About Prickly Pear Prototypes
Turning Ideas Into Reality
Prickly Pear Prototypes was founded with a simple goal: build the kind of machine shop engineers enjoy working with.
We specialize in prototype and low-volume CNC machining, helping customers move from concept to finished parts quickly and efficiently. Whether it's a one-off prototype, a design validation build, or a short production run, we focus on delivering quality parts, honest communication, and practical manufacturing expertise.
Owner Ben Simon brings more than a decade of machining experience supporting industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, energy, oil & gas, and advanced manufacturing. Throughout his career, he has worked with everything from tight-tolerance metal components to demanding engineering plastics and specialty materials.
Today, Prickly Pear Prototypes operates as the on-site model shop at ProtoTown, a community of builders, entrepreneurs, and hardware startups dedicated to turning ideas into real products.
Who We Are
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Being located inside ProtoTown gives us a unique perspective. Every day we work alongside innovators who are developing new technologies, building prototypes, and solving complex engineering challenges.
While precision CNC machining is our primary focus, we also support the product development process through rapid prototyping, model making, and hands-on manufacturing support. We enjoy helping customers bridge the gap between an idea on a screen and a physical product in their hands.
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The best manufacturing partnerships are built on trust.
That's why we focus on:
Quality
Producing parts that meet requirements and perform as intended.
Communication
Providing honest feedback, realistic lead times, and timely updates.
Accountability
Standing behind our work and delivering on our commitments.
Continuous Improvement
Investing in equipment, processes, and training to better serve our customers.
Built for Engineers
We understand the pressure engineers face when schedules are tight and projects are moving quickly. Our goal is to make manufacturing one less thing you have to worry about.
Whether you need a complex prototype, a small production run, or help evaluating the manufacturability of a design, we're here to help.
At the end of the day, we're builders too—and we take pride in helping bring great ideas to life.
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If you have a project you'd like to discuss, we'd love to hear from you. Upload your CAD files, send us a drawing, or simply reach out with an idea. We'll help you figure out the next step.