Product Design – The Design-To-Cost Aspect

When it comes to product development, most inventors fail to recognize or overlook the importance of product design. While every phase of the new product development is important, the product design phase is something that requires a little bit more consideration. After all, the outcome of the conceived product predominantly depends upon its product design. Product design also affects the manufacturing costs, and eventually the final price, of the product. For that reason, new product design is one very important stage that every inventor should heed to without fail.

New product design has many aspects, but in this blog, we will shed some light on Design-To-Cost aspect. Design-to-cost or DTC is a methodical approach to designing a product in such a way that the cost of product development and manufacturing is minimum. DTC has many components, but we will list only the main ones and explain how to deal with them during the new product design phase.

Materials

Overuse of material has three severe penalties – increase in material cost, increase in production cost, and increase in ecological footprint. Using the wrong type of material also has the same penalties. For that reason, one has to be very cautious with choosing and using the material. One also needs to be cautious with over-engineering – designing a product to be more complicated than necessary. Over-engineering leads to the overuse of material. Smart product design, computer analysis, and performance tests help choose the right type of material and eliminate the overuse of material, minimizing the overall cost of manufacturing.

Manufacturability

Designing a product by adhering to the principle of “Design for Manufacturability” can drastically reduce the cost of the final product. Design for Manufacturability or DFM in simple terms is designing a product in such a way that it is easy to mass-manufacture. In order to design a product that is easy to manufacture, inventors should involve the manufacturer in the product design phase itself. A product manufacturer’s advice during the product design stage can save drastic design changes as well as money later on.

Labor

For certain products, usually the ones requiring manual assembly, testing, packaging, etc., the cost of labor can be a major overhead. Inventors should not overlook this labor cost. The number of laborers, as well as the labor-time, should be clearly defined and calculated during the product design phase, and the product design should focus to minimize both the number of laborers and labor time required.

Maintenance

Certain products demand regular maintenance, and it costs a lot. A product design company can reduce such a maintenance cost in two ways:

  1. Create a robust product design – the one that demands less maintenance.
  2. Create a maintenance-friendly product design – the one that is easier and faster to maintain.

Quantities

Production quantities have a drastic impact on both the production efficiency and cost. Designing a new product without considering the required quantities might adversely affect the production efficiency, and it also increases the costs. Estimating the product quantities beforehand during the initial research and product design stages can factor towards the reduced final cost of the new product.

Accessories

Most new products have some accessories, like packaging, components, spare parts, user manuals, and so on. All these accessories add costs to the final product’s cost. Inventors should not overlook these accessories and their costs. Some of these accessories directly complement the final product; hence, accessories should be the part of the main product design.

Logistics

If the new product is targeted for the global market, the product’s logistics costs can be significant. The new product’s size, dimension, weight, fragility, storage, and so on could increase the logistics costs. This logistics aspect needs to be considered during the product design phase so that a definitive design and the proper arrangements can be made beforehand.

New product development is challenging, and one of its stages, the new product design, requires considerable consideration. Numerous aspects are involved in new product design, and it is radically tough for inventors to tackle them all on their own. Fortunately for inventors, there are some new product design companies, like GID Development Corporation, that can help address all the product design challenges and assist in launching a new product into the market.

GID Development Corporation is one of the experienced and leading product design companies in California, USA. Utilizing advanced technologies, like Dassault Systèmes’ 3D EXPERIENCE Platform, which includes SIMULIA, SOLIDWORKS, CATIA V6, and other product design and engineering apps, and their in-depth knowledge accumulated over the years, the veterans at GID Development Corporation help inventors with definitive product designs for their conceived products.

Along with new product design, GID Development Corporation also provides a complete product development service, which includes product prototype development, product prototype testing, production tooling development, production setup, manufacturing setup, and everything in between and beyond. Whether it is product design and development of products with imbedded software, products with electronics, medical device products, electromechanical products, generic products, or special-purpose products, GID Development Corporation will definitely “GET IT DONE!”

To learn more about the leading product design company in California, GID Development Corporation, just visit https://www.gidcompany.com/.

GID Development Corporation is currently also offering a free telephonic conference to help answer various product design and development-related questions. Any inventor who is interested can just call Jim Grimes, one of the veterans at GID, at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.

Prototype Development of Products with Electronics

Electromechanical Products: Do you have a great idea for a new product with electronics? Want to materialize your idea into a real product and take it to the market? Well, the first thing to do is to develop a working prototype. Prototype development of products with electronics is essential to test and try the products before introducing them to the actual consumers. So, where should you begin with the prototype development of products with electronics?

Prototype development of products with electronics is, no doubt, challenging and expensive. You also would not get the desired results immediately without a prototype. If you, however, break down the product prototype development process into manageable steps, it is possible to succeed with the working prototype.

Prototype development of most products with electronics can be divided into two segments – the electronics segment and the plastic case segment. Let us have a look at each of these segments.

The Electronics Segment

Developing a prototype of the electronics segment of your conceived product can be divided into four steps.

If you are well-versed with electronics or if you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can skip the first two steps. Otherwise, you will need to team up with a product prototype development company that is experienced in the development of prototypes for products with electronics.

Step 1. Create the Schematic

The first step in the development of the electronics segment is the creation of the electronics blueprint or schematic for your product. This blueprint states all the important details of building the electronics segment, including how the necessary components and modules are connected.

Which components are needed will also be specified in the schematic. A bill of materials (BOM) or associated list will be prepared, itemizing every electronic item.

Step 2. Develop a Basic Prototype

Depending on your project and your budget, you may or may not want to develop a basic prototype of the electronics segment.

To create basic prototypes for the electronics segment, you can use breadboards. Utilizing breadboards, you can somewhat crudely, but fairly quickly connect various electronic components. If your project requires advanced electronics, you may also use ready-to-use modules like the Raspberry Pi and Arduino.

Step 3. Design a PCB Layout

You will, at some point, require a production-quality prototype of your conceived product. To create a production-quality prototype, you will require the design and creation of a PCB (printed circuit board).

A printed circuit board is a custom-designed board that holds and connects all the necessary electronic components. Utilizing a special computer application, electronic engineers can turn the schematic of the electronics segment of the conceived product into a virtual layout. Designing a PCB layout is challenging because anything out-of-place can have a big impact on the performance of the final product.

Step 4. Fabrication of the PCBs & Assembly of the Electronic Components

After having a definitive PCB layout, you will need to send the layout to an electronics prototype development company for construction. Such a prototype development company will first fabricate empty PCBs.

After the fabrication of the PCBs, the next step is to assemble the various components on the PCBs through soldering. Most of the modern electronic components are minute and compact, making it very difficult to solder them manually. Therefore, a product prototype development company might employ automated machines to solder the compact and minute electronic components.

The Plastic Case Segment

Most products with electronics need some enclosure, and plastic cases are often the best choice. To create a custom-shaped plastic case for your prototype, you will need to utilize 3D printing or CNC machining.

Step 1. Create a 3D Model

You need to first design a 3D computer model of the required plastic parts. Unless you are proficient at creating 3D computer models, you will need someone expert for this step.

Even if you are capable of creating 3D computer models yourself, the computer software required to create definitive 3D models is very expensive; hence, it may be in your best interest to hire a 3D modeling expert.

Step 2. 3D Printing

Once you have the 3D model of the plastic case or other plastic parts, you can send the design files to a 3D printer for effortless and rapid prototyping. If you do not have a 3D printer, you can approach a prototype shop that offers a 3D printing service.

On the other hand, you can also procure your 3D printer. In the past several years, 3D printers have become cheap enough for personal use.

For the large-scale production of certain plastic cases and parts, however, a completely different technology is utilized. It is called high-pressure injection molding. Shifting a plastic design from a mere prototype to full-scale production is a complex as well as an expensive process. Therefore, teaming up with a plastic product manufacturer, that specializes in plastic product manufacturing with different techniques, will be a wise move on your part.

Product prototype development is vital. Once you have a working prototype of your electronic product development, you can proceed to get potential stakeholders, customer feedback, and a mass manufacturing partner. The path to success of a product with electronics is long, but it all begins with a product prototype.

If you need help with prototype development for products with electronics, then get in touch with GID Development Corporation. A new product prototype development company in California, USA, GID Development Corporation utilizes state-of-the-art technologies in order to develop precise product prototypes quickly and economically.

Aside from product prototype development, GID Development Corporation also provides product design, product development, and other product fulfillment services. GID also possesses the skills and knowledge of a plastic product manufacturer that helps them develop various plastic parts, components, and cases using different injection molding techniques.

Whether it is the design, development, or prototyping of products with electronics, products with imbedded software, mechanical products, electromechanical products, medical device products, or any generic or special-purpose products, GID Development Corporation will certainly “GET IT DONE!”

If you have any questions regarding product design, product development, or product prototype development, simply give GID a call. Currently, GID is offering a free 15-minute telephonic conference. So, just call Jim Grimes at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.

The Importance of New Product Design – Manufacturing Cost Perspective

Introducing a new product into the market is a dream come true for every inventor. Introducing a new product, however, is not easy. While conceiving an idea and outlining it on a piece of paper might be simple, creating a new product from that idea is certainly a challenging task. New product development involves the creation of a constructive new product design, development of alpha and beta prototypes, testing of the prototypes, development of production tooling, mass-manufacturing of the new product, distribution of the new product, and many other crucial processes in between. Each new product development stage is vital, but in this blog, we will shed some light on new product design.

Like every other stage involved in new product development, the stage of new product design is very important. Because it comes in the early stages of new product development, understanding the product design stage demands a bit more attention. Besides, since it is one of the primary stages of new product development, the entire outcome depends on it; hence, more care is needed during this stage – the product design stage.

The success of any product heavily relies on its product design. Product design by definition can be said as, “a process of defining and creating constructive designs for a product, so as to ensure that the new product becomes successful in the market.” New product design addresses numerous things, however. For one, during the product design stage itself, the inventor can get a clear idea whether or not it is possible or feasible to create the new product. Another crucial thing the product design addresses to is the cost of manufacturing the conceived product. Most inventors, often overlook this “new product design and cost of manufacturing” aspect. In fact, some inventors do not even know what the effects of new product design are on the cost of manufacturing the final product.

Product design is not only defining and creating alluring designs for the new product, but it is also about crafting practical, functional, and cost-effective designs for the new product. Aspects such as, how many parts the new product will have, how compact or large the parts will be, what material(s) the parts will be made of, what process will be used in the production of those parts, and many others are also included in product design. After numerous brainstorming sessions, computer analysis results and mock-ups, a perfect new product design, or at least, a near-perfect new product design for a product is realized, which is beautiful, practical, functional, and most importantly, the one that facilitates economical mass-manufacturing.

Developing an efficient new product design is indeed an overwhelming task, and it might be impossible for inventors to develop such efficient designs on their own. Fortunately, there are professional product design companies, like the GID Development Corporation, that specifically deal with creating sensible new product designs and helping inventors develop successful new products at economical costs.

GID Development Corporation, an eminent new product design company in California, USA, has the experience, knowledge, tools and a team that help inventors with constructive product designs for their new product ideas. Utilizing cutting-edge technologies, like 3D EXPERIENCE Platform from Dassault Systèmes, which includes SOLIDWORKS, CATIA V6, and other apps, and their decades of experience, the veterans at GID Development Corporation create definitive product designs that are neat and functional as well as feasible and economical to mass-manufacture. Whether it is creating an efficient product design for electromechanical products, medical device products, products with imbedded software, products with electronics, or any other generic or special-purpose products, GID Development Corporation will “Get It Done!”

Some of the product design principles that GID Development Corporation follows include:

  1. Derive visually-appealing product design that is error-proof to assemble and easy to mass-manufacture with shortened product development cycle time
    • Determine and select cost-effective material(s) and production process
    • Attain a knowledge base of tooling requirements
    • Develop efficient production tooling
  2. Create a modular product design with minimized parts count
  3. Design parts with self-locating features
  4. Design parts with self-fastening features
  5. Emphasize “Top-Down” assemblies
  6. Design for a base part to locate other components
  7. Design for component symmetry for insertion

Adhering to all the above product design principles, and other ubiquitous as well as unique design principles, GID Development Corporation creates exceptional new product designs, which facilitate economical mass-manufacturing.

Along with new product design, GID Development Corporation also helps inventors with new product development, product prototype development, product prototype testing, product pre-tooling development, product mass-manufacturing, product branding, product distribution and many other product fulfillment services.

Learn more about new product design company in California, GID Development Corporation, by visiting https://www.gidcompany.com/.

Currently, GID Development Corporation is offering a free telephonic conference to help answer various product design and development-related questions that inventors may have. Anyone who is interested can just call Jim Grimes, one of the veterans at GID, at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.

Steps in the New Product Development

New product development may seem as simple as forming an idea for a revolutionary product, manufacturing it, and putting it on the market, bringing it to the customers. Well, the reality is that new product development is a complex process, which involves contributions from many skilled individuals. New products should not only be useful inventions that can be mass manufactured and sold for profit, but they should also be safe to use, protected by intellectual property rights, and more importantly, be easily marketable.

Here are some steps, explained by GID Development Corporation, a product development company in California, USA, which are involved in new product development.

Germinating Ideas

The primary stage of a product development is coming up with a fantastic idea for a new groundbreaking product. Oftentimes, new products are introduced in the market by first recognizing a specific need in the market and then developing a product to satisfy that need. Sometimes, revolutionary product ideas also occur just by chance or an unusual incidence that triggers the concept in the mind of the innovator.

Researching Plausibility of the Idea

The next stage of the product development is finding out the plausibility of the idea. In other words, the innovator needs to find out the degree of acceptability, usability and the value of the conceived new product. Knowing how well the potential customers will receive the new product is vital. It prevents a lot of time, money, resources and efforts on the development of products that are worthless to the potential customers.

Concept Development

Development, or rather, enhancement of a concept is the essence of new product development. It includes, but not limited to getting a grip on the basics, such as market research, material selection, material costs, product design costs, prototype development cost, overall manufacturing costs, potential profit, target regions, target customers, and so on.

Actual New Product Development

Actual new product development is the stage where the conceived idea and all the researched and concept development data are amalgamated and put into action. A product development company starts with the creation of new product design, using researched data. After the creation of a definitive product design, the company moves on to the development of prototypes. Then, the prototypes are tested, and changes are made until an idealized new product is realized.

Bulk Manufacturing

After realizing an ideal new product from the conceived idea, the product is bulk manufactured. Usually, it is affordable to outsource bulk manufacturing. If the budget is not the constraint, your own production facility can also be set up to bulk manufacture the new product.

Commercialization

The commercialization stage of new product development involves packaging, branding, logistics, warehousing, as well as rolling out the advertising and marketing campaigns. In short, commercialization is a stage of bringing new products to the market and to the potential customers.

New product development is a complex, time-consuming, and arduous process. An innovator cannot tackle the new product development process on their own. Luckily, product development companies, like GID Development Corporation, are established that can help innovators with the entire product development process.

GID Development Corporation is an American product development company based in California. Utilizing their vast experience and the most advanced technologies, like Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which includes product design and product development apps, such as CATIA V6, ENOVIA, 3DVIA, SOLIDWORKS, and more, the veterans at GID Development Corporation assist innovators in every stage of new product development. Whether it is the development of medical device products, mechanical products, electrical products, electromechanical products, products with imbedded software, or any other types of products, GID Development Corporation will always thrive.

To learn more about GID Development Corporation, visit https://www.gidcompany.com/.

GID Development Corporation is currently offering a free 15-minute telephonic consultation. Anyone who is interested should just call Mr. Jim Grimes, one of the pros at GID, at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.