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Engineering
Design Enhancement
Customers will often come to HQC with a partially designed product or a product like they would like to improve. In some cases, the product will need to be reviewed and designed for manufacturability.
Flexible packaging is one main area where you might seek further knowledge and support in designing fitments both for the package and the insertion process. Within the packaging markets, customers may be having a negative experience with a certain product, and you’re looking to change that. The changes needed to offer a better product experience may also include enhancing the plastic injection mold.
At HQC, we’ve found that a problem with a product can sometimes arise when a customer supplies the initial drawing, perhaps even one from a part designer.
If the drawing does not show an understanding of injection molding and the pre- or post-operations, the design may not work for manufacturability. This is where a review with HQC for design and manufacturability can save you great time and cost and give your product a much greater chance at success.
In another design enhancement scenario, you might have a current product you would like to improve. As we do when starting with a drawing, we will review the product to see what we would need to do to make those improvements, including any potential design changes. At this stage, you will also want to be sure no patents are being violated, which can be common.
As with design drawings, communication between HQC and the customer is vital to give us a good understanding of what is needed and how many details the customer knows. Those details allow us to determine what we need to do and whether any alternate designs can help make a quality product.
Design enhancement is much like remodeling a house. You have a structure and many of the basics. When you meet with the contractor, they apply what you tell them to let you know what you can and cannot do. They will also give you options, some of which may require additional changes.
In Summary
Main things to keep in mind for a successful design enhancement for a product that impacts your market
- Design enhancement requires the same process as a concept or a new design.
- A complete review of all details is essential because a drawing or a part may have features or traits assumed by the creator but unknown to us.
- Understanding how and where the product can be used is important to know.
- HQC has the right tools for the design enhancement process, such as CAD system, onsite 3D printing and prototyping. We can also draw from our experience in different markets and as a custom contract manufacturer to bring knowledge and options that make your product better.
- Complete design reviews are crucial as our last step in reviewing an enhancement. Once we start the tooling processes, changes can be expensive and time-consuming.