The hardware development workspace
With intent.
Research, industrial design, and engineering. One workspace to explore concepts, direct AI, and carry your design intent from the first idea to manufacturing.
From first question to manufacturing
One project. #
Every consequential decision.
Move between research, industrial design, engineering, and physical learning. Keep the reason behind a choice close to the work it shapes.
Give the idea a direction.
Bring the people, context, and purpose into focus. Connect references, requirements, and the experience you want to create.
- People & context
- Research & references
- Product requirements
- Design intent
Start where your project is. Return to any decision as you learn.
Industrial design & product decisions
Shape the product. #
Keep the intent.
Explore form, physical experience, and construction together. Compare directions and carry the decisions that matter into engineering.
Preparing the design study…
Explore a different character.
Compare a precise outline with a softer enclosure. Keep the display and electronics in place.
Same display. Same electronics. Your direction.
Inside Protobench
The details. #
And the whole product.
Mechanical design, electronics, and engineering evidence. The tools you need, in the context of your product.
Measurements, section views, exploded assemblies, and engineering studies help you decide what to change—and what to preserve.
Design for how it’s made Material & manufacturing intent
How it’s made belongs #
in how it’s designed.
Connect material, finish, process, and assembly to the product—and carry those choices into production.
Bring JLCPCB, DigiKey, and Mouser into electronics decisions, alongside plastics and metal suppliers for mechanical parts.
Enclosure · Making intent
PETG
Learn quickly. Keep it editable.
FDM printing
10 units
Fit & assembly
Review wall thickness, layer direction, and clearance. Use the first physical parts to refine the fit before committing to a production route.
Illustrative manufacturing scenarios.
Your judgment. More room to work.
Direct the change. #
Preserve what matters.
Tell ProtoAgent what to explore, what to keep, and which constraints to respect. Inspect alternatives and understand their consequences before choosing a direction.
“Keep the front silhouette and selected electronics. Explore two ways to improve rear access.”
Explore ProtoAgent Connected tools. Continuous development.
Specialist tools. #
One central workspace.
Build in Protobench, from concept to manufacturing. Optionally refine in Fusion 360, FreeCAD, or KiCad, and bring saved revisions back into the same project. More connected apps coming soon.
- DevelopProtobench
- Optional refinementFusion 360 · FreeCAD · KiCad
- ContinueProtobench
A few practical details
Before you dive in. #
Who is Protobench for? #
Hardware builders, product designers, engineers, and small hardware teams who need a central place to think, make, evaluate, and iterate on physical products.
How do materials and manufacturing fit into the workflow? #
They shape the design from the start. Material properties, process, quantity, tolerances, and finish help frame the choices you make about geometry, fit, performance, sourcing, and handoff.
Can I keep working in other tools? #
Yes. Take mechanical models into Fusion 360 or FreeCAD for precise adjustment, or refine electronics in KiCad. Return the updated files to reflect those changes in Protobench and continue from the same project—from concept through manufacturing.
For people making physical things
Bring the thing #
you want to make.
From an early question to a product taking shape. Tell us what you’re building and where a better workbench would make a difference.
[Discuss your project](#contact)