Manufacturing Engineering

Great product design cannot be separated from the manufacturing processes used to produce them. Simplexity® Product Development’s approach to manufacturing engineering starts at the beginning of the project when the architecture is being developed. Every step of the way, our engineers consider the manufacturing options best suited to the engineering requirements and design accordingly. For every physical part our engineers’ design, and depending on projected volumes, we will ultimately select an appropriate production manufacturing process, such as injection molding, formed sheet metal, machining, casting, and even 3D printing.

 

What Is Manufacturing Engineering?

Manufacturing engineers are the ultimate conductors of production techniques. From manufacturing facility layout to machine & equipment optimization, from resource development to cost reduction, manufacturing engineering enables streamlined production, all while keeping product quality at the forefront of any operation.

Simplexity offers full-service product design and engineering, New Product Introduction (NPI), project management, and production and manufacturing engineering to meet and exceed your most stringent requirements.

 

Simplexity's Cost-Effective Approach

Our approach is to select the simplest and most cost-effective manufacturing process for the product that meets the requirements. In selecting a manufacturing process, one critical factor to consider is the product’s projected volume. Certain processes like injection molding have an up-front tooling cost that may not pay back in-part cost savings for very low volumes.  

Even for a projected high-volume product, it is often impractical to invest in tooling during the early stages of development when the potential for significant design change is still high. In this case, prototype parts made with a different process need to be evaluated, considering the likely differences in material properties. 

With the advances in both 3D printing equipment and material, it is now possible to get short-run parts with structural properties suitable for end-use products. Our engineers have been working with leaders in 3D printing to enable us to take advantage of the most recent developments for our clients. 

 

Dedicated to the Full Product Lifecycle

Manufacturing engineering transcends design and follows the product lifecycle through production and shipment. Our tasks commonly include helping to select the right contract manufacturer for the job and assisting with the set-up of the assembly, testing, and qualification processes. We regularly travel to the manufacturing site to confirm the processes used will achieve the quality requirements. For example, we may analyze production process metrics, such as Cp and Cpk data, that are critical to monitor and understand during production ramp-up. Working closely with the contract manufacturer, our goal is to ensure high part quality throughout the build and until the finished product reaches the hands of the end customers. 

This includes cut-no-corners quality measures to ensure optimal end products: acceptable material substitutions, localization considerations, resource development, and other ways to improve overall product quality for your manufacturing engineering process.

 

Proven, Practical Product Design and Manufacturing

Simplexity’s engineering case studies include successful manufacturing engineering projects. We realize that even the best prototypes don’t guarantee successful product production without a solid manufacturing plan in place. With our weekly project status reports focused on your manufacturing engineering and manufacturing process requirements, Simplexity allows full collaboration between our team and your manufacturing engineering staff.

What’s more, our New Product Introduction (NPI) process aligns perfectly with three key components of effective, useful manufacturing engineering: product cost management, product quality optimization, and reduced time to market. Thanks to our complete line of engineering and project management services, finding the right manufacturing process is closer than you think.

Contact Simplexity and enjoy production and manufacturing engineering optimization as part of the design of your product. We look forward to hearing from you soon!