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Napkin sketch brainstorming
The only way to find good ideas is to have a lot of bad ideas.


Waffle iron silicone parts
Keypads, diaphragm valves, ingress protection (waterproof seals), grips, overmolds, etc. What type of silicone/rubber molding process to use


5 ways to reduce cost
Here are 5 quick ways to reduce cost (and increase profits) in your device: Reduce labor: Simplify assembly processes Introduce fixtures...


Mowing, Minor Leagues, and Molder Selection
In plastics engineering, we regularly run into molding vendors that are in different leagues. Find a molding vendor that fits your needs.

Spaghetti CAD
Inexperienced engineers can unintentionally create testing problems by creating unstable code. In software, they call this ‘spaghetti-code’


McDonalds effect: SLA parts can be too accurate...
Design your parts with your final production method in mind.


Teardown Research: or, the YouTube rabbit hole
Learn, learn, learn. Improve your product designs by emulating the experts.


Start small: lessons from a Transformers RC
Working at a small scale reduced the labor and material costs of my prototype.


How to select plastic resin for molding (scientific method)
For your next plastics selection, I recommend using a guide like this one...


How to select plastic resin for molding (easy method)
Here's the basic (shoot from the hip) method for plastic resin specification.


Making a "Better" Mousetrap
I've learned that there are several ways to make a better product:
Think about how your product will differentiate from the competition.


SORRY! The Game - Cost Savings thru Design
I was playing the board game SORRY! the other day... But, I noticed that the game pieces looked slightly different than I remember.


Reduce Assembly Cost with 3D Printed Jigs and Fixtures
The opportunities for additive Jigs and Fixtures are everywhere.


Two boy's different LEGO strategies
Don't wait until your design is 'finished' to build it.


Design your next molded part with your vendor
Injection Molding is a manufacturing process where molten plastic is squirted into a mold (steel or aluminum) to form a plastic part.


Product Pricing: the Five Guys method
Instead of trying to cut cost out of my design, we just need to sell more value.


Heat Staking to reduce assembly labor
Assembly labor includes things like inserting screws, applying adhesive, applying labels, kitting, packaging, etc.


Product Design: Creeping Elegance
As a product designer, I love to improve everything around me.
Sometimes, even my own designs before they're done.


Reverse Engineering
Improve your designs by tearing down electronics.


Prototyping with Silicone
It's possible to 3D print silicone-like materials, but you're usually better off casting silicone parts.


3D Printing Tips for Prototyping
Here's my top-of-mind Top 10 quick tips and tricks for leveraging 3D printing in your development workflow.


Prototyping with Metal
When prototyping metal parts, my knee-jerk reaction is to get the parts CNC machined.
But there are several other alternatives...


Don't let Engineers define your Design
Designers are the architects that see the whole solution end-to-end, and engineers help make it real.


Reduce COGS to quickly increase profits
Understanding the true value of your Research and Development investment.
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