<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[COVE]]></title><description><![CDATA[Making Ideas Real with overnight prototypes and quick-turn engineering services]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/learn</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 04:56:31 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.cove.design/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[fastbuild: 90 min, 10 revisions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes I have a project that I want to invest my time in. But it's a wild idea. A new way to solve a problem. There's a lot of...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/fastbuild-90-min-10-revisions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62601d7ed223c93f83092085</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:02:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_91a235f4a34043d588d6bf180ce6f6f5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[scale models faster for faster learning]]></title><description><![CDATA[When prototyping to test assembly process, you may not need to build it at 1:1 scale. For small devices like wearable electronics, maybe...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/scale-models-faster-for-faster-learning</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6262d917a00e5e8069bb880b</guid><pubDate>Sat, 19 Mar 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_63e843ac7cba40078075fa6df1fefe52~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding taco sauce]]></title><description><![CDATA[I was going to make Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Tacos. But I needed hot sauce. So I went to the grocery store. How do you find hot sauce at a...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/finding-taco-sauce</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6262d761e833c685ae904096</guid><pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_a741b92347024c4ba9283345e358fe92~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don't wait until your design is 'finished' to prototype it]]></title><description><![CDATA[I​​n design and development, our time is our most valuable asset. We want to get concepts into real world as fast as possible to validate...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/don-t-wait-until-your-design-is-finished-to-prototype-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6262c5cf38b9f027a34d7c95</guid><pubDate>Thu, 17 Mar 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_5e33e6de2c5f4d808d85765dfcf413fe~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Two is one; one is none]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I only have one precious prototype of my idea, I find myself very protective of it. ​ I avoid doing anything risky that might break...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/two-is-one-one-is-none</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6262c432041da2c267ec7fe6</guid><pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_00d96ae2855341ddaf8947f6505439e2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[If you search Google for "3D print prototypes" ...]]></title><description><![CDATA[​ If you search for “​3d print prototypes” Google will return more than ​17 million results. ​If you sort by videos, there's​ some 3​50k+...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/if-you-search-google-for-3d-print-prototypes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6262c38929cb4bce7aafd3d1</guid><pubDate>Mon, 14 Mar 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_9fc2d3df3b1e44b5985eec17cf7d94b4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Prototype faster with Amazon]]></title><description><![CDATA[In early-stage prototypes, I find it faster to buy things, rather than starting from scratch. I recently bought a $50 electronic bill...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/prototype-faster-with-amazon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6262c263e0c1d6a2d656e67d</guid><pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2022 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_a9f92ff1bfd84daeb71aac4e57c800e2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Parallel prototyping]]></title><description><![CDATA[Quick tip: build multiple variations at once to shorten your development cycle. If you have several options to test of the same base...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/parallel-prototyping</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6262c0faa91aeb873e6f8ad0</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2022 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_6b895ca2e0b34db2a4e552859847bf44~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What is a prototype?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A prototype is an idea made real. A few lines of code to test a bit of logic. A pencil sketch to explore a mold parting line. A cardboard...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/what-is-a-prototype</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6262bb54c28fc18746880490</guid><pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2022 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_f6db9eaabc604e66bfc1ce3a8f172833~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[11 Quick Tips for Rapid Prototyping + 1 Reading Suggestion]]></title><description><![CDATA[Just wanted to share 11 quick Prototyping Tips to help in your next project.]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/11-quick-tips-for-rapid-prototyping-1-reading-suggestion</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6222d9d97566eb616bd47c16</guid><category><![CDATA[Skills]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2022 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_9c0cceb853cd46a885dd74cff44c6420~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Product Development Often Takes 3x Longer Than Planned Speed to market is a critical competitive advantage. But product development is a...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/slow-is-smooth-smooth-is-fast</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61f259680cddc60017e7a715</guid><category><![CDATA[Skills]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 25 Jan 2022 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_e3a9eb7a877e4eac834c7100613e5bc7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_991,h_555,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Save $$$ on product development costs in Q1]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you're not slightly embarrassed to show your first prototype build, then you waited too long to build it. Show it early. Figure out...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/save-on-product-development-costs-in-q1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61f252f93897340016072aba</guid><category><![CDATA[Skills]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jan 2022 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_6c37d7681d4a41dbbe9785de409d383d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Quick heads up....]]></title><description><![CDATA[I generally recommend the following: What if you sold a product and someone 'ripped it off' It might be Amazon ripping off the Everyday...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/quick-heads-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61f2477a9a248600178c530c</guid><category><![CDATA[Skills]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jan 2022 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_74e3a161854e4cd6b6b8b332adb62659~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Make the requirements less dumb"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Image credit Everyday Astronaut Elon Musk explains his engineering philosophy, and I love it. "Make the requirements less dumb." The...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/make-the-requirements-less-dumb</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61c0a0131343130016336068</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2021 15:37:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044e51_da8d0cf6920b4670a9a187483f43f20f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_593,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why choose Protolabs over Xcentric for soft-tooling?]]></title><description><![CDATA[When products are under development, they have a lot of issues. The best way to eliminate the issues is to build a lot of prototypes,...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/why-choose-protolabs-over-xcentric-for-soft-tooling</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61926c9fe252f80017d88dfd</guid><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 08 Nov 2021 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_6cd7672ab6c547f4b6ed3f3a60041b58~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Should I use Steel or Aluminum Tooling?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Q: Should I use Steel or Aluminum tooling? A: It depends....have you thought about 3D printing for production? Or how about urethane...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/should-i-use-steel-or-aluminum-tooling</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61795eeae632b80016c06fc2</guid><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 25 Oct 2021 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_3904fb6ff4a74520a0a8f4e7a68f67c9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Invisible high-value work]]></title><description><![CDATA[I regularly get emails from startups with grand ambitions but no real budget for design services. The pitch is always the same. I have...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/invisible-high-value-work</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6179583b30a0ff00163ecb19</guid><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 20 Oct 2021 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_97c7b10ab3c040ef9bcbf29e48d1d7e3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Surveillance drone powered by children's laughter]]></title><description><![CDATA[I'm thinking of filing a patent application for a surveillance drone that's powered by children's laughter. Assuming it's approved, the...]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/surveillance-drone-powered-by-children-s-laughter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">617955c343e79c00175da6f3</guid><category><![CDATA[Skills]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 06 Oct 2021 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_499973e21a184c52991216cc221b774e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Value vs Complexity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Remember the 80-20 rule in designing first-generation products. 80% of the ______ comes from 20% of the ______. Fill in the blanks: 1....]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/value-vs-complexity</link><guid isPermaLink="false">613e1acfb30587001628d91a</guid><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2021 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_e2dbc4387b55427f9a54e5c1551581f9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pre-test before the final exam]]></title><description><![CDATA[In product development, our devices have many tests that they have to pass.]]></description><link>https://www.cove.design/post/pre-test-before-the-final-exam</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6134d7ac9ca72800163b5c62</guid><category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2021 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c1174_ef6fe9570c574805a26ec5b733ee6778~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Caleb Vainikka</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>