a willy kits are a great idea for people that want something for themselves indeed!
i guess i'm kinda interested in the production side of things! like how did tenga and other companies get to where they are?
i assume as ever it's more about who you know than what you know as i can't see a direct route through something like product design into sex toy design!?
I would ask companies directly but i'm assuming they're either likely to tell me where to go or try to scare me off the idea as noone wants to create competition for themselves.
obviously i could be completely wrong and there's probably a whole community a click away lol!
I have been thinking about moulding a custom double dildo (like the Share/feeldoe) and thus far I have found a source of platinum silicone that I think could be used both for the final device and for making the mould for it off a carved wooden 'plug'. See:-
In production it seems there are two schools - outfits like Vixen seem to use hand moulding techniques even for production while the likes of FunFactory use machined metal moulds that will be extremely expensive (having paid over 15k for a small injection mould tool I guess the mould for the Share dildo which is a very high quality mould could have cost a 6 figure sum)
Interestingly the guy who set up FunFactory made his first dildo in his kitchen so prototyping must be possible.
I'm sure I've seen websites that'll carve wooden dildos for you, but I dont know how youd' make an electric toy.
I wonder if you made your toy out of clay or something, you could insert it into a clone a willy kit? I dont know how the materials would react though, and it'd only be good for custom shapes. Couldnt do anything more complicated.
i was thinking of things in more of a start a company that makes toys kinda way! i've always enjoyed designing stuff so i reckon it would be an awesome way to make a living!
either that or start company that makes bespoke toys for people lol!
How about contacting a company and telling them your really interested in design & you wondered about the process? Do they have specific designers or do they accept designs from various sources? Etc x
yeah i tried that one and failed miserably lol! External Media
i was thinking of things in more of a start a company that makes toys kinda way! i've always enjoyed designing stuff so i reckon it would be an awesome way to make a living!
either that or start company that makes bespoke toys for people lol!
First off I guess it depends on your materials, metals will be costly to work with. Woods being natural are unpredictable and 'nice' wood is expensive and doesn't seem to be in great demand. Glass is energy intensive and you would need certain types of shatterproof glasses. Plastics are amazing! But must be safe to use on the body and require expensive moulds and such, could use lathe work for dildos I guess but then things would need to be symmetrical. Making it vibe is pretty easy, just throw an off centre weight on a motor... might require some electronics knowledge if you made it have different functions...
Hope thats enough ramblings!
I guess if you have an original enough idea it will be picked up by some one... if not then you probably need a lot of money to take on the established big boys and girls of the sex toy industry and make it work! Maybe look at submitting designs to some one?
Hope my basic knowledge of sex toy development was useful!External Media
I am a junior industrial/product designer. and as a job we design most things you will see around you, so sex toys is definetly something we do. For example a famous design consultancy in london seymour powell designed the sex toys for durex. So if you were interested in getting involved with designing, youre best bet would be to find a company that either manufactures or indeed designs toys and ask is there anyway you can get involved. There is no harm in asking.
The other option is for you to go freelance and try and design youre own products, pitch them to companys or get a small manufactuerer to make you some. But this would be really expensive.
i guess i'll do a bit more digging and contact a few companies to see what's what! as far as designing goes i can knock up designs in 3d (and not just the dodgy one's i made for the comp lol) so i guess i might have a chance with the designing phase.
As for needing a lot of money for manufacturing, i guess i better get saving lol!
Patenting is a nightmare and is of dubious value unless you are sitting an a few hundred grand to pay lawyers to defend it. The Feeldoe is a patented design but from the number of similar products on the market you would never know it.
Unfortunately, having a patent doesn't mean it is defensible - lots of patents are granted that fall when challenged. I'm in the electronics business and I see it all the time.
My solution has been to exploit my designs within my own company, value engineer the things properly so they are competitively priced (which inhibits the rip-offs) and be prepared to move on if the market gets too crowded.
Hi DesignDude, I would say one of the first things you need to do is get out there and see who your competition is. Look at what they are doing and see if there is a gap you can fill. There is no point coming out with a product that is the same as someone elses. I would recommend finding toys you like, looking at the materials they are made of, the colours, the function, the shape etc. Then thinking about how you can use the best material, shape etc for your toys. How you can you take it to the new level.... I would maybe contact a manufacturer who works in the area you are interested in. They may want to talk to you about your designs and possibly work together. Sportsheets - for bondage. Tantus - for silicone. Fleshlight - for masturbators for example. If you want to go it alone you need to find a factory that can manufacture your toys. You will be able to find them in the UK with a bit of research. Best of luck with it. Bonny
you can IP your work, which protects it to a certain degree, for no expense. its how we defend ourselves. we sign and date our work, copy it and post a copy in a sealed envelope to yourself. If anyone copies youre work then you have dated proof that you designed it first. Handy.
Forget about patents, never mind the legal costs but even getting one drawn up will cost around £4000. Nightmare.
There is a slightly complicated system with non-disclosure agreements that allows you to show your idea to companies in the field with significant protection, a system used by one design consultancy I know.
It involves the company making a sealed list of any ideas in your general product area that they currently have under consideration. If, having signed the NDAs you shown them your idea and they can prove it is already in their consideration list then they are free to continue without you. If it's not on their list then they are bound under the terms of the NDA not to exploit it without your approval.
If they aren't interested then they are bound by the NDA not to disclose to any third party and you are free to explore other takers.
