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Caleb Vainikka
Reducing manufacturing costs through design
Caleb Vainikka is the founder of COVE Design, an engineering-focused product development consultancy. Here are some key points about him:
- He founded COVE Design in 2018, with a focus on accelerating development programs for electronic devices and other hardware projects.1
- Caleb Vainikka has over ten years of experience in electronic device design and takes a creative, designer-oriented approach to problem-solving.1
- He is also known for his expertise in using SOLIDWORKS, particularly in Master Modeling techniques to manage industrial design intent and ensure continuity between mating parts.2
While the query mentions him as the Principal Consultant at Additive Consultants, the provided sources only confirm his role and expertise related to COVE Design.
Highlights
Junior designers, don't give only one option to evaluate.
You might have a favorite design idea, but present it alongside a few options so that we're making decisions as a team.
I've been in design review meetings where a Junior Designer is pitching for their only idea. Here's what that sounds like:
Designer: "Hey everyone, I was tasked with designing a new latching system for this dishwasher basket, and this was the one idea that I came up with."
Team: "Hmm. Looks complicated. Did you think about manufacturability?"
Designer: "Well, I tried to, but this one will be tricky to make no matter how we do it."
Team: "Did you think of any other concepts?"
Designer: "No, this one took me quite a while."
Team:
"Okay, well this one won't work. Let's regroup and try again."
How did that feel? Pressured?
Did you feel like you need to accept the one option presented? All because it 'took a long time' to come up with?
I felt that way, and I'm the one writing the post :)
They bring their one concept to the design review meeting.
They are in love with it.
They cannot see another option.
But in a team R&D environment, there are competing priorities.
Sometimes NRE (Non-recurring engineering) costs are important. Sometimes part cost is important. Sometimes percieved quality is important. Sometimes weight is important.
As designers, sometimes we have to make tradeoffs. Tradeoffs that have big effect on the project.
If you have a single idea, then decision makers on the project are left to make a Yes or No answer.
This is pressuring. Especially when project deadlines are looming.
Instead, provide options.
Then the discussion sounds like this:
Designer: "Hey everyone, I was tasked with designing a new latching system for this dishwasher basket, and I came up with several different designs that will work. Would you like to review, or would you like my recommendation?"
Team: "Great options. How should we decide?"
Designer: "Well, I would recommend we choose Concept 2 due to aesthetics and reduced manufacturing complexity. I didn't spend too long on any of these, because I wanted to get your feedback and confirm."
Team: "I agree, let's move Concept 2 forward into prototype phase"
Let's review. Can you feel the difference?
Be a helpful resource to enable decision making in team R&D environments.
Take several different design paths and see which one feels right. Only then, invest more time and energy in one option.
#design #engineering #prototyping
Why do entry-level mechanical engineers struggle to design manufacturable parts?
Because they've never been taught how to contact a manufacturer and ask questions about manufacturing.
They've been taught how to analyze, optimize, and simulate.
We need to encourage our young engineers that analysis and simulation is useful, but there's no need to overthink every problem.
Reach out to a sheet metal vendor and ask if something can be formed easily.
Don't try to make an Ansys model of the part to see if it will work.
#manufacturing
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