Services Designed for You
Industrial Product Design
My role is to help develop physical products that your customers will use in the real world.
Bringing your idea to life as a product your market wants, understands, can use easily and will pay for. Every stage in the process is given consideration, as ease and reliability of component manufacture and assembly can be game changers too.
Solidworks CAD Expertise
Recognised globally as one of the best CAD software options. When partnered with my experience and design skills, Solidworks facilitates speedy product development, adding efficiency through all stages of the process.
My licence is comprehensive and includes technical support.
Create Products Using 3D CAD
I understand how to structure 3D CAD models, so changes to details and features within the build hierarchy roll down smoothly through the model, instead of being the CAD version of pulling out the critical Jenga® brick!
This brings with it the freedom to make specification changes to the design, without the cost of significant additional work.
CAD Detailing
The benefits of creating components and assemblies with my design-for-manufacture experience include the ability to recommend the most suitable fixing methods and to plan ahead throughout the design process.
Features are created to be tooled and moulded, rather than this being an afterthought. This saves a lot of time spent on undesirable (but needed) changes and the resulting compromises.
Technical Drawings
2D component and assembly drawings - using the 3D CAD - with the level of dimensioning, inspection dimensions and tolerances required.
Material, colour & surface finish specifications, BOM tables, exploded views and build guidance are options for the support documentation.
Pre-Tooling Analysis & Prototyping
Analysis tools on Solidworks are used for final checks before 3D CAD files are issued for reliable tooling production.
Prototypes can be 3D printed quickly at any stage of the design and development process, to use, test and assess physical parts.
Tooling and Moulding Liaison
I believe in developing close working relationships with Toolmakers and Moulders.
When everyone involved shares their expertise in open discussion, the product - with reliable production and reduced time to market - is the winner everytime.
I look at future-proofing tooling, by recommending which areas of a tool are 'inserted' on the core and/or cavity side and which areas to leave metal safe.
Pre-Production Support
DFM (Design For Manufacture) reports cover many aspects of individual components and I provide feedback on these.
Having the designer's in-depth knowledge of the complete 3D assembly is very valuable for giving additional guidance. For example, which surfaces must be clear of witness lines (either for functional or cosmetic reasons) and avoiding weld lines near any areas subject to stress.
Manufacturing Support
Assessing and providing thorough feedback on T1 samples (the first moulded parts from new tools) so Toolmakers and Moulders can make any small adjustments required to the tooling or processing. This helps ensure the individual components meet the required specifications.
This process can be repeated with T2 or more samples if needed, but the aim of putting the work in earlier is so the time and cost of tool trials are minimal.
Understanding and Research
"What does the user need?" and "What isn't working with existing products?" The answers give strong guidance and awareness at the start of a project.
Studying users, researching competitors and market requirements - alongside looks, usability, ergonomics, function, IP, manufacturability, cost and sustainability - all lead to an informed product specification.
Concept Generation
Sketching lots of possible ideas and annotating the thinking behind them is a great way to start working out and visualising how the product could look and function.
Either done independently or as a group brainstorm, the aim is to investigate positive evolutions of existing products and features, as well as completely new ideas, or a blend of both.
Organisation Skills
Experienced in working through all the stages of product development, I can fit in with you and your team in whichever way you need.
You might call on me for individual project stages when needed in your plan, or you might ask me to manage all the stages you'd like me to be responsible for.
This may vary between projects and teams, but ultimately I want to provide you with the best service possible.
Images for User Manuals
2D images from CAD models can easily be exported in different arrangements and viewing angles. These can either be provided for your team to manipulate as needed, or I can add additional details (like arrows) and provide them ready to use.
RFA files for BIM
Using copies of detailed 3D CAD models, I can remove sensitive internal features to create simple block models to save as RFA files which can be used as BIM models.
Patent Drawings
Patent applications require a range of black and white line drawings, showing detailed product images. These are very simple to produce using Solidworks, as components can be hidden and moved. Section views taken at any position and views from any angle help to create clear reference images.