Pilot Run
Design Processes
A small production batch made on the real line to find problems before the big one.
In practice
A pilot run — sometimes called a pre-production or PVT build — manufactures a modest quantity using the actual tooling, processes and operators intended for volume production. It exposes everything the prototypes could not: yield, cycle time, assembly errors, finish variation, packaging fit. Fixing those problems here is expensive; fixing them in mass production is ruinous.
Questions
What is Pilot Run?
A pilot run is a limited production build on final tooling and processes, used to validate manufacturability, quality and throughput before full-scale production.
Why do you use Pilot Run?
Prototypes are made by experts with care. Production is made by a line at speed. The gap between them only shows up when you try.
How do you use/apply Pilot Run?
Freeze the design, run a few hundred to a few thousand units on the real process, measure yield and defects, fix root causes, and repeat until the numbers hold.
When do you use Pilot Run?
After tooling is complete and before committing to volume orders.
Who uses Pilot Run?
Product engineers, manufacturers and the designers whose intent is being tested.
