What is Industrial Design?

Industrial design is a development and design process that will bring a product to life with the intention of having it mass produced. The process focuses on how to design a product that works properly and is able to be made cost effectively. Mass produced products all have some version of industrial design that made them possible.

Engineers that are skilled in industrial design will have an in depth knowledge on up to date manufacturing capabilities and limitations.

Sometimes, it is possible to prototype a part but not mass produce it. A 3D printer can make a part with angles and features that aren’t always possible to produce on a CNC machine. This could be from limitations in tool size, or the axis and angles that CNC machines aren’t able to produce.

What this means when you are looking to design a product is if you have an engineer that is only focused on the aesthetics or form of a product, they may be able to make a design for you that can be prototyped. But if factories that focus on mass production can’t make those parts because the design wasn’t made for manufacturability, then the design is essentially useless. It’s important to pick a design team that can help you with both the aesthetics of a product and knows what is possible with current manufacturing methods.

Industrial designers have been key in pushing the envelope on what is possible with product development. They will use several different fields of work to develop a product, like graphic design, mechanical engineering, and prototype manufacturing. Skilled modern day industrial engineers will incorporate aesthetics, form, fit, and function, and manufacturability into their designs.

Designing Your Product for Production

Our engineering and prototyping team can help you bring your product to life through our step by step process. We have a strong focus on industrial design and mechanical engineering, and have helped many people bring their dream products to life.

  1. Discuss the Product with Your Engineering Team

    All products exist to solve a problem. Our engineering team would get together with you to discuss how we can help you figure out the best ways your idea can help your future customers. They will go over what features should be possible for mass production, help refine your ideas, and offer suggestions. They’ll then work on putting together a quote for first generation manufacturing files.

  2. Designing Your Product

    The engineer will put together files that manufacturing companies can use to make your product. These files come in 2D Pdf format. They’ll have items such as dimensions, tolerances, finish, and any other information needed to produce your part. These files will serve as the standard that will separate what makes a good or a bad part. 3D models in CAD format will also be developed. These files will help manufacturers get quotes quicker, and can help them view and zoom in on hard to see features.

  3. Prototype Your Design

    After we have the first generation manufacturing files done, the next step will be to prototype your product. It’s extremely important you don’t skip this step. Even if the designs look like they are ready to go straight to manufacturing, you won’t know for sure without testing them.

  4. Final Revisions

    In most cases, after you have tested your design, you’ll find some things you’ll want to change. This could be for many reasons. Maybe you need a stronger material than you thought. Part of the product might be too thick or thin. We’ll help you get those last touch up changes done, and if needed, another round of prototypes.

  5. Manufacturing & Production

    With your designs now finalized, you’ll be ready to start manufacturing your product. Our parent company can help you with the production and sourcing from factories overseas. They’ll guide you through the process of getting a product made and imported.

Start Working with an Engineer

If you are ready to start designing your new invention, give us a call. Our engineer partners will be able to efficiently and cost effectively develop your product for mass production. They specialize in industrial design working in production and product design for over 30 years, in that time we’ve helped our customers share their products with the world, and we’ll help you too, contact us to get started.