Engineering Innovation

Engineering innovation starts with the relentless pursuit of a solution to a specific problem without personal bias and full creative freedom. It’s an evolution of sort that starts with an initial idea of how to solve a problem with various proposed solutions that take into account ease of use, manufacturability, cost, and reliability. Seems easy enough, right? The reality is there are many variables to engineering innovation such as your specific training/experience, working environment, individual personality & attitude, management structure, to the tools being utilized within your organization.

So you’re the first to market with a specific widget that will revolutionize the world. It so happens the idea has a large target market, but the product flops in lieu of another product that has enormous success a year later. What happened? Well first-to-market doesn’t necessarily mean best-to-market. Too often than not ideas are rushed to market by short-cutting the necessary steps along the way. Maybe not enough time spent in the early brainstorming/ideation phase, poor marketing effort, too costly of an end product, or overly complicated mechanics that are prone to reliability issues. The list can go on forever, but the key is to look closely at the problem you’re trying to solve. Work closely with the end user to better understand their pain points. Did you really address their problem with a product that’s easy to use, reliable, and affordable? What attempts were made to educate your target market on this new engineering innovation?

As an engineer you need to be flexible, resourceful, creative, and open to other possibilities that might not be YOUR initial idea! It’s important to understand that anything is possible and that the only limit is your own imagination. Sure there are resource variables such as time and money, but other than that the sky is the limit! Check your ego at the door, become a good listener, and use your education & experience to deliver a truly innovative product! Don’t be afraid to take risks, make mistakes, and ask questions along the way. Innovation does not exist without taking risks. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough! It’s very important to ask questions and find resident experts in the field to help in areas where your expertise falls short. Always remember that the design process should be focused on the simplest mechanism/design to achieve the desired end use performance…keep it simple!

Another important aspects of engineering innovation is the utilization of the tools at your disposal. The culmination of 3D modeling, finite element analysis, laser scanning, and 3D printing are game changers that allow engineers to refine the concept and get to market quicker with a better product and lower overall investment. 3D modeling & finite element analysis provides the engineer with a means of creating a virtual prototype that can be tested before the first physical prototype is build! This provides for more design iterations before getting to the first physical proof-of-concept prototype. Laser scanning provides a means to reverse engineer a product and convert the data from a physical object to CAD data. Finally, 3D printing provides the ability to try several different concepts before making the first costly tool. It also provides the means to present a sample to core team members and potential end-users that can help refine the concept.

CAD / CAM Innovation

CAD / CAM innovation starts out as a need, a problem, or a desire. In all cases a predisposed concept of what will satisfy or solve has probably been imagined. Often, the first concept is not the one that will ultimately win out. Failure and frustration is a part of the process, and that is OK. For instance, the choice of material that was selected may not be appropriate, the machine(s) available may not be capable, or the software used to generate the machine code may be inadequate.

Fortunately, this is not a problem so much as it is an opportunity to innovate! The need, problem, desire still exists so there is an incentive to continue. Go back to the original concept. Can a simpler design accomplish the objective. Is there a different process that can be used. What about a different material. Many times the actual process of creating an item may reveal opportunities for improvement. Remember that failure and frustration is a part of the process and embrace it.