prototyping

frequently held false beliefs in product design

I recently posed the following question on Quora What are the most frequent false beliefs in mechanical engineering and product design? I find the answers compelling and hope you do as well. Design doesn’t depend on context The designer knows more about the user than the user does The idea is the hard part The [...]

Tagged as: prototyping

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why you should always prototype

 

Tagged as: prototyping

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Thumbnail image for First Cut prototype

First Cut prototype

I’ve heard some bad things about First Cut. Some complained about the poor tolerances, others that First Cut won’t tap holes (UPDATE: they tap holes for $2 a pop!), still others complaining about maximum part size. They’re right, each one of them. But if you’re willing to accept tolerances of ±0.005 (give or take) and tap [...]

Tagged as: CNC, machining, prototyping

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Thumbnail image for urethane castings: 3 things to ask before you hit ‘send’

urethane castings: 3 things to ask before you hit ‘send’

A while back I shared some things you should know about urethane castings. I focused mainly on when you should use them, and not so much on some of the actual design considerations. So here you go… design considerations. The overarching theme is that rapid prototyping houses like to do things a certain way. Sometimes though, [...]

Tagged as: example, product design, prototyping, urethane casting guide

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Thumbnail image for urethane casting guide: 5 things you need to know

urethane casting guide: 5 things you need to know

I like urethane castings.  They always look so clean and pretty. Use them for the wrong project however, and you’ll be stuck explaining to your client why you dropped a few grand on prototypes and have nothing to show for it but a receipt. When I evaluate castings for a project I’m working on, I [...]

Tagged as: prototyping, urethane casting, urethane casting guide

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