Partner Spotlight: Applied Rapid Technologies

March 13, 2018

SparkPD

Partner Spotlight: Applied Rapid Technologies

It is no secret that prototyping is an important part of any product development process. Because SPARK tends to develop physical products for our clients, we often have the need for physical prototypes (not just wireframes of possible app screens or a process storyboard).

SPARK Product Spotlight: The Baby Change-N-Go

October 2, 2017

SparkPD

Client Spotlight, Manufacturing Readiness, Start-Ups, User-Centered Design

SPARK Product Spotlight: The Baby Change-N-Go

You're out at a restaurant with out-of-town family. Baby starts crying- right on time- diaper change. You excuse yourself and head to the restroom to take care of business.

Your Prototypes: Proof of Concept vs Beauty Model

February 18, 2016

SparkPD

Prototyping, Research & Development, Process

Your Prototypes: Proof of Concept vs Beauty Model

So, you're in inventor- an entrepreneur- and you have a hardware based product idea. Nice! You think it through and decide it's time to push yourself ahead of the crowd. You do your due diligence to select a product development firm, forming a relationship and setting up a contract. In the plans are up front prototyping and revised/educated design to follow.

3D Print Quick Tip: FDM & Threaded Inserts

January 7, 2016

SparkPD

Informative Resources, Prototyping

3D Print Quick Tip: FDM & Threaded Inserts

When designing screw bosses for plastic injection molding, certain parameters must be taken into account such as wall thickness, coring, draft, etc. When prototyping with 3D printing, especially with FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), these bosses can become finicky and delicate features to work with.

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What Happens When Manufacturing Knowledge Doesn’t Scale

Growth is usually a sign that something is working. More customers are buying, production is increasing, and the company may be adding people, equipment, or even new facilities to keep up.

But growth can also create a strange kind of frustration when processes that worked well for years start becoming harder to sustain. Engineering may struggle to keep up with the volume of work, manufacturing questions that were once easy to resolve can become recurring issues, and the company may find itself relying heavily on a handful of experienced people who know how things are supposed to be built.

When every component is right and the assembly still fails

One of the more frustrating problems with a sheet metal assembly is when everything looks right individually, but doesn't work when you put it together.

The drawings may have been reviewed and the individual components may look perfectly reasonable on their own. It’s only when the full assembly comes together that the problems become apparent: holes don't line up, connections are difficult to make, or components don't interface the way everyone expected.

Why fabricators no-quote jobs (And what they’re trying to tell you)

You send a sheet metal part out for a quote and expect comparable pricing back. Instead, one fabricator declines the job entirely, another comes back with questions, and a third sends a quote with no apparent concerns.

We’ve heard many versions of this same story. And having this experience can be very confusing. After all, all the fabricators you’ve reached out to are looking at the same drawing.

Why sheet metal is almost always what’s holding up your project

When a sheet metal project falls behind, production usually gets the blame. But the delay often started much earlier, before fabrication ever began.

A drawing that needs clarification, a needlessly tight tolerance, an assembly issue no one caught in review, or a manufacturing question that sits unresolved can quietly eat into the schedule long before anyone calls the project “late.” By the time the problem finally shows up on the shop floor, the easiest opportunities to fix it may already be gone.

Enhancing a Richmond Gem: SPARK’s Volunteer Day at the Science Museum of Virginia

As hands-on problem solvers, we know that big successes often rely on the foundational work done completely behind the scenes. Recently, the SPARK team traded our engineering desks for high-vis vests and headed over to the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond to pitch in and get our hands dirty.

Partner Spotlight: Applied Rapid Technologies

SPARK Product Spotlight: The Baby Change-N-Go

Your Prototypes: Proof of Concept vs Beauty Model

3D Print Quick Tip: FDM & Threaded Inserts

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