Frequently Asked Questions
Here are all our answers to the most commonly asked questions about design, manufacturing in Australia, and our process of manufacturing your products.
Design & Prototyping Questions
Design-led manufacturing uses the design phase to determine product attributes for the entire product lifecycle. Designers and engineers will consider every element of functionality, durability, manufacturability and circularity of a product and design tailored solutions for all.
The design process considers the potential challenges that manufacturing the product will incur and ensure these are resolved prior to production.
A Design-led manufacturing approach to production ensures:
- Minimal wastage
- Optimal time and cost efficiency
- Product performance
- Circularity/reusability/recyclability of the product
- Ideal material selection
- Output consistency and quality
Design For Manufacturing involves efficiently designing or engineering an object during the product design stage to reduce manufacturing costs.
Doing this during the design phase means it is easier and less expensive to figure out certain manufacturing details to streamline production. Similar to the provisions of design-led manufacturing but specifically focussed on the manufacturing phase.
The benefits of design for manufacture are:
- Shorten product development cycle
- Achieve the lowest total cost of ownership
- Attain consistent quality control.
Our services range from design all the way through to logistics management. With our wealth of machinery and in-house abilities, we conduct:
– CAD designs, rendering, animation, 3D modelling, graphic design and systems/software programming
– Digital printing and packaging production
– Automated laser cutting and turret punching
– Multi-material bending and forming
– All metal fabrication
– Powder coating
Industrial Designers plan, design, develop and document industrial, commercial or consumer products for manufacture with particular emphasis on ergonomic (human) factors, marketing considerations and manufacturability, and prepare designs and specifications of products for mass or batch production.
Prototypes stimulate the end product and will detect any performance failures in the early stages of manufacturing, which will save time, money and material down the track. In prototyping, the products durability, functionality and manufacturability is tested.
Protyping can be conducted with any of the following methods:
non-computerised, non-working mock-up of user interface for
the planned system
working model of the planned system
identify requirements, to examine alternative designs, or to investigate a large and complex system
Rapid prototyping (RP) is the fast fabrication of a product that closely matches the final product you are designing. RP uses CAD, 3D printing and other manufacturing technologies to bring an idea into the physical realm.
Manufacturing & Production Questions
Well, you’ve found one!
It can be hard to know where to start when you have an idea that you want to get prototyped, tested and produced. The first hurdle is finding an appropriate manufacturer that fits your needs.
If you have a good understanding of what you are trying to achieve with your idea or product, contact a manufacturer and talk them through the problem that you are trying to solve. You don’t need to have any knowledge of product design or the manufacturing process, we can handle that for you.
Cost estimates can be provided when a brief is received and good manufacturers will happily take the time to explain reasoning behind individual costs.
– Drawn out lead times
It pays dividends to look locally for a manufacturer prior to contacting suppliers in Asia or elsewhere. Local production for local consumption provides:
We will treat every job independently and share with our clients an MOQ depending on the type of product required. For example, we do many one-off custom fabrications for large products such as a custom fence gate or an outdoor gantry.
Our design for manufacture approach ensures production efficiency is optimised and material wastage is minimised. Unused scrap metal is recycled with certified scrap metal recyclers.
A patent is not necessary for every situation. You can use contracts and trade secrets to avoid using a patent to protect your invention. However, if these other forms of intellectual property protection don’t give you the protection you need, you will need to follow the process for filing for a patent.
It is recommended you head to IPAustralia’s website to learn the specific steps of applying for a patent.