How Hardware Startups Use Design of Experiments to Optimize Tolerances

Episode 56 of Hardware Startups with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dive into Design of Experiments (DOE) — a statistical method that hardware startups use to optimize part tolerances and save thousands in manufacturing costs. They break down a real scenario: a startup making a temperature sensor enclosure that initially had a 15 percent reject rate. By running a fractional factorial DOE on just 8 prototype batches instead of 128, the team identified the critical tolerance stack-up causing warpage, slashing defects to under 2 percent. Lucas explains how DOE helps startups avoid over-engineering — finding the cheapest combination of tolerances that still works. Luna highlights a counterintuitive finding: sometimes loosening one tolerance actually improves yield. They also touch on how to integrate DOE into the prototyping phase without slowing down development. No prior statistics background needed. A practical guide for any hardware founder facing assembly issues. #DesignOfExperiments #DOE #ToleranceOptimization #HardwareStartups #Manufacturing #StatisticalProcessControl #LeanManufacturing #SixSigma #FractionalFactorial #Prototyping #YieldImprovement #CostReduction #Engineering #ProductDevelopment #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo