Two-Week Prototype Turnaround: When the Clock Actually Starts
"Can you do it in two weeks?" is usually answered with a number before anyone agrees on the starting line. Here is how we actually count it, so the promise means something.
The clock starts at confirmation, not at contact
Every week you spend going back and forth on a drawing, or deciding on a material, is a week that has not started counting yet. The two-week clock begins the day we have:
- A confirmed drawing or specification — no open questions from either side
- Payment for the sample run
Everything before that — your first email, our clarifying questions, revisions to the spec — is worth doing carefully, because rushing it is how you get a fast wrong sample instead of a slow right one. It just is not part of the two weeks.
Standard vs. rush
| Standard | Rush | |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | 3–4 weeks from confirmation | 2 weeks from confirmation |
| Best for | Most prototypes, no hard external deadline | Trade shows, a customer waiting on your sample, a funding milestone |
| Cost | Sample fee + material | Standard fee + rush surcharge |
Rush is not free — it means reordering our production queue and sometimes air-freighting material that would normally travel by sea. Tell us up front if you're on a deadline and we quote the rush path from the start, instead of finding out on week three that standard was never going to make it.
What actually determines whether two weeks is possible
- Material on hand. Common wire diameters and standard materials (music wire, 302/304 stainless) are usually in stock in Taiwan. Exotic alloys or unusual diameters may need to be sourced first, and that alone can eat the two weeks.
- How close the design is to standard. A straightforward compression or extension spring hand-winds or coils quickly (see our prototyping without hard tooling guide). A design that needs die-forming or tooling changes the math.
- What finishing it needs. Uncoated, unground samples for a first fit-check ship fast. Add plating, grinding, or shot peening and you're adding real process days, not paperwork days — see our sample and production lead times guide for the full breakdown.
Why we ask for payment before we start the clock
Not because we don't trust you — because a sample run that starts before both sides have committed tends to restart at least once, on a spec that changes after we've already cut wire. Confirming and paying first is what makes "two weeks" a number we can actually hit instead of a hope.
What to send us
Tell us at the RFQ stage if you're on a deadline. A drawing or sample, the quantity you need, and your real date — not a padded one — lets us quote standard or rush accurately the first time, rather than you discovering which one you needed after it's too late for rush to help. Start with our RFQ form.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I need samples in two weeks, should I always ask for rush?
Only if standard (3–4 weeks) genuinely doesn't fit your date. Rush costs more for the same part, so it's worth it when you have a real deadline — a trade show, a customer waiting, a funding milestone — not as a default.
What happens if my drawing changes after I've paid for a rush sample?
The clock restarts from the new confirmation. This is the main reason rush samples are worth locking the spec before paying — a mid-run change usually costs more time than starting rush in the first place would have saved.
Can production orders also be rushed?
Less predictably than samples. Production lead time is dominated by material procurement in volume and queue time across the manufacturing cluster, which compress less than a single sample run. Tell us your date early and we'll tell you honestly if it's realistic.