Resource Library

View All ResourceS

Frequently Asked Questions

What will it cost to design my product?

This question is asked a lot- the truth is that we really can’t tell you until we discuss in detail. There is no typical cost and all projects are different.

What types of products does SPARK design?

SPARK has expertise creating products with many materials and processes. For a list of our capabilities, please see our Services.

What CAD software does SPARK primarily use?

SPARK uses SolidWorks as a primary 3D CAD software, though we have also begun exploring the capabilities of OnShape.

Can SPARK help me with my prototype needs?

Definitely. How SPARK can help depends on the level of mechanical and aesthetic complexity as well as quantity desired.

I have a project with electronics- does SPARK do that?

Absolutely. SPARK’s employees are mechanical engineers and industrial designers, but we partner with electrical engineering professionals who can get the job done.

Can SPARK work alongside my team with our projects?

Yes, SPARK is happy to work with your designers or engineers to help you increase bandwidth on a project. SPARK can work on site or remotely.

Spark Updates

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

Read more →
AI Wants an Answer. Product Development Needs Exploration
AI Wants an Answer. Product Development Needs Exploration

One challenge SPARK has encountered while experimenting with AI is that the tool rapidly wants to move toward an answer. In many situations, that is useful. In early-stage product development, however, reaching an answer too quickly can work against the way creative ideation actually happens.

Read more →
AI-Assisted Visualization: When Does Efficiency Stop Being Efficient?
AI-Assisted Visualization: When Does Efficiency Stop Being Efficient?

As SPARK continues to explore AI within product development, some of the clearest applications for our Industrial Design team have not necessarily been in generating concepts. Instead, AI has proven useful in supporting familiar, labor-intensive visualization tasks.

Read more →
Engineering Beyond the Classroom: Will Knutson’s Summer at SPARK
Engineering Beyond the Classroom: Will Knutson’s Summer at SPARK

When Will Knutson arrived at SPARK at the beginning of the summer, he already knew how he would approach his internship:

Intentionally.

Read more →
Pitching In (Again!) at the 2026 Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games
Pitching In (Again!) at the 2026 Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games

We are hands-on problem solvers who know that big successes rely on the work done out of the spotlight. We might not be athletes, but we know how to do some heavy lifting. At SPARK, tackling the behind-the-scenes details isn't just a step in our engineering process—it’s where we believe the most meaningful impact is made. 

Read more →
How an early glimpse of SPARK shaped intern Will Knutson’s path into engineering
How an early glimpse of SPARK shaped intern Will Knutson’s path into engineering

Will Knutson did not first encounter SPARK as a college student looking for an internship.

He found SPARK as a high school student when he was trying to get a better sense of what a future in engineering might look like. At the time, his interests leaned more toward physics and pure math, and his picture of engineering was fairly narrow: hard hats, spreadsheets, and factory floors.

Read more →
How dance, curiosity, and a love of helping ideas grow led Kaity Myers to SPARK
How dance, curiosity, and a love of helping ideas grow led Kaity Myers to SPARK

Kaity Myers did not come to SPARK through a typical product development path.


Her background includes dance, yoga, teaching, operations, entrepreneurship, and relationship-building. But the more you hear her talk about her work, the more that path makes sense. The common thread has always been there: curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and a genuine interest in helping ideas move from possibility to action.

Read more →
Spring cleaning a home-away-from-home for patients and families: SPARK returns to The Doorways
Spring cleaning a home-away-from-home for patients and families: SPARK returns to The Doorways

Earlier this spring, the SPARK team returned to The Doorways for a second volunteer day, this time participating in what the team calls a “Windex Party.”

The name is lighthearted, but the work matters.

Read more →
Community effort in motion: Volunteering with the YMCA’s Mobile Food Pantry
Community effort in motion: Volunteering with the YMCA’s Mobile Food Pantry

For many families, putting food on the table is a challenge without an easy solution. Rising costs, unexpected hardships, and busy schedules can make accessing healthy groceries difficult.. That’s where the YMCA of Greater Richmond’s Mobile Food Distribution program steps in.
In early March, the SPARK team had the opportunity to volunteer at one of these distributions in Ashland, helping support an effort that serves hundreds of families every month.

Read more →
AHR 2026: Outcomes Over Hype
AHR 2026: Outcomes Over Hype

When SPARK first started working in building automation nearly 20 years ago, it wasn’t part of a master plan. Tridium was in our backyard, and one project led to another. Back then, we were enclosing hardware in sheet metal boxes. Over time, those products evolved into recognizable controllers like the JACE line.

So returning to AHR this year felt less like attending a trade show and more like revisiting a long-running conversation.

Read more →
View All

Not sure where to start?

Please fill out this form so we can best help you!

Project Questionnaire

Let’s make something together

Contact Us