Design Process for the InventorWhether you come to me with a napkin sketch, homemade prototypes, patents, or professional work, I will pick up where you left off and help you get your idea to production. If you bring an existing product you're looking to improve, I will reverse engineer it with your improvements! I use Pro/Engineer™ and SolidWorks&trade, which are the latest in cutting edge, 3D design software. Whether your product is one part or a large assembly, I will quickly get your new design, professional prototypes, and production tools developed as needed. The 3D environment allows for realistic simulations to be analyzed so that we save time and money on prototypes and tools. The 3D CAD files are also used to generate tooling, manufacturing, and patent drawings. Also, marketing a product is easier when you use 3D CAD files to show the features and benefits. In the portfolio section you will see that I design a wide range of products. If you're not sure about yours, just ask! I design products in phases, allowing you, the customer, to control the speed of the project, to decide what services your product needs, and to determine when you want to move forward. This technique, see "My Product Engineer," gives all the flexibility to you, the inventor. Please use all or any part of my services to help make your product successful. The usual process used to bring a product to reality is outlined below. See Corporate Services for a more detailed description. Part Design
Whenever possible, I design plastic parts with snaps, ultrasonic weld joints, and inserts to reduce hardware and/or assembly time. Complex Assemblies
Assemblies may include PCB's, cables and connectors, fluid and laser systems, tubing and pumps, gears and brackets, displays and cooling components, or whatever your product requires. I’ll put mechanisms into motion to insure moving parts won't interfere with surrounding components. I also have the ability to program constraints that control critical parameters into the assembly. The parametric environment of a 3D assembly gives the product life, and prevents interference and assembly problems when the prototypes or actual parts are delivered for manufacturing. Reverse Engineering
The complexity of the surface and the need for accuracy in the reproduction determines if 3D scanning will be used.
Mechanism Design
Drawings
Concept, patent, or illustration drawings for catalogs and manuals can also be generated as needed. The drawings produced by CPD are parametric, or associated, to the actual part or assembly. Once the drawing is created, it automatically updates itself as the 3D file is modified. When used properly, this saves time and money in the development process. Continue to the "Development Process >>> |
Inventor Services
I can 
Although most products have 1 to 10 parts, I can assemble hundreds of parts to create a product, starting with enclosures and finishing with the correct hardware. 
Reverse engineering is the technique of analyzing an existing physical part or product, yours or a competitors, for the purpose of copying or improving the product. By converting the data into a usable 3D CAD file and adding their own ingenuity, companies or individuals may quickly have a competitive product. 
Mechanism design is a common and exciting practice! I have experience designing with springs, belts, pulleys, gears, brackets, electronic and pneumatic sensors, solenoids, motors, and linkage to help make your ideas work with fewest parts and at optimal performance.
Creating detailed part and assembly drawings for production using standard dimensioning and/or geometric tolerancing is a common service provided with every project I work on.