Often, when engineering a design, you may be faced with having to decide between using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts versus designing new, custom parts for the design. Do you “make”… Read More
Have you ever wondered what key elements can add some of the most important value to your product development project? This question has come up many times in the 17+… Read More
Power management is an important concern when dealing with small, battery-powered devices such as sensors or wearables. The successful design of low-power devices requires a concerted team effort between the… Read More
After a second full year of the pandemic, supply chains for numerous goods, components, and materials continue to be in crisis. The importing companies of the Port of Los Angeles,… Read More
Sealing is challenging and important Whether it’s a waterproof wearable electronic device, a chemical bottle, hydraulic lines in automotive brakes, or the hull of a wooden boat, sealed assemblies are… Read More
Transforming your mechanical CAD designs into real and tangible parts is one of the most rewarding feelings as an engineer. However, a lot of things can go wrong during this… Read More
Turn Around, Bright Eyes After two years of coming in second place, it was time for The Bridesmaids to become the bride; the corpse bride, that is. With a theme… Read More
Configurations are a powerful tool in SOLIDWORKS which allow users to maintain multiple versions of a part or an assembly in a single file. Like many features in SOLIDWORKS, Configurations… Read More
Problems are inevitable in any engineering build process. As a result, problem solving is an engineering fundamental. Often, this process is straightforward. A screw is found to be loose; a… Read More
Your first draft of the design looks good on paper. You are one step closer to realizing your vision of the product. The technology concepts were proven to work on… Read More
Software: Design Complete
Hardware: Pre-production units for design verification
MFG. Readiness: CM schedule and budget, Unit build tracking
Software: Full feature implementationHardware: Prototype 2 units with production-representative materials and processes
Quality: Build Quality PlanSoftware: Core functionality implementationHardware: Prototype 1 units with rapid prototyped components
Quality: Critical manufacturing process identificationSoftware: Architecture design: block, sequence and state diagramsHardware: Major Component definition & Proof of Concept subsystems build
Quality: Design for Manufacturing tradeoffs evaluation