The process of engineering turns a concept or design into a fully viable product. Throughout the engineering process physical reality is considered and using scientific principles, the design is refined. Within the constraints imposed by our client’s desires and physical reality, various optimization parameters are considered, such as, quality, volume, safety, and reliability.
A mechanism is a device that takes some input and converts it into a useful output. Mechanisms range greatly in size and complexity. Many seemingly simple consumer products have very clever mechanisms built into them. These mechanisms can be used to lock something securely in place, actuate a button, or pump a fluid though a nozzle. Some examples of mechanism design in our work can be seen in. Tenex trifold mechanism Button actuation in wand Maxwell|June cartridge press
Electromechanical design deals with electromagnetic principles. When designing a device such as an enclosure for a PCB or a user interface that utilizes electronic components, special considerations must be taken. For example, many electronic enclosures need to be designed to resist electromagnetic penetration and reduce their electro magnetic emissions. Some examples of this in our work can be seen in Wand with PCBs Sheetmetal enclosures on zippin project
How a product is made and at what scale has a massive impact on the actual geometry of the product at both the component level and the assembly level. At the component level, there are many nuances for each different type of manufacturing process such as plastic injection molding, sheet metal manufacturing, castings, and machining. Design for manufacturing takes these nuances into consideration and optimizes the design so that it can be achieved. “Graphics of a bracket that is to be made with sheet metal vs plastic injection vs machining”
How a product is made and at what scale has a massive impact on the actual geometry of the product at both the component level and the assembly level. At the assembly level, the process in which a product is assembled can have a massive impact on the cost of the product and the consumer reception of the product, if it is assembled by the consumer. Questions are asked such as, How easily can a human (or machine) assembly the components? Can it be assembled incorrectly? What level of skill is required? A good example of DFA in our work
When a product is ready to be made there are specific types of documentation that manufactures need so that they can make the product. These documents are typical 2D Drawings and 3D CAD files. These documents are used to communicate all the information required by the manufacturer so that they can make the product. These documents are a legal document and should be treated as such. If there is ever a discrepancy between what a manufacture delivers, and what a client wanted the handoff documentation is consulted to determine fault.