Strangineering Today

Vendor Qualification

2008-03-31T10:46:00.002-06:00

In my many corporate years, I visited and qualified many suppliers and service providers. It is a required process, and particularly stringent, for vendors who supply medical device manufacturers. Those countless trips and the subsequent reports and documentation served me well in understanding what to look for and the expectations of such relationships.

I have made many such trips to local (Denver area) suppliers, and am headed to Ohio this week to visit one who was recently selected by a client. It's a reminder that, even though I work alone in my home office, there's always a network of people and businesses behind a contract design engineer. New clients looking for more than design work have the opportunity to choose a contract designer who has the resources to point them to other qualified providers of goods and services. I have met and worked with everyone from intellectual property lawyers to nut and bolt suppliers. Those that I've qualified and rely on for my business are excellent partners who I am happy to recommend.

As a contract designer, I can work with these resources on your behalf, or you can work directly with them during or after the design phase. It's all part of the full package you should look for in a partnership.

Using the Time Zones

2008-03-20T08:27:00.002-06:00

I have mentioned before that I tend to work very odd hours. Both the creative side of this job and the plugging-away-at-the-computer side benefit from striking when the iron is hot. I make the best use of the time by focusing on different aspects of different projects at appropriate times.

I've also mentioned that I work with clients all over the United States, and I've found that being situated in the Mountain Time Zone can be used to the advantage of everyone involved. I've become quite adept at working all the time zones. My evening work hours are uninterrupted by phone calls and emails, for the most part. This allows me to focus on completing phases of jobs for the clients and fabricators who I work with in the Eastern half of the country. By completing work and sending it out in my late evening, the East Coast and Central folks get an hour or two to look at it and get their feedback together before I hit the computer at 8:00 am my time the next morning. When it works, I hit the ground running first thing in the morning on the stuff I finished the night before.

A similar fate awaits the feedback I get from the West Coast. If it comes late in their day, I have the evening to work on it, plus an hour or two the next morning, and they see results of many hours work when they start their day.

The best utilization of time is critical to get products launched, and optimizing the work flow in every phase can make a big difference in getting to market quickly.

Rapid Prototyping

2008-03-17T12:09:00.003-06:00

The primary business of Strangineer Design is the creation of computer files. In a typical day on a typical project I create PDF files to share images, usually of the SolidWorks parts files, assembly files, and/or drawing files I'm creating. All these files become the project deliverables, and the client then takes those files to whatever manufacturer they have chosen to approach with the project.

Another important file type I find myself creating more and more lately, is the STL file. This the usual file type required by Rapid Prototyping equipment. I have several Denver-area resources for creating 3D printed or other hard or soft plastic parts. These can be invaluable for visualizing the design direction and making decisions about fit and function. Considering that the cost is reasonable and they can be obtained in one or two days, getting a rapid prototype made is something that can be planned as part of the project with very little impact to overall cost and schedule.

Whenever prototyping is part of the project request, the parts usually become project deliverables as well, although there are times that the prototypes become consumed in the design process. They may be cut up or modified to test alternative design direction and may become useless in the process. There may be occasion when I, as the design engineer, determine that I need a rapid prototype in hand to further my research and development of an idea. In this case, the client may or may not ever see the plastic part, or it evolves the design to the point where a final prototype is made and shared with the client.

Rapid prototypes are a great design tool, and planning for their use and review can be a valuable part of the design process.

Working local vs. national

2008-03-14T08:17:00.002-06:00

I'm often asked by new contacts whether it makes sense to work with a contract design engineer who is not in the immediate area. There are definite advantages to having the client and contractor within driving distance, and if you prefer the interaction, I do recommend you find someone nearby for the relationship.

That said, I have worked with clients from across the country. I currently have projects going in TX, CA, TN, and MN, as well as several in the Denver CO area. I do like the advantage of local clients; there's nothing like the face-to-face time to work through details and brainstorm options.

Achieving the same interaction by phone and email is a challenge I take seriously, and I've gone to great lengths to make sure the same quality of relationship is maintained. If you search your local area and just can't find the contractor that feels right, by all means expand your search. With some in-depth inquiring, you may find that working with someone across the state or across the country can be practical and successful.

It can be Made in the USA.

2008-03-11T12:31:00.002-06:00

I'm increasingly asked if there's a way to make such-and-such a product in the USA. More clients are looking for that as a positive marketing factor in rolling out a new invention or product. They believe that there's a trend toward US consumers being willing to pay a bit more for a product if a higher quality alternative is available, and, increasingly, "Made in the USA" is perceived as safer and higher quality, whether that is the case or not.

The good news is that US manufacturing is not dead. There are still technologies that are better performed and more cost-effective in the States than anywhere else. There are also older industries that have been nearly outsourced to death that are figuring out that niche products, targeting lower-volume higher-quality design markets, are viable business.

Chemetal is a great example of what used to be a commodity product turned into something innovative and valuable. There are many more examples out there, and I'm pointing clients toward using those materials and processes whenever possible.

Designer Showcase - Raymond Loewy

2008-03-10T11:21:00.002-06:00

If you are anywhere near the East Coast, you have two more weeks in which to visit The National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA.

There you will find the exhibit Raymond Loewy: Designs for a Consumer Culture, which runs through March 23rd.

Raymond Loewy is a name worth knowing if you've any interest in Design; in fact he's known as the Father of Industrial Design and his career is fascinating. I'm sadly missing the show, but have heard from someone who attended and it sounds like a very thorough and excellent study of the man and his works. Highly recommended.

Various and Sundry

2008-03-05T10:11:00.002-07:00

Just a couple of quick notes.

First, I'm now up and running with a new 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator. For those unaware, it's a handy little desktop puck that provides easy control for movement in the 3D world. Pan, zoom, rotate, spin: this little guy allows you to do many combinations of these movements simultaneously, so you can be zooming in on a feature and spinning the model as you go. It takes some getting used to, but fortunately it's customizable so that the movements make sense to whatever your mind/body connection is prewired for. You run it with your left hand while mousing with your right, and it definitely speeds up navigating and modeling. I'm still not sure how to manage keyboard shortcuts without growing another limb, but I'm sure that'll work itself out.

And here's a nice design weblog to pass along - DESIGNwatcher.

The Spirit of Cooperation

2008-03-04T10:56:00.002-07:00

At one end of the project spectrum, there are people who come to me for design and/or engineering, and their input seems to be limited to comments and changes to get the product looking like what they have in their head. It seems they're doing nothing but waiting for me to send more pictures. I eventually complete my side of it, hand over the files, and never know what becomes of the program.

On the other side of the spectrum, I find myself in the midst of many projects where the inventor, client, or instigator, whoever it may be, is really doing an exceptional job of positioning themselves and the product for success. Hearing about that progress and being asked to participate is a joy. As a contract design engineer, seeing such effort raises my level of expectations for my side of the equation. With so much of the business and marketing side getting completed in a thorough and professional manner, it only makes sense that I'm going to pull out all of the stops to rise to the occasion. There's no doubt that a better product results when there's effort expended on all fronts, and the team involved is cooperating and sharing information.

Happy Engineers Week

2008-02-22T11:14:00.002-07:00

Just too busy to post much this week. I hope to be more active in the coming weeks, and especially to talk more about curvature continuous geometry, one of the big tools for good looking consumer products.

Meanwhile, Happy Engineers Week even though I almost missed it!

Curvature Continuous

2008-02-13T11:37:00.002-07:00

Consumer product design has become quite sophisticated and the expectations of the market have driven product look and feel to very high standards. Not so long ago, a designer or engineer could call out a housing for a product using simple and straight-forward geometry. Rounding the corners was a simple matter of adding a tasteful radius and making sure there was no interference with what went on inside.

These days, a simple radius is just unacceptable. If you take a box and add a 1/4" radius to the corners, this is what is known as a C1 transition. There's a straight edge where curvature = 0, and then suddenly there's a point, even though it's perfectly tangent, where the curvature = 0.25" for 90 full degrees, then it's suddenly 0 again. If these surfaces were to be highly-reflective chrome and the product displayed in a brightly lit room, the reflections of the lights and room would show up distorting along the line where these transitions happen.

The automobile industry has long known about this phenomenon, and a new car in a showroom must reflect light smoothly and perfectly along it's every curve and transition.

The way to round those corners is known as C2, or curvature continuous, geometry. What C2 does is eliminate the sudden transition, so that the 1/4" doesn't suddenly happen, it's approached from both sides. Curvature gradually goes from 0 to 0.25", so that the look of a 1/4" radius is achieved, but it is only truly 1/4" at the midpoint of the curve. A difficult concept to describe in words, I will post pictures and examples in future blog entries on this fascinating and important topic.

Congratulations, Gerald Davis

2008-02-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

One of the things that SolidWorks does very well is encourage and support their users groups. The local chapter, the Colorado SolidWorks Users Group, or COSUG, has been headed up these last few years by Gerald Davis.

Gerald has presented at the last two SolidWorks World events, doing break-out sessions for sheet metal design, which is his specialty. He's also a very knowledgable all-around SW user and instructor, and puts together some great COSUG meetings.

At this year's SolidWorks World in San Diego, Gerald Davis was named the users group Leader of the Year. I don't know off hand how many users groups there are around the world, but this is a huge honor and big congratulations to Gerald. It's good to be part of such an organization, and if you use SW at all, I encourage you to get involved with your local users group.

Inspiration sources, redux

2008-02-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of this year's SolidWorks World general sessions was a presentation made by Dutch engineer and sculptor Theo Jansen. This ingenious modern-day Da Vinci has been creating incredible mobile structures that walk and adapt, inspired by evolution and fundamental biology. Difficult to describe, I encourage you to just take a look at this -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMqftVhOuTw&feature=related

Mr. Jansen brought one of his smaller creatures to the stage, and in the absense of wind, took it by the "hand" and effortlessly walked it across the stage. It was amazing to see the grace and precision of the structure in person. And it's remarkable how this artist has stayed so true to the source of his inspiration; the mechanics and engineering have evolved along with the need to make these animals functional and organic in their interactions with their environment.

For anyone who looks to nature for an inspiration for design, spend some time studying this man and what he has to say about how he does what he does. There's an incredible amount for us to learn.

FIRST and Dean Kamen

2008-01-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

The big treat for me at SWWorld was the unannounced, and painfully brief, appearance by Dean Kamen. He had all of fifteen minutes to talk, so we got little of the inventor and his history. As anyone who has followed this remarkable man's career can tell you, if he has your ear for any length of time, he'll make absolutely certain he makes a pitch for FIRST. He wasn't going to waste the opportunity to talk to 4700 engineers about the Segway.

So we got 15 minutes of what is going on with this revolutionary program and how to get involved. His passion for FIRST is astonishing to see, and what it's doing for students is remarkable. I recommend going to the site and learning more about FIRST and what teams are in your area. If you have anything to do with a company that can sponsor a team, you should make a pitch and get involved.

The website is http://www.usfirst.org.

SolidWorks World speakers

2008-01-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that this year's conference speakers were generally all outside of the SolidWorks community. There were a couple of people that I would describe as generalist engineers, but none of them were computer jockeys who could or would talk about 3D CAD. So, very little of the general sessions was about designing products with SolidWorks, and very much of it was centered around a philosophical message that was wonderfully presented and inspiring.

The program was basically about rolling out a very diverse sampling from the world of extreme techie careers, and having them talk about the importance of education and engaging children in technology and science. There was an undersea explorer, a television show host, an inventor or two, all with one thing in common - a passion for science and as close as we come to "rock star status" in the world of technology.

I commend the folks at SolidWorks for putting this program together. There were over 4700 attendees this year in San Diego, and if the message got through to some small percentage that actually goes out to some schools and talks about what they do, maybe there will be a handful more of these role models develop. We can only hope so, because even a handful can touch the lives of hundreds of kids and get them thinking about something other than sports stars and movie actors. This was a conference that potentially goes far beyond selling software and helping users work better. My hope is that it planted seeds for something much bigger.

SolidWorks 2008 SP2 looking good.

2008-01-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

One bit of good news from SolidWorks World; it seems there's a bit of consensus that the lastest service pack, 2.0, is robust and working well enough that users are switching over. Most of the breakout sessions I attended were done on '08, and the presenters seemed happy enough with this new SolidWorks. I did some informal polling in the halls and except for the slower corporate clients, most folks are using the new version now with good results.

I think you'll be seeing a lot of screenshots with that reflective floor in the near future. A lot of the newer functionality won't be evident, but there's definitely a lot in the user interface that will be showing up, a sure sign that we've moved on. From what little was shown of 2009 during the Wednesday general session, this new user interface is a given and there will be more attention given to the various modules within, everything from sketching to handling large assemblies. More to come.

SolidWorks World 2008

2008-01-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'm back, and happy to report that SolidWorks World 2008 was a great show and a big hit. There were over 4700 attendees this year, and based on the standing-room-only crowds at the first general session and in many of the breakout sessions, the crowd was beyond expectations.

The general sessions were entertaining as usual, and quite inspiring. I was very pleased to see that many of the guest speakers fell far outside the SolidWorks community. They were not there to talk about 3D CAD and sell the software, they were chosen to speak about good design and good engineering, and about the enormous sphere of influence we have as designers and engineers. I'll talk more about this, as it's a subject near and dear to my heart, hinted at in this very weblog and ripe for more posts. Suffice it to say, I'm proud of SolidWorks for giving this pulpit over to these kinds of leaders and leaving the sales pitch as an aside.

The breakouts, preview of coming attractions, and trade show were great as well, and I'll give a rundown of pertinent and interesting tools I've added to my grab bag. Stay tuned.

Using existing SolidWorks files

2008-01-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm occasionally asked to take SolidWorks files created by others and modify or complete a project using that existing geometry. This can certainly be done, but there are pros and cons to it.

As I've said here before, SolidWorks is an evolving product, full of new features and enhancements to make the creation of geometry faster or easier. What that means in real life is that there were ways to make parts before, and now there are new and different ways to make the same parts. So, the user has many choices, depending on when he/she learned the program, in the methods used to model.

I can import a file and look at the feature tree and tell by the way it was built whether the creator has been using SolidWorks for a long time or is a more recent convert. The part can be a good model created using very basic features from very early releases, or it can be a good model created using new features. Modifying the parts or assembly involves looking at those feature trees and deciding if it's better to change what's there, or start over.

It sometimes makes the most sense to study the old files, understand the features and design intent, and then model the part from scratch. Other times, it makes the most sense to roll back the part and modify the features, retaining most of the old geometry and methods. It's a matter of examining the situation and determining the most cost-effective approach for the customer.

The Designers Accord

2008-01-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

An article recently appeared in The New York Times mentioning this, and I thought a link here might be appropriate.

http://www.designersaccord.org/

I did not see the article, and haven't had time to go searching for it, but the principles of this outfit are commendable. I believe something like this is the inevitable result of the recent focus on design and sustainability, and I hope this leads to more commitment on the part of the customers of designers. It's supply and demand, and the best thing that can happen is that the consumers of design go looking for partners who are so inclined and find organizations such as this.

Errors and Omission Insurance

2008-01-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

I'm occasionally asked about insurance coverage, and I suppose it's a way to weed out the non-professional. Certainly there are contract engineers out there that are doing a bit of SolidWorks stuff as a sideline, and they typically are not set up as legitimate business entities. Having a real business, I suppose, means filing with your state government, keeping track of your finances, and carrying insurance.

Professional liability, or an errors and omissions policy, is something that may set the professional apart from the part-timer. It's an expensive coverage and supplements the terms and conditions of a professional contract for services. As a contractor who is establishing a long-term growing business, it makes good business sense to maintain such coverage. The range of projects I see is vast, and the eventual use of whatever design files are created is outside of my control. The alternative might be to enter into projects that seem "safe", but that's still no guarantee that a design won't end up far removed from its original intent, and an intentional omission that was made under the original parameters suddenly spells trouble in some new application.

There is definitely justification for carrying the insurance, and whatever contractor you do business with should be asked about their coverage.

New design in 2008

2008-01-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

I've got a couple of new projects on the horizon, I'm putting together bids for them either today or tomorrow and looking at the amount of engineering and design work involved. One or both of these projects (assuming I get them) will get the full SolidWorks 2008 treatment. I will need to talk to the manufacturing centers that have been identified to get the files and do the prototype work, to make sure they can take the files. If things look good, I'll start them in v.2008 and be able to give a blow-by-blow of the process as I go.

I expect there will be opportunity to report on what goes quicker and what slows me down, essentially exposing my learning curve. What will be interesting will be if there are any significant labor savings in the new interface that carry over long term. Stay tuned, and I'll try to post thoughts along those lines as I come across them.

First thoughts on SolidWorks 2008

2008-01-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well, the jury is still out, but so far I don't see what the fuss is about. It took a few minutes to get used to the new user interface, which seems to be the biggest hurtle according to all the noise I've heard. Yes, there were a couple of commands that I had to hunt for, but they ended up being in a pretty logical place and I don't expect I'll have too much trouble remembering where to find them. It's a bit of a code to crack, once you've hunted for a couple of things the logic of the setup becomes apparent and it's then fairly straight-forward to find or drill down to other stuff.

I like the new RealView options. For a contract guy who needs to present a lot of different images to convey a lot of design details to people who are not immersed in 3D MCAD, it's great to have reflections on the floor and easy to apply light schemes. It effectively puts out more detail for the eye and is quick to setup before saving out a JPG to share.

I expect to spend a lot more time with 2008 after SolidWorks World, and there will be much to try after attending. I have yet to move a project over to the new release since there are a few bugs being worked on, but in an update or two I believe I'll be a convert.

Happy 2008

2008-01-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

The Strangineer office is abuzz with new projects already this new year, here's hoping your year is off to a great start as well.

With the holidays over, and many of the '07 projects cleaned up, I should be back to this weblog a little more often. Feel free to reply to anything you read here about the contract design business, I'll try to answer in a timely fashion and expand the topics here a bit this year.

Coming up, I'll be attending SolidWorks World 2008 this month in San Diego. It runs from January 20 thru the 23rd, and you can look for my thoughts on it soon thereafter. I've also been running SW 2008 for a little while now, so my thoughts on that are on the slate of blog topics too.

All the best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2008.

The December Scramble

2007-12-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

With the end of the year approaching, there are a fair number of projects I'm cleaning up and completing. The lack of weblog postings is a direct result of that focused effort to get the engineering and design work done first. I hope to be back blogging on a more frequent basis in January, although I do have some travel planned that will eat up a lot of that month. SolidWorks World is January 20-23, that will be the largest block of time away from the workstation.

I do want to note that I've posted a lot of information on this blog in the last several months regarding how I do business and handle projects. It's been my response to the FAQ's of clients. The more these questions come up, it's obvious the answers are important to share, so many of the initial concerns and issues have been answered here in various posts.

The Google Search Box I've placed at the top of the page is a handy tool for finding the answers to these frequently asked questions. If there's something specific you need to know about my business or experience, a search of these posts and strangineer.com may be the way to get a quick answer.

If I don't get back here in the next week or so, Happy Holidays to everyone, and much prosperity and invention in the New Year.

What are the first steps?

2007-12-10T08:33:00.001-07:00

When initial contact is made, and I'm speaking with the client for the first time, the inevitable question is "what are the first steps?".

1) For any new product idea, I suggest a Non-Disclosure Agreement be signed by both parties as the very first step. Before I see any sketches or hear any particulars about the invention, this establishes that I will hold the product details confidential, and I am working for the client's interests only.

2) The next step is to share my standard contract if the client is interested in reviewing the terms and conditions prior to going further. This establishes that I am a "work for hire" contractor, and that whatever work product I generate is automatically the sole property of the hiring party.

3) Once the legalities and relationship are clear, it's time to look at the product details that exist, have a face-to-face meeting if practical, and get down to the nitty-gritty of a plan to make the product a reality. The plan allows me to estimate my time and efforts, fill in the numbers on a contract, and we sign and proceed from there.

The steps aren't complex, and before you know it there are design images to review and design details are becoming reality.

Sources of Inspiration

2007-12-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about being a home-based, single employee business is that all the usual corporate rules are out the window. I don't adhere to standard work hours and I am free to seek inspiration wherever I need to find it.

The routine of arriving at work at 8:00am and staying in the office until 5:00 (or later) with a measly hour in the middle for lunch is stifling. When that was my routine, I often found myself restless while solving a problem or brainstorming a new idea. One of the great tenets of creativity is to go seek the solution outside of the normal channels, outside of your area of expertise, from completely different industries or products. In my cubicle days, I often wished I could run from the building, jump in my car, and go browse the aisles of some retail establishment for ideas.

The local grocery store is chock full of innovative packaging solutions; low-cost, in odd shapes, and using a variety of materials. The local consumer electronics showroom is piled full of sheet metal parts mated to plastic parts, controls and displays, and well-designed edges of complex radii and blends. Places like The Container Store, IKEA, various hobby/craft materials outlets, office supply stores, hardware stores, and many others are not only ubiquitous in our densely urban landscape, they are like exposition halls full of successful product designs, where the admission is free and you can pick up and turn over every piece to decipher what some designer has done to solve a problem or achieve a look.

When I need the inspiration, I go find answers, and always come back energized and apply what I learn. It's another way to keep on top of the current trends in design and continually learn about what works.

Always Ask and Share.

2007-12-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

Once a project is started, the contract is signed and the expectations are all laid out, the work begins with sketches and concepts. These are very rough renderings, often just to test or understand one aspect of the design, or to start to see how to incorporate two or more features as a basis to move forward.

Very often these preliminary bits can send the wrong message. Certainly, no inventor or client wants to see most of his idea trivialized at the expense of one feature. But important questions come up during these early sketches, so the quandary is whether to share the images and ask the question, or to wait until a more fully-realized version is available to share.

I opt for the former. Asking the question is paramount, and it's all in the communication. I make sure the focus is on the one feature we're discussing, and go to great lengths to assure the client that the rest of the design is coming, and that the simplistic and non-functional bits of the model I am sharing with them are just place holders. It's far better to have a clear answer early on, especially if it's a crucial aspect of the design, before committing a lot of modeling time to something that may change drastically once the discussion happens.

If you contract with me, expect a lot of pictures very early on in the process. The business of product development is a collaboration, and the more I show you the better focused all our efforts become.

Designs to Believe in.

2007-12-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I quoted a couple of young Portuguese designers and discussed some of their ideas. One last bit of one of those quotes is worth revisiting -

"So the best option for now is to invest time developing projects that we believe in and that please us." -- Rita Joao, Pedrita.

Think about those two qualities held in such regard - projects "that we believe in" and "that please us".

Believing in a project is key to its success. Certainly the inventor or company who presents an idea to a contract designer believes in what he/she is doing, or they would not have gone to the time and trouble to pursue a designer. What makes all the difference is whether the contractor plods along to fulfill his side of the contract or whether he believes in the invention and its prospects and potential. A personal commitment to seeing a good product made right means the difference between a solution and the time spent realizing the best solution.

A project can "please" on many levels. There can be the technical challenge, the puzzle to contemplate and solve. There can be the aesthetic challenge, the curvature and sweep that make the product come alive. Regardless of where it comes from, pleasure in the task makes the contractor a part of the team and gets his/her top involvement.

These are aspects I look for in projects I take on, whether I can actually believe in the product I'm helping design, and whether I'm going to take pleasure in its execution and realization. Those are high-value qualities to seek out in a partner.

The Role of Communication

2007-11-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I've learned in a quarter-century-plus of Project Management, it's that communication is a skill to develop and continually improve, and a talent to seek out and nurture in the design team.

I saw a print ad recently, I don't remember for what product, but the tag line was someone saying "... and you will know me by the speed of my replies" or some such, the idea being that emails can now be answered quickly from wherever the recipient happens to be. In this day of smart phones and such, emails can and should be answered promptly. A return phone call should not be put off, good communication means picking up the phone and making the time right away.

I'm often accused of sending long emails and leaving long phone messages. I believe in full disclosure and if my extended reply leaves a tidbit of information that allows the recipient to act right then, rather than after their call/email back, then I've done my job. If the return message means repeating myself, that's not always a bad thing, the reinforcement of communicated data is a valid tool. Verification and validation are not just QA terms, I like to hear important information conveyed 2 or 3 times, in different terms, because that makes for deeper understanding and confidence moving forward.

There are many subtleties in communication, particularly in technical matters, and keeping dialog going, asking questions, and staying engaged is one of the most important Project Management functions.

Team Building

2007-11-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have a number of current projects where I'm the sole technical resource and there are a good number of people with project input on the non-technical side. It's a bit like juggling sometimes, trying to communicate the technical aspects of the design, materials, and processing as each new suggestion and question comes up.

I enjoy walking these sorts of projects through the steps, as it gives me a fresh perspective on what could become rote project management. As each new step presents itself, there is someone on the team who inevitably questions the logic and suggests an alternative or interjects something out of sequence. This makes me question the status quo and usual practices, and keeps the strange in Strangineering. If a new approach or wild idea bubbles out from under the obvious, that's usually all the better for the project. If it makes us question why we do what we do, and the answer is that it's okay, the feeling of confirmation and reinforcement is satisfying as we move forward.

Either way, participation is lively and the team is engaged in the process, especially if it's a new experience. This makes for a good design team, and being the sole technical resource is fresh and engaging as well.

Computers and Complexity

2007-11-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

SolidWorks is a software product, and the makers and sellers want nothing more than to have new bells and whistles to roll out every year. More features equals more sales. That's all well and good for their business, and to a degree, for my business. I like having all the options and features in one elaborate program, and even though it becomes cumbersome as it grows (think Swiss Army Knife), it's a very useful tool, or perhaps toolbox full of tools is a more appropriate analogy.

When the tool gets complex and there are lots of sexy new features, there is a danger of letting the tool dictate the work. If your design becomes an exercise in trying to combine Extrudes, Lofts, Sweeps, Revolves, and Surfaces and a long list of Fillets, you're probably missing the point of the design, and are playing with your software.

If using the computer to design results in an overly complex solution, you've failed the customer. The designer can use something like SolidWorks to design, but the design must always be Simple and Elegant. As Albert Einstein said, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Look at the resulting design on the computer screen. Is it simple to make? Would anyone from age 5 to 105 look at at and immediately "get it"? Go back and imagine sketching it with a pencil, visualize the front, top, sides, is it a simple matter to convey the features?

Don't let the computer software drive the design. Complex tools can make complex designs look easy. Any computer-based designer needs to know how to step away from the mouse and understand what's at the heart of the solution for the customer.

Machine-based Design

2007-11-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

I love the fact that Pedrita, the design team from Portugal quoted here on Monday, are young, energetic, leading-edge designers who eschew computer design tools in favor of pencils and sketch pads.

It's not difficult to find older designers who cling to their drafting tables and can whip up any concept with their favorite Faber-Castell in in a flash. It's clearly the most effective way to communicate an idea when heads are together in a room.

It's inspiring to hear young designers say that "... hand drawing is [their] preferential tool when exploring ideas." It means the glamour of spinning 3D models and Photoshopping backgrounds has been seen for what it is, and the real work of making Ideas into Art and Product is front and center. Good Design is about making it happen, and the rapid deployment of one idea after another, side by side on the sketch pad, is the way to go, not just for the heads gathered in a room, but for the lone designer capturing lightning in their own quiet bottle, getting the inspiration of the moment down while it's fresh and can inspire it's brethren and offspring.

I do better sketches in my solitary office than I do in front of clients. Without the need to communicate to others, with the sole target of capturing a good design idea, it's easy to focus and let the flow happen. If you have to wait for the software to boot up, and start a new document, and pull down a menu or two, well more than likely by then the muse has drifted away.

As far as the computer-based solutions becoming overly complex, we'll talk more about that, another important topic.

How to do Business.

2007-11-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Before discussing yesterday's quotes, I need to interject a thought or two while they are on my mind.

When I set up this business, my intentions were to make Strangineer Design better than all the other corporate situations I'd been through, a better business model than all the cubicle-world ideas put together, and a business that I'd want to do business with. It boiled down to having three driving aspects which would be absolutely, no-compromise, never anything than the best I can do.

1. The Quality of My Work.

2. Honesty.

3. Professionalism.

These three things are always going to be priorities over anything else in my business. There's a related corollary. Any client that I work for has to regard these three principles very highly, and demonstrate it. I don't expect them to have the religious regard that I am striving for, but there are minimum standards that should be respected and always maintained, and just make for good business relationships.

This triumvirate forms the positive basis for all my business relationships, and will always establish a foundation for mutual success.

Quotes for the Week.

2007-11-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

This from Azure, October 2007 - In an interview with Portuguese design partners Rita Joao and Pedro Ferreira of Pedrita, these two particular quotes jumped out at me, and I think I'll comment on them this week.

Pedro: "I'm worried about the superficiality of some of the [computer-assisted] design tools that today easily distract from reality and push projects to complicated solutions. You can go so much further if you use your own hands to materialize ideas and thoughts."

Rita: "There's been a lot of thinking on what things should look like, the environment and sustainability, art versus design, and global versus local. But I guess what matters is looking around and trying to find what we could do to be part of this world and have fun -- without breaking the boundaries of our conscience and good sense. So the best option for now is to invest time developing projects that we believe in and that please us."

Project Management

2007-11-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

One of the first questions asked by new clients is about my workload, and how I manage it. One of the great benefits of a home-based business is that the hours are extremely flexible, and I never have to figure in another commute time to go back to work.

My hours do fall into some usual blocks of time, and the extra hours I need to squeeze in a smallish project or hit a deadline are also sort of standard blocks of time that I can use or not. Having this setup is easiest on my family and very manageable should I see my regularly scheduled hours taken up with phone calls, client visits, or trips to see subcontractors.

I usually have five or six very active projects, maybe that many that are in various states of idle for a variety of reasons, and several new ones that are in the discussion phase. The discussion phase is the most important element for managing my time. I find out up front, by getting to know the client and their expectations, how much of my time and energy will be consumed, and I can plan my coming month or so accurately.

A critical element of a contract design business is meeting customer's needs, and planning to do it is just as important as executing.

The Contract

2007-11-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

This ubiquitous piece of paperwork is the heart of my business, I can't function without it, but I wish there were an easier way to get started with a client.

It's a sad state of affairs, but business law has evolved, or devolved, to the point where a simple document is just not possible. Try as I might to avoid it, the nature of what I do plus the range of clients and their eventual consumers equals a lot of clauses and terms and conditions. I admit to everyone that it is an intimidating 5-page document I'm about to send, primarily designed to keep me out of trouble with big companies and isolated from litigation hunters.

The gist of a contract should be (and mine is once you've sorted through it) what work is to be done, when it's to be done, and who pays for what. I have two versions of my contract. The primary one is filled in and signed for each project undertaken. For clients with many projects and ongoing work, I have a version that is open-ended, which can be continually referred back to in new dealings and invoices.

The time & money spent making the document as user-friendly as possible, and usable in any and all contract situations, was time & money well spent. It's now been working for a lot of clients, and being tried-and-true makes for the easiest possible project start-up, even if it is five pages.

SolidWorks Animator

2007-11-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a large project that required a lot of show-and-tell animations to demonstrate the moving parts and operation. The Animator module in SolidWorks is a joy to work with, and anyone wishing to show off their invention would do well to have their friendly neighborhood designer/engineer do a short animation of the product to show it off.

Animator lets you play with camera angles, the display state of various components, and values within mates. These variables let you move parts relative to one another, and show parts moving inside the assembly as well. The Animator Wizard is handy to show the exploded view you create within SolidWorks, both exploding and collapsing, as well as rotational animations using any or all of 3 axes.

By combining the wizard-generated stuff with your own manipulation of mate values, such as distance and angle, very interesting stuff can be happening on the screen such as having parts moving while the assembly is rotating or exploding. You can even have individual parts slowly fade from view to see underneath, and then fade back in, so your customer gets a complete idea of what's going on inside the finished product.

Animator is a great tool for selling your new product, and can convey a lot of functionality without spending the bank on a large assembly.

Design shows

2007-11-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Currently, Denver is hosting an event titled Substance: Diverse Practices From the Periphery. It runs through November 9th at the Center for Visual Art, an "interdisciplinary event, this show highlights over 30 contemporary industrial, graphic, architectural, environmental and media designers working to improve the quality of daily life for communities".

And in New Haven, Connecticut, at the Yale School of Architecture, Ecology.Design.Synergy. "The sustainable designs of German-based firms Behnisch Architekten and Transsolar ClimateEngineering take centre stage."

And in Sarasota, Florida, hosts Design for Life : Sarasota International Design Summit. "Our 2007 Summit theme, Designing for Life, will showcase visionary thinkers and practitioners who are using the power of design to solve lifestyle issues and global challenges."

Wherever you are in this country, seek out and attend a design show, they are great sources of inspiration.

The value of CAD.

2007-11-02T08:10:00.000-06:00

It's tough to see your baby leave the nest. If you're an inventor, you know how much of yourself you've poured into the details, how much of your time and energy were consumed to enable the fledgling to grow and develop. So when do you actually let go?

Well, there's no need to ever, really. If you think turning it over to a designer is relinquishing control or the end of the development, it ain't necessarily so. The value of CAD is that it is just a tool, and another step in the road. Getting the geometry in a spinning 3D model does not cast any dimension or feature in stone. The opportunity to see it shaded, to measure the faces, to get it's mass, all these things are just great input to keeping the development going. Your baby just gets better as CAD gives it shape and form.

And once you're happy with the CAD, that's not the end of it either. The other value of CAD is that, within reason, your idea can take a major turn in direction and the data is still valuable. A manufacturer can take all the models and drawings and have a great starting point to developing a companion product or totally new version, and you can launch a whole product line. CAD is parametric, and parameters can change at a whim, so get your idea in CAD and take that next step. It's still your baby.

It's just good business.

2007-11-01T08:17:00.000-06:00

I often find myself with a very interesting project on the table, and sitting across from me, an inventor with limited funds looking for a break. When it happens, there are always a lot of variables that I have to consider before making a decision about how to move forward with the project.

There's the fact that this is how I make my living, and if I don't charge what I'm worth for the hours, the bills won't get paid. At the same time, I know that the client's bills are in jeopardy, and they may have mortgaged their home to finance the start up. A piece of the action is always an option. Very often, stakes in the future business become an offer to move the program ahead. Just as often, deferred payment or extended terms become part of the plan to proceed.

As a businessman, I'm a great engineer. It's certainly not my forte to negotiate complex terms for my design time, and I'd much rather be designing parts than massaging contract language. But, I've been in business long enough, and been a part of the business side of engineering throughout my career, so I know there are ways and means to make a new idea happen on limited funds.

Don't let the lack of rich backers stop your invention, that's the message here. Good ideas are not all from corporate board rooms, with buckets of funding behind them. Good ideas are just as likely from folks with limited resources, and Strangineer Design is about making those dreams a reality in some way or another.

Hire a Generalist

2007-10-31T08:31:00.000-06:00

Back in the day, and I mean a long way back, professional people weren't considered entirely competent unless they were well versed in many fields. I was recently introduced to someone who flies airplanes, builds musical instruments, writes poetry, and runs a tattoo parlor. The person was referred to as a "renaissance man". We think of the diversely-educated and talented as being out of their time now, in a day of specialization.

The generalist has a different way of looking at problems. The specialist, by nature, looks at a problem in terms of his/her specialty. If the problem cannot be seen in terms of their specific approach, the problem is difficult. If it CAN be seen, in any fashion, in terms of their speciality, the solution is shoehorned in, and other possible solutions ignored. The generalist has a more global approach, and looks at problem-solving from a wide open, anything-goes position. There's a wealth of potential solutions to any situation, and only by being open to the unusual solution is one able to sort and apply the BEST solution.

It's difficult to find an engineer these days who is not specialized and whose work experience spans more than one industry. Someone who can speak mechanical, electrical, and materials, the macro and the micro, is rare indeed. These folks are worth seeking out, however, if true innovation and breaking new ground are the goals of your product idea.

Book: Universal Principles of Design

2007-10-30T08:52:00.000-06:00

This is a great resource for the student of Design. The book, by Lidwell, Holden, and Butler, is a simple premise, devoting just two pages to each of 100 basic design principles. But within these introductory descriptions are footnotes leading the interested reader to a wealth of research, history, and further reading.

The 100 principles range from the simple and obvious, such as Alignment, Symmetry, the Rule of Thirds, etc., to more obscure and limited-use principles such as the Fibonacci Sequence, Orientation Sensitivity, and Common Fate. Many of these principles are described in their psychological effects to give a basis for their importance, and it is left to the reader to delve deeper and understand implementation in design.

This is an excellent overview of how designers think and what considerations lead to products and their usability. Highly recommended.

Pushing the tools.

2007-10-26T08:34:00.000-06:00

I suppose running a company called Strangineer Design is asking for trouble, to some degree. The name and target market were chosen carefully, and as I said in earlier posts, it is working as planned. I get very unusual projects to work on, and a lot of these benefit from strange engineering approaches. What isn't strange is the design and modeling software I'm using.

SolidWorks is a great program, and to design an injection molded part or a machined aluminum bracket, the tool is so optimized that it's become a little too easy. Where the tool is specific to an industry facet, such as for weldments, sheet metal, or molded components, thousands of development hours and input from countless users have made the software pretty much ideal with all the bells and whistles you could need.

But what about a stuffed animal? What about a sheet of fabric as a structural component? What about an assembly whose supporting framework is a folded cardboard box? These are just some of the strange engineering approaches that make for great innovative products, but become obstacles when it comes time to model in 3D CAD. Bringing a lot of experience to bear, and years of testing the limits of software, there are ways to coax these SolidWorks modules into creating objects they weren't designed to create. Even compromises like not being able to assign the mass properties of fleece can be worked around with good ol' ingenuity and hands-on conceptualizing.

Just part of the job everyday here at Strangineer Design.

Presentations, part IV

2007-10-23T08:09:00.000-06:00

Obviously, I could go on and on about the subject, but a few last thoughts before I leave the topic for now.

Using CAD software to model parts and assemblies is powerful, and driving tooling directly from the CAD files, generating and tracking changes throughout a product line, all the manufacturing control that CAD has allowed is great at the end of the day. But for the early part of the day, when ideas are flowing and a concept is aborning, think about CAD modeling as a prototyping and sketch tool as well.

There's no reason to wait until the idea is fully formed and then make plans to turn it over to a CAD guy as a Big Step in the process. If you find a contract designer/engineer who you can talk to, who you feel is genuinely interested in being part of the development for you, start modeling. The images of your geometry with symmetry, the right size holes, and perfectly rounded edges will do wonders for making the ideas real and generating the next level detail in your mind. When you start seeing how the parts really fit together, it's almost always a big step onto the next plateau.

If you're an inventor or start-up, remember that corporations throw whole design teams together to get the best ideas on paper and on CAD screens for collaboration. Expand your world by getting a good designer on board early, there's no substitute for an experienced set of eyes coming in fresh and adding to the excitement.

Presentations, part III

2007-10-22T07:59:00.000-06:00

Modeling a new invention doesn't have to be a major milestone and expensive step in your product development. It may make sense to do some limited modeling as your invention develops, without investing a lot of money. By taking some portion that is fixed or likely to always be a certain configuration, and modeling it early as a presentation, the rest of the idea can be better visualized and build on that completed foundation.

Having a basis for building up the options and further ideas makes a lot of sense if you are a visual person. Having the standard front, side, and top views to sketch on can be valuable, as well as various isometric or rotated views of challenging areas. The modeled geometry does not need to be sketched over and over as the ideas are evaluated. The structural skeleton of a device may be the most detailed portion, and a model of that structure a great early tool to keep the ideas flowing.

Another great presentation tool is eDrawings. SolidWorks makes this program available as a free download, and the program lets you open native SolidWorks files and spin them in 3D, take measurements, and place comments for review.

If you have some of the invention done in your mind, consider getting that modeled, it could be a great inspiration to completing the work, and the money spent isn't wasted as changes to models are quick and cheap once they're in the computer.

Presentations, part II

2007-10-18T08:12:00.000-06:00

Presentations can be low-cost affairs, if manufacturing and fastening details are omitted, but that doesn't mean they can't become complicated. Often, a demonstration of the many options available within an invention can make the modeling a challenge.

If many components need to be swappable, or many configurations of components need to be shown, the models can become time-consuming to create and assembling the visual representations a bit tricky.

Fortunately, SolidWorks is a great tool for creating multiple configurations, both within a part and for overall assemblies. With proper planning, a large number of options can be demonstrated and a presentation created that shows off the ease of changing those options. With exploded views, animation, and the use of color, complex presentations can come across very clearly to the intended market, which is oftentimes marketing and manufacturing folks with very little time to spare for a long-winded explanation of the new device.

Planning is key to putting together a product presentation model, and a lot of discussion up front can make for both an easy target to achieve and a powerful tool for communication.

Levels of Presentation

2007-10-16T08:05:00.000-06:00

Many ideas can be represented without fully modeling manufacturable parts. For a more cost-effective approach, leaving out the fasteners and mounting schemes, or the internal parts or features, can get you a "presentation model" showing just the key geometry and interface, for example. To engage a manufacturing partner and get their input and buy-in, leaving out such details gives them something to contribute and latch onto as a partnership develops.

Another reason may be for prototyping. A lower level of detail may make a prototype cost-effective as well, as long as the lack of features does not interfere with the functional aspects of interest. Testing only the critical part first may make for a lower initial investment in both the modeling and the prototyping.

The early stages of realizing a new invention are full of options and choices, many driven by the wary investor. Talking through the options and having cost-effective steps laid out is important to getting off on the right foot.

Designing for the Inventor's commercial success.

2007-10-15T08:06:00.000-06:00

I do a lot of projects for inventors who are interested in developing an idea, typically as a sideline to their other profession. Their intentions are to develop professional presentations and drawings to sell the product idea to a manufacturer of similar goods. Coming from other industries or trades where they're not immersed in commercial manufacturing, one of my jobs is to interpret the inventor's idea and tune it to the target market, and so present the design in terms that fit the target company's processes and sales channels.

The trick is to not be too specific in the interpretation. If the idea is a good one and stands on its own, little embellishment or tuning is required. A good idea makes its own case, is easily seen in various configurations and its fit and functions are obvious. For some ideas, making it look a part of the existing product line is essential to communicating how this good idea can transition to saleable line expansion.

Leaving room for the manufacturer to put their personal stamp on it is important. The company needs to tweak any design for the materials they stock, the processes they employ, and most importantly to take ownership of the product as it becomes part of their sales and marketing focus. Design is a subtle thing, and these factors need to be considered.

More on SolidWorks 2008

2007-10-11T07:59:00.000-06:00

I have to admire the SolidWorks team for their development process. This release represents a major change in the user interface, the very thing that made the software such a force to be reckoned with in its early days. Back when Pro/E was king, adopting a Windows look and all those toolbar buttons was the way to go, and allowed SolidWorks to take over the MCAD world in a walk.

They've now seen the light as the direction of operating systems and computer users and applications has evolved, and are embracing it while making great advances in de-cluttering. The command pop-ups are smart, making good use of the decade-plus of user data to get the commands that are useful and necessary to appear just as they're needed in the work flow.

Is it revolutionary? No, it's a big change for sure, and one that will put off a lot of users for weeks as they sort it out. But it's the natural evolution of a tool that wants to stay the leader in design and engineering software.

SolidWorks 2008

2007-10-10T08:06:00.000-06:00

My local reseller, MCAD Technologies, put on a preview of the new release features coming with SolidWorks 2008 last night. It was a lovely get-together and full house, and the presentation was met with many oohs and ahhs of delighted and happy engineers.

Since I recently blogged about the sad state of drawings, I feel obligated to point out one new drawing tool demonstrated that just about knocked me out of my chair. It's one of the new entries in the SWIFT technologies that were introduced last year, and it's called DimXpert. Essentially, it allows you to pick datums and features on your completed model for the creation of manufacturing dimensions, which are created independently of the feature creation dimensions. This is powerful, for it let's the engineer design the part geometry using the best modeling tools for the job, and then translates the 3D creation into just the correct dimension scheme for manufacturing the part. Those DimXpert generated dimensions are the perfect intermediary step before populating a drawing sheet with views and the cleanup of those dimensions becomes a small cosmetic matter.

I am of course neglecting scores of other features and tools that were demonstrated, many to do with basic modeling improvements, and many specific to modules within SolidWorks. It looks to be quite a major release, everything from interface to functionality having been improved. We'll see in the coming weeks.

Book: The Design of Everyday Things

2007-10-09T08:20:00.000-06:00

Originally published as The Psychology of Everyday Things in 1988, they never should have changed the title. This book by Donald A. Norman is not only quite dated, it has little to do with design. I take that back, there are about six very sound and valuable design principles listed very early in the book. The author promises to expand upon them. In fact, he does little more than list them again, repeatedly, amid his curmudgeonly rants about bad designs he's encountered in the world.

The book is more about the psychology of the worst sort of customer, so from that perspective it is actually an invaluable aid to the construction of what is called in the Medical Device industry the Hazard Analysis. This document is an essential part of the product definition and design process, in that, if properly constructed, it identifies all possible errors and misuse, and allows for their consideration in the final design.

A good Hazard Analysis, no matter the device or industry, is important to author and use in the development process. If you can understand the range of possible user, and understand their possible misuse, frustration, fear of failing, etc., the end product can address these before they manifest. I believe Norman is that ideal frustrated user, and his attempts at pointing out design flaws does us a different and better service, pointing out the customer we all design for and want to please.

For that, and that only, I recommend the book. Don't expect to learn much about the design of everyday things, though.

How to get to 2D from 3D.

2007-10-04T08:30:00.000-06:00

I can go on and on about the sad state of Engineering Drawings today. Having the module built into your 3D modeling software does not make one a draftsman, and all your engineering skill and experience don't count unless you've specifically studied the art and have the skills to produce good drawings.

If you've done that, you know what portions of the module you can take advantage of, and what of its tools make the task easy to complete.

First of all, start with a clean layout sheet with title block. Whether it's the client's or your own, a good title block is worth spending time setting up properly.

Second, eschew the automatic placement of views. Anyone with experience knows what views matter and it's just as easy to drag and drop. This gives you the opportunity to look at the features first, decide how they need to be dimensioned, and choose the views and scale wisely.

Third, and probably most important, don't let the software populate the views with your dimensions. Some may argue this, but I'd rather carefully place all the dimensions that are needed, rather than start erasing and dragging the piled-up passel of dims and lines and arrows that the software usually provides.

As you place dimensions, the detail views, section views, etc. that are necessary make themselves known, and can be added on the fly. Take advantage of the ability to move and scale views at this point, and the drawing can be made correctly - legible and completely defining the part for anyone who needs to fabricate from it.

What's happened to Drawings?

2007-10-03T09:08:00.000-06:00

I love good drawings. The 2D drawing - showing front, top, and side, plus details, cutaways, and all the dimensions needed to manufacture the part - is an art form, and one that is dying.

When it was done on a drafting table with pencil and eraser, highly skilled practitioners could envision the final layout, choose the right size drawing paper and start laying out views. Once finished, you'd be amazed at the placement of detail views, notes, and dimensions, with just the right white space and legibility.

Then AutoCAD came along.

Suddenly, Engineers could do their own drawings with the software. It didn't take any skill or forethought, views could be picked up and moved, scaled if you ran out of room, and the quality of drawings started a long slow decline.

Then 3D modeling came along.

The final blow to drawing quality is the drawing module of 3D modeling packages. Now these modules will create the standard three views for you, and drag along all the dimensions created in the model, boom, there they are on the drawing. Except they aren't right. Unless the Engineer creates the model with good drawing practices in mind, which most don't, there will be redundant dimensions, too many or too few decimal places shown, dimensions shown on the wrong views, essentially creating a useless drawing.

I love to send drawings to suppliers and have them complement me on the quality. The vendors and subcontractors and fabricators of the world have seen their job become harder as they receive drawings they have to interpret. I believe the demise of the drawing has driven the adaptation of tooling that reads 3D model data directly. What's the alternative, sifting through all these terrible drawings to make heads or tails of what's intended?

When a supplier does need a 2D drawing, and they take time to call me just to say "thank you" for a real quality drawing, like they used to see back in the day, then I am happy.

Style in a 3D CAD world.

2007-10-02T08:17:00.000-06:00

SolidWorks is a great program, make no mistake, but how does such precise and perfect geometry fit into a design world looking for style? Aren't perfectly straight lines and curves a constraint? It does pose some interesting challenges. Of course, if the style or design is calling for geometric precision, that's easy. A pattern of repeating angles, circular cutouts, scaled ellipses, etc., are all child's play with CAD tools.

The challenge comes when the geometry needs some funk. A perfect sphere is easy, but make it look like it's melting a little on one side. Or blend the rectangular beam into a heart-shaped balloon. Fortunately, SolidWorks has the tools for these kind of artistic flairs. It takes some creative application of some of them, but there are ways to do just about anything wonky, and there's no reason to blame the 3D CAD environment for any limitation. Add-on programs abound as well, as people in a wide variety of industries, as well as artists, have found work-arounds for their needs.

So, if it doesn't look like a CAD project, that's okay. It can still be, and turn out great.

The Lowball Game

2007-10-01T07:43:00.000-06:00

It is said, in business circles, that the worst thing a new business can do is get caught up in the price game. You can never win. Especially in this business, there is always some kid who has SolidWorks on his home computer and is willing to do a model for next to nothing. Maybe for a school project, maybe just for fun, maybe for gas money.

I get inquiries from all manner of inventor and part-time tinkerer and one of the first things I have to do, though it's not always pleasant, is find out if the client is serious and has any idea what costs they're looking at for design time, prototyping, marketing, tooling, and manufacturing startup. Without them doing their homework, I'm likely to get caught up in the lowball game, because they're just looking for someone to do the CAD work, and that can be had cheap.

The CAD work I do isn't cheap. It includes setting up a file and documentation so that the project can be transferred or recreated later. It includes archiving so that the data is never lost. And it includes foresight into the rest of the process, something that only comes of having done it for decades.

As a client, don't fall into the trap. The money spent in the front is minimal, even with someone like me. Make it a good investment and don't go for the lowball quote. Is that a sales pitch or what?

File Types

2007-09-27T08:09:00.001-06:00

I get questions about file types often. Here are the basics -

3D: Three-dimensional files are called MODELS, not drawings. If native SolidWorks files are requested, they come in 3 basic flavors -

filename.sldprt is a PART file, a single component usually.
filename.sldasm is an ASSEMBLY file, the sldprt files assembled.
filename.slddrw is a DRAWING file, a 2D drawing created from a 3D part or assembly.

Additionally, SolidWorks will export a wide range of 3D model files for rapid prototyping, importing into CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) programs, etc. The more common are IGS, STEP, SLT, and PARASOLID. If the manufacturer you're talking to has the ability to use SolidWorks files, find out what file type and format, and these can easily be provided.

2D: Two-dimensional files are DRAWINGS. They are typically AutoCAD generated, or formatted to be imported to AutoCAD or a like software. They come in the usual 2 flavors of -

filename.dwg is a native AutoCAD drawing file.
filename.dxf is an importing standard file type for importing into various 2D and 3D programs.

Those are the usual, there are variants and lesser-used programs that import or export other types, and very many of them can be translated and used. When in doubt, ask.

When is the design done?

2007-09-26T08:25:00.000-06:00

Design and Engineering are like two siblings who couldn't be more different, yet are capable of doing extraordinary things when they get together.

Engineering is a fairly straight-forward discipline. There may be a dozen or more ways to make something work, but usually the calculations and materials point to two or three probable solutions, and when you make one of them work, you and your client can usually agree that it's finished.

Design is tricky. The results, now matter how brilliant, elegant, and final they are in the mind of the designer, are completely subjective. A masterful design solution can be rejected out of hand by a client, their aesthetic insulted and vision forever soiled by the abomination you hand them. What happens when the client is not satisfied? Two approaches are suggested.

1. It may take convincing by other respected eyes to show that the design will have mass appeal. Poll some artists, designers, and respected purveyors of taste to convince the client to give it a chance.

2. Go back to the drawing board. The client is who you are working for, and their vision must be respected and achieved to the best of your ability.

As you would expect, there is middle ground to tread as well, if it results in the best long-term product. Another exciting balancing act, as performed by the Designer/Engineer.

Avoiding the Creeps.

2007-09-25T08:07:00.001-06:00

There are two nemeses every designer/engineer must confront at one time or another. Constant diligence is required to deal with them, because they are insidious and wily, strangling your efforts before you even know they've arrived.

Creeping Opulence is the worst of the pair. One more good idea, an extra feature built in, soon the simple solution you designed is fraught with bells and whistles. This enemy has destroyed many a good design, and is behind the common phrase "time to shoot the engineer".

Creeping Elegance is the more treacherous. This character is actually a friend, but only up to a point. Elegance is desirable, the more you can cut away and keep function and design, the better. But streamline until it's just enough, not any more than that. There's a point at which it no longer makes sense to hold up progress looking for that last bit of trimming you can manage.

A good designer or engineer learns the early warning signs after many years of being bitten.

Strangineering is Green

2007-09-24T08:19:00.000-06:00

Besides Design, these days with a capital D, the hot topic for businesses lately is Green, now with a capital G.

I have all the various little notes to myself that ultimately led to the formation of Strangineer Design. The very first one makes reference to setting it up green from the beginning. I've been an environmental activist since childhood and the first wave in the 1970s. Activist has connotations for some that are radical, so I'll qualify my level of activism. I've made it a point to be always aware of my impact on the environment, and whenever I can I minimize it, at that goes for my business as well.

The Strangineer office is lit by a single compact florescent, consuming all of 15 watts. The computer monitor and printer are turned off when not being used. My visits to clients and subcontractors are minimized; when necessary the vehicle I use gets either 41 or 35 miles to the gallon. Emails are backed up to another email account, rarely are they printed on paper, and while I make a physical folder for each project, the contents are rarely more than copies of contracts and some pencil sketches.

Strangineer Design was created green, and will stay that way long after the current wave of attention has died down. Hopefully by then, it will be a given with all companies.

See the Sites.

2007-09-20T08:28:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of interesting websites. They are relatives, and showcase new ideas in business and design.

Trendwatching is at http://www.trendwatching.com/

Springwise is at http://www.springwise.com/

I recommend signing up for their newsletters, they provide a jolt of inspiration from time to time.

While I'm making recommendations, check out the latest issue of Fast Company magazine. It features a nice spotlight article on their "Masters of Design".

The magazine's website is http://fastcompany.com/homepage/index.html

Collaboration and the NDA

2007-09-19T08:02:00.001-06:00

The last two posts seem to steer toward a conflict. How do you hold the NDA sacred while bringing in all these experts to help on a project?

It is a balancing act, and one refined over many years of dealing with inventions and non-disclosure. The end use of the product is never discussed in detail, only so far as to explain its environment. The temperature extremes, shock and vibration, contact with other materials, and other such considerations of its end use are important to the design of the parts but don't give away the use and utility of the finished device. Additionally, since the device is a sum of its parts, dealing with different experts on different parts keep the confidentiality of the invention intact. That leaves it to me to make sure the interactions are communicated and understood without showing all the other parts in a final configuration.

It's a tricky business holding onto the NDA while getting all the pertinent info shared and the best results gathered. It requires constant diligence from the contractor, and is a talent worth seeking out. You should always ask questions about the handling of the NDA with subcontractors before handing over your invention.

The NDA is sacred.

2007-09-18T08:06:00.000-06:00

A Non-Disclosure or Confidentiality Agreement, whichever you call it, is the essential first step in dealing with a contract designer. The protection of intellectual property is a deep subject, one I won't go deep into on a weblog, but for an inventor or entrepreneur it's something that must be addressed with an NDA right away, especially dealing with a designer or engineer who has constant contact with other inventors and companies.

Filing a patent is time-consuming and expensive. A simple NDA is quick and without cost at all, and allows the contract designer to begin the development of the invention and have it run in parallel to the formal filing.

Certainly, a business lawyer or IP attorney should be your best information on how to proceed, but make sure that whoever you talk to about your invention has signed your Non-Disclosure. Beyond that, make sure the signing party respects and takes such agreements seriously. The legal recourse is not cheap, so building a relationship with the signer and making sure the legality of the document is understood are good measures to take.

Collaboration is key.

2007-09-17T10:53:00.000-06:00

One of the many pitfalls a contract engineer must avoid is becoming The Lone Ranger. As much as I love the quiet and focus I can achieve in my home office, I believe that every project benefits from collaboration. Getting the design out of the home office and into a discussion group makes great things happen.

I've been very active in setting up relationships with molders, toolmakers, sheet metal houses, CNC shops, etc., and doing so not to simply have subcontractors to make things, but to have experienced partners who will take designs and contribute. There's nothing like having an expert to bounce ideas off of, someone who has a passion for their work and likes seeing new things made right. The collaborative relationship turns my one-man show into an Engineering Department, and that's a benefit every one of my clients enjoys. Many heads are better than one.

More on the Name Game.

2007-09-13T09:08:00.001-06:00

The other idea I wanted to embody in my business name, Strangineer Design, was the fact that my approach to engineering is not conventional. Very early in my career, I stumbled across Roger von Oech and his book A Whack on the Side of the Head. It's a wonderful little book about breaking free of conventional problem-solving and tapping into real creativity. Since then, I've been somewhat obsessed by the nature of creativity and what it means to the often strict discipline of Engineering.

Certainly, structural considerations, thermal performance, and the Laws Of Physics demand that rigorous processes be followed to achieve sound solutions to Engineering problems. Where possible though, and particularly before settling on an Engineering approach, all such strictness and rigors should really be ignored in order for truly creative solutions to make themselves apparent. That is also the place where the art of Design comes in, blurring the line with Engineering. Once a creative approach is identified, one that comes from a real Design perspective, a skilled engineer can apply those tried-and-true formulae toward making it a functional and robust reality. That's Strange Engineering to most people in the business, but the results speak for themselves.

News, Events, and Links

2007-09-12T09:08:00.001-06:00

This weblog, being new, is undergoing rapid change. Be sure to keep an eye on the right-hand side of the page for new Links of Interest and other new features. One link I'd like to point out in particular - the Dexinger design agenda:

http://www.dexigner.com/agenda/

The bottom section of that page is a list of upcoming Design Events and Expositions. It seems that Design is really coming into vogue these days, and into the mass public consciousness, as it relates to the quality of life, green concerns, and how we intend to build a future. As such, many new and exciting design events and meetings are springing up around the world. If you are in the business, I highly recommend attending, or at the very least, keeping track of the range of subject matter they address. A lot of what you see, hear, wear, and use, and consequently what you will be asked to design, will be affected by the thinkers and designers that are suddenly networking at a higher level these days.

Contract has many meanings.

2007-09-11T08:36:00.000-06:00

con-tract [v, kuhn-trakt']: to become drawn together or reduced in compass; become smaller; shrink: The pupils of his eyes contracted in the light.

A Contract business means making sure the emphasis never moves to that second syllable.

Starting a small business is always going to be a leap of faith, no matter how prepared and committed one is. One of my biggest fears in setting up a contract business was getting stuck in a rut with one or two corporate clients who paid well. It would be very easy to succumb to the need for some steady income early on in the process. The danger there is that you are contracted, but you are contracting. I didn't want to be doing the same thing I was doing for corporate employers, spending all my design and engineering skills on a single product line. The point of a Contract Design business, to my mind, is to use one's accumulated skills, training, and experience to expand.

One of the great tenets of invention is to take what already exists and apply it in a new way. I believe a great Contract Design business can be built on this principle. The trick is to find the unexpected and truly new ideas, and then apply all the great design and engineering ideas toward realizing them. These ideas are the ones coming from head-scratchers, basement tinkerers and independent inventors of the world. They're ideas from the fringe, not from corporate conference rooms. Some of them are actually scary at first, but that's usually a good sign that you're entering into a challenge, and keeping far away from that second syllable.

You can read about the run-up to my starting a Contract Design business at www.strangineer.com, there's a link called "About Strangineer" that tells the story.

What's in a name?

2007-09-10T08:34:00.000-06:00

Strangineer. I've had people chuckle immediately, obviously getting it, and I've got people who still nervously mispronounce it after a year of dealing with me, oblivious to it having any meaning whatsoever.

I also had a bit of trouble at the beginning of setting up this business, folks intimately involved in my business plan, financing, etc., expressing concern that the name might be meaningless and confusing to some people. My answer then was "Good. There are some people who I want to confuse, and it's best if they wander off to a more traditionally-named company." That's still my answer today, and I'm happy to report that a year-plus into this venture, the name seems to be working.

My contract business has attracted very unusual projects, which was my aim and the intent of the naming. I never intended to set up a "traditional" business, and very few old-school, traditional businesses have contacted me. I like it that way. I intend to post more about the way this has worked and cite examples as we go along here.

Welcome

2007-09-09T16:09:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Strangineering Today, the new blog from Strangineer Design LLC, authored by owner and contract design engineer, Steve Combs.

Your comments and questions are always welcome.