fre|thot Product Design & Engineering

10 Mistakes Inventors Make (Post 4 of 10)

2011-01-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

Mistake #4: Getting Too Attached to Your Invention

For the past couple weeks our blog has been dedicated to helping you avoid the pitfalls of new inventors. This week we present another "mistake" and how you can avoid it. The designers and engineers at frethot are here to work with you every step of the way to bring a marketable product into production. Feel free to visit our website and contact us with any questions or to get more information on how to prototype your new invention.

With all the time it takes to come up with a really good idea, draft the idea, make the modifications, and prototype, it's easy to become deeply attached to your invention. After all you have invested a lot of time (not to mention money) in this idea. And After all it is a great idea. This attachment can be dangerous: after prototyping you may find your invention doesn't work quite like you thought it would. A part that worked well in theory can often fail. This doesn't mean it's time to give up but it does mean it's time to rethink that original idea. Perhaps a different material or new part will solve the problem.

Working with frethot can help you avoid this in two ways: 1. We can give you a fresh look at your invention. 2. We can work with you to correct any problems (whether it be material selection or redesigning components) and continue moving forward. The designers and engineers of frethot have over 11 years of experience making products work. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

Check back next week to see how to avoid Mistake #5: Revealing Your Invention Too Soon (Patience is a Virtue).

10 Mistakes Inventors Make (Post 3 of 10)

2011-01-06T12:50:00.001-08:00

Mistake #3: Believing in Promotion Company Hype

For the past couple weeks our blog has been dedicated to helping you avoid the pitfalls of new inventors. This week we present another "mistake" and how you can avoid it. The designers and engineers at frethot have over 11 years experience and are available to work with you every step of the way to make a successful product. Feel free to visit our website to view our portfolio, or contact us to get started on your latest project.

An inventor can try to sell or license their invention to a manufacturer that would market it and pay royalties. Finding such a manufacturer can be overwhelming and extremely time consuming. Because of these difficulties many inventors fall victim to the flashy advertising of an invention or patent promotion firm.

Promotion companies often offer a "One Size Fits All" type of service. As an inventor you're aware that all ideas do not fit the same mold. This can be the biggest problem with promotion companies, because they do not take individualized time with your product they are often unsuccessful.

These companies offer bogus research in exchange for high fees and rarely produce any results or hard goods. Do your research on any company before doing business with them.

As an alternative the members of frethot are available to work with you and provide several competitive options for prototyping and manufacturing your invention. Over the years we have built strong relationships with local and international vendors. In addition we are local and you can speak with one of our designers or engineers in person. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

Check back next week to see how to avoid Mistake #4 - Getting Too Attached to Your Invention (The Captain Doesn't Have to go Down with the Ship).

10 Mistakes Inventors Make (Part 2 of 10)

2010-12-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Mistake #2: Failing to Make your Invention

New inventors often make some common mistakes. Last week we discussed one of the Top 10 most common mistakes. This week we will continue with another "mistake" and how to avoid it. The designers and engineers at frethot are available at any phase of your invention and can be especially helpful in avoiding the mistake of "Failing to Make your Invention". Feel free to visit our website www.frethot.com and contact us with any questions or to get more information on how to prototype your new invention.

It's a cold hard fact that no one is going to purchase just an idea. But companies may be willing to invest in that idea if it comes in the form of a prototype. A home made prototype can be an important step in the development process, but once you've decided to really go forward with the product you will want to move on to a process such as rapid prototyping (see our blog about 3D printing). This process provides you with a working prototype that will allow for evaluation and testing. Producing a quality prototype is an essential step towards bringing your product to market.

The members of frethot have the resources and skills you need to create a high quality product. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

Check back next week to see how to avoid Mistake #3 - Believing in Promotion Company Hype (The Importance of Using a Proven Company).

10 Mistakes Inventors Make

2010-12-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

Mistake #1: Failing to Record your Inventing Progress

New inventors often make some common mistakes. Over the next several weeks our blog posts will cover the Top 10 common mistakes and how to avoid them. The designers and engineers at frethot are available at any phase of your invention to help you avoid the pitfalls of new inventors and bring your product to market. Feel free to visit our website www.frethot.com and contact us with any questions or to get moving on your next invention.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office awards a patent to the inventor who FIRST came up with an invention (you must also show diligence in developing your idea). An inventors notebook is a good way to keep track of your ideas and can also be used as proof of conception date. Below are several important items to keep in mind when keeping a log book.

You can start a log book as soon as you think of an idea.
Keepinig good records can be vital in proving conception date and continuous activity (these issues commonly arise during the patentint process).
Your log book should be bound and each page should be numbered consecutively. Also if you leave a page, or portion of a page blank, draw a line to indicate it was deliberate (this way it is evident if pages have been added or subtracted).
As you fill log books, start new ones and assign each book a consecutive number.
Keep these notebooks in a secure location.
Each entry in your log book should have a heading including the date, project number, and subject. The end of each entry should be dated and signed by any participants. If possible the entries should be signed and dated by a witness or Notary Public.
Use lots of detail.
Tape or staple loose materials (if possible) such as photographs, print outs and drawings into the notebook.
Make reference to any samples, models or prototypes.
Use pen, not a pencil.

If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

Check back next week to see how to avoid Mistake #2 - Failing to Actually make your Invention (You Cant' Sell Ideas).

Thermoforming

2010-12-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

There are numerous manufacturing processes to choose from when you are ready to bring your product to market; the tricky part is deciding on the appropriate method. The designers and engineers of frethot and can help you choose the best method of manufacturing based on your individual project. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

Thermoforming is a term that encompasses manufacturing processes that heat sheets of extruded plastic and then form them into a finished product. Included in thermoforming are the processes of drape, pressure, and vacuum forming. Vacuum forming is the most common thermoforming method and will be briefly detailed below.

Applications

While most commonly used for packaging it can be applied in many industries such as aerospace, consumer goods, agriculture, automotive, building and construction, electronics, furniture, and medical.

Some products include: food containers, prosthetics, bathtubs, boat hulls, lawn mower covers and more.

Vacuum Forming Process

Before production can begin the tool (or mold) must be designed, created, and prepared. A vacuum forming tool must be appropriately finished and it must have vent holes.

There are 5 basic steps in the vacuum forming process.

Afterwards the excess plastic is trimmed from the formed part. which can now be cut, drilled, polished, or decorated as needed.

If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or would like to suggest a topic for a future post feel free to comment or contact us via our website www.frethot.com

Injection Molding

2010-11-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

When is comes to manufacturing your product there are numerous processes to choose from. Below we briefly discuss just one of the choices: Injection Molding. The members of frethot are designers and engineers and can help you choose the best method of manufacturing. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

Injection molding is one of the most common manufacturing processes for plastics. The process produces parts from both thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. Injection Molding is used to produce packaging, bottle caps, automotive dashboards, pocket combs, and most other plastic products available today.

Below is short illustration of the process.

Materials (1) are fed through a hopper (2) into a heated barrel(3).

Melted materials are then pushed by a screw(4), through the nozzle (5) into a mold(6), and cooled.

The finished part is then ejected from the mold.

The British Plastics Federation has an animation of the process

If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or would like to suggest a topic for a future post feel free to comment or contact us via our website www.frethot.com

5 Steps to Become an Inventor

2010-11-11T14:07:00.000-08:00

Before quitting your day job to become an inventor check out the 5 steps below.

Below is a summary of an article that appeared in Popular Mechanics (popularmechanics.com) If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

1. Cultivate and Idea

You're idea needs to be new, useful, and nonobvious (search the database of issued patents at patft.uspto.gov).
Expect to spend double the time you originally thought and quadruple the dollar amount you anticipated.
Keep detailed notes.
Be sure you're idea is worth committing to and that you can commit to it.

2. Build a Prototype

See our previous blog about prototyping materials (link)
Build a prototype yourself or have our experience designers and engineers assist you with the process.
Troubleshoot your product and get outside opinions (make sure to get confidentiality or nondisclosure agreements from those you share your idea with).

3. File a Patent

See our previous blog exploring the differences between Provision and Non-Provision Patents (link).
Patent approval takes and average of 3 years.

4. Test the Market

You may want to find a business partner.
Perform market research.
Visit Trade Shows

5. Sell it or Make it

An inventor can choose to license a product and earn royalties or manufacture their invention.
Many inventors find that they can-not successfully license the product until a product is designed and specified for the manufacturing process. This is where frethot's experience is essential. frethot can generate technical drawings for your product and provide the specifications that manufacturers need to produce it.
If you plan to manufacturer your product, frethot can also help. In order to have a product produced or even quoted to be produced by a manufacturer, the manufacturer will need detailed 2D drawings and a Bill of Materials (and many times 3D CAD files also). This is where frethot’s core services lie. frethot can provide the documents required by a manufacturer to quote and produce your product.
frethot is a manufacturer's representative and can help you locate a reputable source either domestic or international.

Click Here to view the full text of the article.

3D Printing With Plastics

2010-11-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Deciding how to create a prototype of your new design can be a confusing because of all the available processes and materials. However learning the benefits and drawbacks of various options can simplify you choices. Below is some information on various 3D printing (or Additive Manufacturing) processes to help you. The members of frethot are designers and engineers and can help you choose the best method of prototyping. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

Additive manufacturing is the process of joining materials (usually layer upon layer) to make an object. It is also called additive fabrication, additive processes, additive techniques, additive layer manufacturing, layer manufacturing, and freeform fabrication. The process generally uses a support material to provide stability to the object while it is being manufactured. The various subcategories and their use of support material will be briefly discussed below.

Fused Deposition Modeling
Fused deposition modeling uses thermoplastics in filament form. The filament is fed through a tip that melts the plastic. The tip is moved across a platform, depositing the plastic one layer at a time. The platform moves downward after the application of each layer (determining the thickness of the next layer). The process is repeated until the last layer is deposited. After removing the support material an FDM part down not require any post treatment.

Laser Sintering
Laser sintering utilizes a laser to selectively fuse powder particles layer by layer. The powder that is not fused serves as support material. The loose powder must cool completely and then be removed. Removing the parts prematurely can result in warping. The cooling process can take hours (up to 40 hours for large parts). This can be a drawback. One benefit is that Laser sintering can serve as interim manufacturing while tooling is being produced because manufacturing can begin as soon as CAD data is ready. However, material costs need to be taken into consideration weighed against the benefits.

Inkjet Printing Technology
This technology is available from Solidscape and uses a thermoplastic-based wax to create parts. The wax is jetted through a single inkjet nozzle to build the part. A second nozzle is used to deposit the support material which can be dissolved in a special solution.

Poly-jet Systems
Poly-jet Systems are a family of 3D Printers by Objet Geometries. They are similar to those available from Solidscape in that they utilize inkjet print heads. Poly-jet systems however use a liquid polymer deposited layer by later. A UV lamp then cures the layers as they are deposited. Because these machines can produce extremely thin layers (as this as 16 microns or 0.0006 inches) they can accommodate very fine features. As a comparison Stereolithography (see below) creates layers with an average thickness of 0.004 inches. Poly-jet systems uses a soft wax-like support material which can be removed using a high-pressure water-jet system.

Stereolithography
Stereolithography uses one or more lasers to harden ultraviolet-sensative liquid polymer layer upon layer. Digital data directs the laser beam to strike uncured polymer, hardening it. After each layer the build platform is lowered into the vat of polymer and the process is repeated. The vat of polymer serves as the support material and most drains away when the parts are complete. Stereolithography parts are often used to prepare print and television ads before the production parts are available. However these parts are not stable long-term as sunlight, temperature and humidity can impact them.

If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or would like to suggest a topic for a future post feel free to comment or contact us via our website www.frethot.com

Patents: Provisional v. Non-Provisional

2010-10-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Deciding to apply for a provisional patent or non-provisional patent can be a difficult decision. However the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has listed some helpful information in respect to making this decision. The following information can be found on the USPTO website. Please note that members of frethot are designers and engineers and are not patent attorneys. For a referral to a registered patent attorney please feel free to contact us at www.frethot.com.

Patents vary from trademarks or copyrights. Patents protect an invention or an improvement to an existing invention. Trademarks are a word, name, symbol, or device, used to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from others. Copyrights protect literary, artistic, and musical works. The further differences between provisional and non-provisional patents are briefly detailed below.

A Provisional Patent Application (PPA) essentially provides a one-year extension for filing non-provisional patent application. It provides you with an additional year to experiment, find backing for your invention, and ensure that your invention is patentable. PPAs are not examined: this can help you avoid the costs of associated with non-provisional patent applications during the one year period. If a non-provisional application is filed within one year from the filing date of a PPA, you may claim the benefit of the filing date of the PPA. Further, because a PPA is not made public unless its application number is noted in a later-published application or patent, you won't have to worry about your invention being publicly disclosed if you fail to file a non-provisional patent application. Here is a list of important facts and features of a PPA:

A PPA expires after one year
You cannot extend a PPA
You cannot renew a PPA
A PPA will never become a patent
You cannot file a PPA for a design
The USPTO does not examine PPAs
The USPTO does not conduct a prior art search on PPAs
The USPTO does review PPAs to make sure they meet minimum filing requirements
PPAs are not published by the USPTO (unless claimed as priority in a later-issued or published non-provisional application)
You can use the term “patent pending” for the duration of the one-year pendency of a PPA.
Provides simplified filing with a lower initial investment with 12 months to assess the invention's commercial potential before committing to the higher cost of filing and prosecuting a non-provisional application for patent
Establishes an official United States patent application filing date for the invention
Permits 12 month 's authorization to use "Patent Pending" notice in connection with the description of the invention
Enables immediate commercial promotion of the invention with greater security against having the invention stolen
Preserves application in confidence without publication.

There are some possible pitfalls of a PPA that you should be aware of. There are currently no extensions on the one-year time limit for filing a non-provisional application claiming benefit of a PPA filing date (The USPTO is considering a change that would effectively provide a 12-month extension to the 12-month PPA period). You must file a non-provisional application within a year or you lose the benefit of the filing date. Also if you choose to use or sell your invention during the 12 month provisional application period and fail to file a non-provisional patent application you may lose the right to ever patent your invention.

More information is available at www.uspto.gov. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog or need assistance with the design, engineering, specifying for manufacturing, graphic design, packaging design, prototyping, or manufacturing of your product, please visit our website at www.frethot.com.

Plastics

2010-10-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Below is a list of some common plastics and their uses. Knowing the material can be helpful when working through the product development process and making to manufacturing decisions. Some examples of products that contain various plastic components, can be seen in our portfolio, at http://www.frethot.com/

At left is a chair made with a polypropylene seat. Keep reading to see other plastics and their uses.

Polypropylene (PP)
Food containers, appliances, car fenders (bumpers), plastic pressure pipe systems.

Polystyrene (PS)
Packaging foam, food containers, disposable cups, plates, cutlery, CD and cassette boxes.

High impact polystyrene (HIPS)
Fridge liners, food packaging, vending cups.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
Electronic equipment cases (e.g., computer monitors, printers, keyboards), drainage pipe.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
Carbonated drinks bottles, jars, plastic film, microwavable packaging.

Polyester (PES)
Fibers, textiles.

Polyamides (PA) (Nylons)
Fibers, toothbrush bristles, fishing line, under-the-hood car engine moldings.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Plumbing pipes and guttering, shower curtains, window frames, flooring.

Polyurethanes (PU)
Cushioning foams, thermal insulation foams, surface coatings, printing rollers. (Currently 6th or 7th most commonly used plastic material, for instance the most commonly used plastic found in cars).

Polycarbonate (PC)
Compact discs, eyeglasses, riot shields, security windows, traffic lights, lenses.

Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) (Saran)
Food packaging.

Polyethylene (PE)
Wide range of inexpensive uses including supermarket bags, plastic bottles.

Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS)
A blend of PC and ABS that creates a stronger plastic. Used in car interior and exterior parts, and mobile phone bodies.

Special Purpose Plastics

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
Contact lenses, glazing (best known in this form by its various trade names around the world; e.g., Perspex, Oroglas, Plexiglas), aglets, fluorescent light diffusers, rear light covers for vehicles.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Heat-resistant, low-friction coatings, used in things like non-stick surfaces for frying pans, plumber's tape and water slides. It is more commonly known as Teflon.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) (Polyetherketone)
Strong, chemical- and heat-resistant thermoplastic, biocompatibility allows for use in medical implant applications, aerospace moldings. One of the most expensive commercial polymers.

Polyetherimide (PEI) (Ultem)
A high temperature, chemically stable polymer that does not crystallize.

Phenolics (PF) or (phenol formaldehydes)
High modulus, relatively heat resistant, and excellent fire resistant polymer. Used for insulating parts in electrical fixtures, paper laminated products (e.g., Formica), thermally insulation foams. It is a thermosetting plastic, with the familiar trade name Bakelite, that can be molded by heat and pressure when mixed with a filler-like wood flour or can be cast in its unfilled liquid form or cast as foam (e.g., Oasis). Problems include the probability of moldings naturally being dark colors (red, green, brown), and as thermoset it is difficult to recycle.

Urea-formaldehyde (UF)
One of the aminoplasts and used as a multi-colorable alternative to phenolics. Used as a wood adhesive (for plywood, chipboard, hardboard) and electrical switch housings.

Melamine formaldehyde (MF)
One of the aminoplasts, and used as a multi-colorable alternative to phenolics, for instance in moldings (e.g., break-resistance alternatives to ceramic cups, plates and bowls for children) and the decorated top surface layer of the paper laminates (e.g., Formica).

Polylactic acid (PLA)
A biodegradable, thermoplastic found converted into a variety of aliphatic polyesters derived from lactic acid which in turn can be made by fermentation of various agricultural products such as corn starch, once made from dairy products.

Plastarch material
Biodegradable and heat resistant, thermoplastic composed of modified corn starch.

Visit http://www.frethot.com/ for more information about product development and to view our portfolio.

This information can be found on Wikipedia.

fre|thot Video

2010-10-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

This video is a mini portfolio of some of our projects. Visit our homepage at www.frethot.com to see more.

Going Green in Ahwatukee's Workplace

2009-12-30T14:42:00.001-08:00

frethot's roles in green energy and environmentally smart product development were mentioned in a recent Ahwatukee Newspaper:

http://www.frethot.com/files/ahwatukee.pdf

Validate Your Design Using Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

2009-09-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Introduction

So you have your product designed and it is ready to prototype. Does the design function properly? Will it survive under full load/usage? Is it overdesigned? Are the optimum materials being used? Are wall thicknesses appropriately sized? Can additional costs be squeezed out of the design? Can the number of parts be reduced? What are the margins of safety on the product?

There are a couple possible options available to the developer. The first could be to prototype the design as is, test the system and update the design based upon the results. Assuming that the perfect design was the initial one, this method makes sense. However in reality most initial designs are not the final produced design. Every iteration of a design that is prototyped can be expensive in terms of financial costs and development time. Not only can it be expensive but producing another design does not guarantee that the design will be improved.

Many times the preferred alternative is to use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) or the Finite Element Method (FEM) to optimize the design prior to prototyping or manufacturing the product. Several iterations of a design can be run without a single prototype being produced. If there are multiple possible design solutions, FEA can help select the preferred design. This in many ways is a method to virtually prototyping a design.

What is Finite Element Analysis? (1)

FEA consists of a computer model of a material or design that is stressed and analyzed for specific results. It is used in new product design, and existing product refinement. A company is able to verify a proposed design will be able to perform to the client's specifications prior to manufacturing or construction. Modifying an existing product or structure is utilized to qualify the product or structure for a new service condition. In case of structural failure, FEA may be used to help determine the design modifications to meet the new condition.

There are generally two types of analysis that are used in industry: 2-D modeling, and 3-D modeling. While 2-D modeling conserves simplicity and allows the analysis to be run on a relatively normal computer, it tends to yield less accurate results. 3-D modeling, however, produces more accurate results while sacrificing the ability to run on all but the fastest computers effectively. Within each of these modeling schemes, the programmer can insert numerous algorithms (functions) which may make the system behave linearly or non-linearly. Linear systems are far less complex and generally do not take into account plastic deformation. Non-linear systems do account for plastic deformation, and many also are capable of testing a material all the way to fracture.

How Does Finite Element Analysis Work? (1)

FEA uses a complex system of points called nodes which make a grid called a mesh. This mesh is programmed to contain the material and structural properties which define how the structure will react to certain loading conditions. Nodes are assigned at a certain density throughout the material depending on the anticipated stress levels of a particular area. Regions which will receive large amounts of stress usually have a higher node density than those which experience little or no stress. Points of interest may consist of: fracture point of previously tested material, fillets, corners, complex detail, and high stress areas. The mesh acts like a spider web in that from each node, there extends a mesh element to each of the adjacent nodes. This web of vectors is what carries the material properties to the object, creating many elements.

Why Should I Consider Validating My Design with FEA?

Design Optimization: An engineer can minimize or maximize mass, volume, temperature, stress, strain, displacement, reaction loads, velocities, and accelerations. The FEM process also allows the engineer to minimize part counts, processing, and material costs (material selection assistance).

Reduction of Development Time and Costs Associated: The number of prototypes fabricated and tested along with the labor involved can be significantly reduced using FEA.

Design Comparison/Selection: If multiple strong candidates exist, FEA may show that one concept has advantages over another.

Verify Design Function and Intent: Verify that the design functions and deforms under use as desired and intended.

What Are the Limitations of FEA?

Method is approximate. Due to the fact that that the geometry is approximated by the mesh, the finer the mesh, the closer the results will be to the theoretical solution. However the finer the mesh, the longer the run time. There must be a balance struck between accuracy and minimizing run time. This can sometimes be accomplished starting with a coarse mesh, run the analysis, decreasing mesh size and rerun. Once the results stabilize and do not change significantly between analyses, the appropriate balance has been struck.

FEA assumes a theoretically perfect model and environment. However in reality there are other considerations that may affect performance (Some advanced packages may handle these cases): crack propagation, material degradation due to environment (UV light, rain, snow, hail, wind, harsh chemicals, temperature cycles, etc), improper or unintended use

FEA is an engineering tool. An engineering level insight into failure and material characteristics and engineering decisions is required based on the results. The results of even a properly constructed simulation are not always what they seem. Data reported by a finite element solution requires interpretation and this is a skill that goes beyond one’s ability to use the software. A user that denies or shirks responsibility for understanding the product, material, and/or software specific variability in any given scenario probably shouldn’t be using analysis. Simply learning the software isn’t enough.

This article was written in part by Jon S. Ash, MSE, a Sr. Mechanical Engineer with frethot llc, located in Phoenix, Arizona. For further information about the product design, mechanical design, engineering (including FEA and wind load development), and design for manufacturing services offered visit frethot's website at http://www.frethot.com/.

References
1. Introduction to Finite Element Analysis, Peter Widas, http://www.sv.vt.edu/classes/MSE2094_NoteBook/97ClassProj/num/widas/history.html, 4/8/97.

Bio-Inspired Wind Turbine

2009-08-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

Frethot completed this conceptual design for Green Wavelength, a start-up company focused on bio-inspired alternative energy sources. This innovative wind-mill concept is based on the hovering patterns of birds and insects. This is the world’s first ever flapping wind mill to generate clean power from the wind. We’re still in the prototyping and optimization stages but please check back for updates for when this product will be available. All design work including product design, layout and logo was performed by frethot.

Honorable Mention- LG Design the Future Competition

2009-07-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

Announcement

7/20/09

frethot Wins

Honorable Mention-

LG Design the Future Competition

Hey All,

Just wanted to announce that we received an Honorable Mention Award in the "LG Design the Future" cell phone competition. We won $1000 smackers and took 11th place. Not too far away from first:). We believe there were over 1000 entries for this competition.

Due to my NDA with LG I am unable to show the design online but can show it in my printed portfolio. If you'd like to check out my design send an email my way requesting a peek at the LG phone of the future. (info@frethot.com)

Thanks for you support,

Shawn J. Meine

info@frethot.com

602-228-2051

frethot

Keys to New Product Success Part 2

2009-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of Previous Article...

While making any product or solution strategy, product managers should think along two dimensions to understand the premises of customer need, that is, Product evolution stage & degree of separation. Windermere Associates (San Francisco), Clayton Christensen (‘SEEING WHAT’S NEXT) and Geoffrey Moore (Crossing the Chasm) have brought this out with similar underlying logic. The contextual nature of customer need, based on underlying basic need & product lifecycle should be looked at, in an integrated fashion. This is like telling that you should take advantage of your day in the sun before next day renders you obsolete. The customer needs should be looked as “Windows of Opportunity” & rather shifting windows along life cycle stages.

Product Evolution Stages: Most products go through a life cycle that is quite similar. Briefly, new products go through following stages before getting commoditized & later obsolete.

Stage 1; Functional: Initial customer response would be “Is the product has all functions necessary to satisfy the basic need for which I have paid for?” For example, is mobile phone has necessary functions for user to speak & take calls, when he is mobile. During this stage, performance can be inferior, but the basic drivers for product success can be innovation, status/life style, niche application etc. This stage is largely driven by “technology push” & with almost no competition.

Stage 2; Performance Optimization & Reliability: As technology matures to satisfy basic functions & as both customers, competitors get some awareness about product, performance optimization, reliability & non-core functions would be major driving factor. For example, in mobile industry, how large is the coverage? Are highways/rail lines covered? Can I use it as a pager? Can I save address & phone nos.? How much battery life? How much reliable? etc.

Stage 3; Safety, Convenience & User experience: Windermere Associates (Christensen, 1997) find that when vendors have improved their product to the point that they satisfy functionality and reliability, the basis of competition shifts to convenience & user experience. Like how sleek is the cell phone? How large the buttons & display? Colors, user interface, friendliness etc. Customers become more demanding & competition intense. The product improvement becomes incremental & most new features added either to retain existing customer base & or make product viable for new users.

Stage 4; Customization, Personalization & further market segmentation: This is the phase where competition is maximum, technology is mature & all basic needs as above are satisfied. Now products & solutions shall start targeting asymmetries in the market based on over served & under served market segments (explained below) & new users. Well tuned products are offered for all homogeneous segments with specific needs. There are lots of small & medium players, along with leaders, each addressing various niche segments.

Stage 5; Commoditization: If further product differentiation is not possible, then product becomes commoditized & vendors compete on price. Firms stay competitive either by cost cutting or migrating to next generation of products with completely different value proposition.

Degree of Separation: Both Clayton Christensen and Geoffrey Moore argue that every customer cares about certain feature & performance irrespective of an early adopter or mainstream customer, utility or status buyer, customized or cost sensitive buyer. This particular function or set of functions are satisfying fundamental problem financially, productivity wise, convenience or emotionally & is the reason for which customer is buying. That is normally the basis of competition for that particular customer.

For example, for a naïve user of computers, friendly UI is critical whereas for a designer of a real time control system, speed is most critical & for a multimedia programmer, new & creative functions are important & so on. Some buyers may buy for status & then success of the product depends on the ability to satisfy the ego. No matter what customers’ value, based on the degree of separation between critical functions & ability of products to satisfy those set of critical functions, customers can be classified as

Underserved Customers: These customers demand more than vendor’s current offerings & this segment is the target for sustainable/incremental improvements. Vendors will be able to decide how next generation products should look like if they could correctly understand underlying demand dimension. This trajectory helps in moving the product features along its life cycle.

For example, PC manufacturers targeting high end multimedia market with 3D graphics, require faster & faster systems at an attractive value proposition. Typical PCs & servers, when not offering solution at an appropriate price, is ‘under serving’ the segment & is a case for sustainable innovation.

Over served Customers: According to Seeing What’s Next, companies continue to improve the products to a point where they eventually over serve the customers. Normally companies innovate faster than customers’ lives change. What people are looking to get done remains remarkably consistent, but products always improve. Eventually products become too good & customers stop paying further improvements in performance & is the driver behind commoditization. Normally vendors target combination of emotions, price, safety & environment impact, reliability etc in a complex proportion & try to define new value proposition. For a example, for a normal word processor user, using it to write letters & preparing some presentations, latest Microsoft word shall over serve, with not even using 20% of its full capability.

Non-consumers: People who lack the ability, wealth, feasibility ($) or access to solve some of their problems using offered product. Or they fail to associate emotionally with the product. This can be attractive segment to target by next generation of products & solutions. While deciding features for next releases for an ongoing product, this will be an attractive segment to maintain or improve revenue stream.

The Keys to New Product success (Part – 1)

2009-06-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article I came across....

New product success rates are rare: The success rates of new products are less than 10% & consume significant portion of financial, management & technical resources of companies. Though definition of success is a relative term, there is no doubt that survival of many companies depends upon the success of their new products. There may be many reasons for failure like discontinuous macro-economic, industrial, technological, customer & competitive changes; there is consistency with few companies who routinely come on top with significantly higher success rates.

The 80:20 Rule applies here. More than 90% of overall successes comes from few handful of companies & large number of companies together contributes to less than 10% of new product success. The successful companies are approaching new product development differently from others. Strategic & technology choices based on customer’s current needs as well as future evolution of needs is an important factor for new product success.

Customer Need Identification – Traditional Approach: Traditionally companies depend upon the sales, distribution channels, customer support & current customers for data collection. The data & ratings are then aggregated, mapped & prioritized. During formal & informal interactions with end users, buyers, decision makers & beneficiaries, these teams make efforts to understand problems, see if some thing is inefficiently managed that existing offerings can improve, assess gaps in existing offerings etc. The data typically collected are through reactions from current customers & focused exclusively on current offerings.

Such VOC is inadequate & some times irrelevant: That brings us back the basic question, that is, what is the most important & fundamental driver for collection of VOC?

Let us ask few questions?

Does VOC helping the organization in prioritizing the technologies that have solid grounding in customer needs?
Does the data give necessary information about future product/technology strategy that requires long term prioritization decisions?
Does it help in predicting the customer need evolution over next 3-5 years with reasonable assumptions on technology trajectory?
Can we understand customer’s organizational & financial constraints with the data?
Have we understood what makes the customer win in his business? What functions & features help?

Traditional VOC is about current products, today’s problems, about gaps in current offerings. It fails to give insight into customer’s unarticulated needs. The products & solutions that are conceptualized based on problems/opportunities of today fails to address the same 2-3 years later when products actually makes it to market. Existing customers are good at telling what next generation features the current products should have. This will only sustain current offerings better with no significant revenue benefits.

Ultimately, what separates successful ones is the ability to see the underlying customer needs that competition could not see. Rules & success factors for tomorrow would be different than today. Challenge is to do VOC in a way to prodict what it would be tomorrow. In next couple of parts, I intend to write about VOC collection for technology companies that can help in making strategic choices for technology prioritization with solid grounding on customer needs Written by, N. Rao

The Top 10 Mistakes Inventors Make

2009-05-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a great Top 10 List of Mistakes Inventors Make from Yanko Design.

• Do everything yourself
Leverage. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Do what you do best and rely on others to do what they do best. These days you can get access to resources around the world as easily as around the corner.
• Focus on patents
Don’t overly rely on patents. Patents only give you the right to sue, and rarely prevent others from selling a product that’s just like yours. Remember that patents can take a few years to issue, while many products will have come and gone in that time. Even if you have an issued patent, it can take millions to defend it, money better spent on your next product. A small company in the right can be put out of business by a large company with a big legal department.
• Worry about others stealing your invention
Don’t waste time worrying. Just because you tell someone about your idea doesn’t mean they will copy it. After all the idea is only 5% of the work. The best defense against competition is getting your product widely distributed before others can respond. When they come to market with a copy you’ll be far along on your next model.
• Hire one of those invention submission companies and let them do the work
They typically charge you thousands of dollars to present your product to industry. At the worst they’re a scam costing you many thousands of dollars, and at best they rarely can do the job you can do with a little guidance. You’ll usually do a better job because of the passion you have for the product. They’re not in business to sell your product to industry, only to sell their services to you. If you have a great idea you don’t need to pay someone to shop it around.
• Spend your money fine-tuning and perfecting your design
Too many inventors keep trying to perfect their product time after time before gaining market feedback and going out and finding a customer. There’s often a fear of hearing what others think about your baby. But, an early prototype is often good enough to gain valuable information. So save your money for marketing and selling; that usually costs a lot more than designing and engineering. While it might be painful, test your inventions early. Talk to the retailers who would be selling your product. Ask them how well it would sell. Ask them how much it should cost. Ask the tough questions even though you might not like the answers.
• If you build it they will come
Just because you have what you think is a great invention or spectacular design, it’s tough to get interest from others. Inventing the product is just the beginning and a small part of the overall effort. Expect and budget for a lot more activities after the product is developed.
• Price your product as low as possible
Many inventors don’t understand the impact that the channels of distributions have in determining the product’s price. There are often 3 or 4 levels between what you pay to make the product and what the customer is asked to pay. Existing business models establish the channels and margins, so don’t expect you can change them because your product is so special. Just remember the retail price is often 3 to 5 times your cost. So an item costing $20 could retail for $100. A corollary is your product needs to provide value and be competitive based on the actual selling price, not based on your cost.
• Don’t speak with large companies to take on your productl they’ll steal your ideas
Rarely can a tiny company with a single product match their influence with distributors and retailers. Few large companies will sign NDAs so don’t expect it. Proceed cautiously, but do proceed. They often are your best opportunity for success.
• Once your product gets into the big chains your success is assured
Getting your product into large retailers rarely guarantees success. They’ll return your product if it doesn’t sell, they’ll pay late, and they may require you to spend thousands of dollars to help them sell it. And don’t think these stores will want to carry the products that are best for their customers; they’ll carry the product that makes them the most money.
• Believe your own hype
It’s easy to get excited by your own product and become immersed in the great publicity and reviews. But that’s a mistake. Think like your competitors and don’t become complacent.

Website Up and Running!!!

2009-05-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Finally got our website updated. (www.frethot.com) Please take and look and let me know what you think.

Thanks Much,

Shawn Meine
Product Development Consultant
frethot llc

Cool Industrial Designer to Look For

2009-05-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hey,

This guy caught my interest a few years ago when I saw him on coroflot. He's still coming up with some great concepts. Take a look at this article about him.

http://www.designlaunches.com/lifestyle/date_with_designer_paul_sandip.php

Shawn
frethot Product Development

New DVD Player Design

2009-05-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Check out this new DVD Player design I am working on. Let me know what you think.

Shawn

http://www.frethot.com/

FYI-website coming soon...

frethot introduction

2009-04-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting my portfolio website. My name is Shawn Meine and I am a qualified freelance product designer with over eight years of professional experience. I have worked on a broad range projects and with a wide variety of clients including inventors and major corporations. The varying multitude of projects I have worked on has provided me with a wide range of skill sets and diverse background to meet the needs of any client. I can take your product, idea or invention from conception up through manufacturing.

If your company is developing a new product or just updating an existing product, I can work with your team at any stage of development in a seamless and efficient manner. I am trustworthy, straightforward, hard working and have always maintained a confidential and informed relationship with my clients at all times. Please take this opportunity to review some of my projects and services.

Thanks again for visiting my site please feel free to contact me at 602-228-2051 for a complimentary consultation. I look forward to discussing your project and exceeding your expectations.