I’m in the market for a used Toyota Tundra pickup truck.
But it must have 6-seats, which is rare.
Most pickups have buckets in the front.
One day, a car mechanic said, “Toyota doesn’t make a 6-seat Tundra”
I was puzzled, but curious.
How could this mechanic state this fact so confidently? And, how could he be so wrong? I’ve seen the 6-seat Tundra’s with my own eyes.
My trust and confidence in his knowledge dissolved.
His experience had defined the limits of his knowledge.
Mark Twain once said (emphasis mine):
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
As a design and development engineer, I am constantly finding new things that I didn’t know.
I’m certain of only one thing, that there’s lots more to learn. I might call myself an expert in a few areas, but I’m not an expert in a lot of things.
I notice a lot of inexperienced designers are very confident in their skills, sometimes to a fault.
This is referred to as the Dunning-Krueger effect.
The more I learn, the more I realize that I don’t know.
As I’ve gained experience in Design and Development, I try to reflect on this fact.
I realize that my particular expertise may be hiding the value that others can bring to my programs.
I try to let experts lead in their areas of expertise.
I want to maintain my curiosity and keep learning.
I want to use my experience to help others.
I’m not for everyone.
I’m not an analytical engineer.
I’m not an RF antenna or Bluetooth guy. I’m not even really a metals guy. I can select metals for basic properties and design sheet metal parts, but I’m not getting into quench and temper specs for aluminum alloys.
I outsource that to the experts that study these topics every day.
Life is too short.
I shoot from the hip a lot.
I have good engineering judgement for design, including mechanism design. I’m fast at concept sketching.
I’m good at surface modeling, and have a flair for industrial design. Clients appreciate my ability to move quickly, and not get bogged down with details.
This is what makes me unique.
I also have a team. My team of engineers and designers supports me with electronics, RF design, metal selection, industrial design and detail drafting.
Together we do amazing things.
How can I help?
I have vast experience in plastics engineering and injection molding.
Manufacturers enjoy working with my designs. I understand design for injection molding.
I can create parts that require fewer molding iterations. I can help select plastic resin, and define simple molding strategies. I also have a good understanding of the plastic printing technologies. Polyjet, SLS, SLA, FDM, BJP, MJF, etc.
New Brainstorming Service
I'm launching a new creative service called Napkin Sketch Brainstorm.
In these creative sketch-driven sessions, we'll explore the following: 1. Design concepts 2. Manufacturing methods 3. Part breakup 4. Mechanism concepts 5. System EE/ME layout
Sign up for a free 20-min trial of visual problem solving here If you enjoy the experience, we can work together to solve your next creative challenge.
I’d love to bring my creative engineering experience to help move your projects forward.
Call me to chat.
Make it a great week!
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