We often partner with engineers and clients who have identified a problem that needs to be fixed or they have an idea for a new product. They come to us and explain what they are looking for. Depending on where they are in the engineering design process, we can help them design the solution or be their prototyping manufacturing resource.

Define your design scope

To begin we must have a clear design scope of exactly what it is they need. The whole process can be time-consuming and expensive if the design scope is not carefully defined. Some customers have very good design scopes, but most do not.  Either way, it is not a problem for us.  We have a complete design process outlined in our ISO 9001 quality manual.  Our first step is to create a Document Scope Requirement (DSR) document.  If you already have a design scope document or a Statement of Work, we can include it in ours.  If not, we will create one using whatever information you have. 

We will use our engineering and manufacturing experience to create a DSR that can provide you with a solution that will work and be manufacturable.  With the DSR, we will provide a quote with the cost of executing the design work.  The customer must verify that the DSR includes all the features they need.  It will be our plan for completing the design.  If the customer discovers something during the design process that needs to change, as often happens with design projects,  it is not a problem.  We have a process to update the DSR and adjust the quoted price if necessary.

What’s the best process, what’s the best solutions?

Next, a solution must be planned that solves the problem you want to fix. Often, there are many possible solutions that must be sorted through, weighing the benefits of each solution as well as ease of design, manufacturability, and use. Which one is the best? We have worked with small and very large companies who needed help at this stage to figure out if their solution could even be manufactured. Just because something can exist in CAD doesn’t mean it can be made with current technology.

The Prototyping Process

Once you have settled on your solution and the design is done, you are ready to make a prototype. Customers often ask us if we can do “First Article” manufacturing runs. That means we make the first product, test and troubleshoot it (and any firmware and/or software that may be part of the project), and ship it to them for their review. For true prototypes and not mere variations of an already existing board, we encourage our clients to make several prototypes and run many different tests on them to ensure they function correctly in all scenarios of real-world use.

We almost never see a new product work exactly as expected the first time. Often some question was overlooked, or assumptions were not captured in the DSR document, and the product must be reworked or redesigned to achieve the end goal. Our advice when prototyping is to be patient and at each step of the Engineering Design Process look at how the product can be improved.

Let’s get started! Contact Caltronics today to start your next Prototyping and Engineering Design Project

We know the first step in developing a new product is often the most difficult. That’s why we’ve assembled a team of engineers to streamline the process. Contact us or give us a call today at 651.462.1440 to learn more about our wide range of services and to get started on your next design