Do you google for ideas with designing custom equipment like assembly jig? 1

[Etienne_Industrial]

One of my software colleague was recently laughing at me as I tend to do my tooling design from scratch based on best practices I've developed over the years.

It looks like software engineer spend more time then mechanical engineer finding code they could re-use (in google or other) before starting a project. (i.e., they spent good amount of time finding idea before starting their design). I feel they don't reinvent the wheel as much as I sometime do.

Am I the only one in this situation? Do you guys "google" to find ideas to jump-start your design when designing industrial equipment such as tooling? And if so, where do you go for such inspiration?

Thanks

- Etienne

 

[JNieman]

I do occasionally, but there's not really a good re-use repository for tooling like the gobs of software codes and snippets.

You might laugh, but a lot of times I just start with google images, and hit up interesting images based on search terms, check the source website and see what else is going on. Might start vague with the keywords, and change one or two words at a time as I refine the general direction, or start with completely new phrasing and narrow down from vagueness all over again. Sometimes when checking a source website for the image, I'll come upon different phrasing/vocabulary for the thing I just discovered, and be able to better search for comparable things. Sometimes I have a great idea for something (so I think) and when I am searching around for components, or comparable technology to modify, I found out my idea is already pretty well developed and available commercially (even if only from one source with a patent)

I can't say I get terribly much from random googllings though. I think I get more ideas from trade rags and email newsletters of random "whitepapers" (using the term loosely; thinly veiled product advertisements) and application 'success stories' that come around. What I see may have little to do with the story, but it might hit on something I found novel and may apply months later, or evaluate for future purpose.

 

[ctopher]

I go by how is the product works, our company standards, mfg practices, etc.
Most companies do this differently.
Doing a Google search to see how someone else did, may not work for your company or product.
For software, there are multiple lines of code already created that can be copied. Sometimes a Google search will find this code.

Chris, CSWP
SolidWorks '16
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[MadMango]

I'll conduct a Google Image Search (GIS) of competing products to ensure I can differentiate our products, or not reinvent the wheel.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

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[SwinnyGG]

The software world is very different. It is very very common for software engineers to plug in a pre-made node or function to solve a problem in their code.

 

[ThirdString]

I've only really done work in one industry, and so my experience is quite limited. I know how to design one kind of product, but that's it. As I try jumping out into other products, a google search is absolutely necessary for me. I like to think I'm creative, but reality says the combined creativity of millions of other engineers is greater than my own. I spend time in google images to see what product in that category is something I would want. It gives me more style input than mechanical. I also do a google patent search to find out what's already been done. Take the Dyson air multiplier, for example. If I had been tasked (pre-Dyson) with designing a new fan, I would have (possibly) come across the old patent that describes that kind of fan. And I would be the rich guy! I also search for competitor patents so I have an understanding of what's going on with their products. If I find anything in any of these searches, it can be a starting point to improve on.

 

[drawoh]

Etienne_Industrial,

I try to design from first principles. I look at the problem. I solve the problem. Much of the stuff I do is development of existing designs. This is equivalent to working from existing computer code. In your case, as a tooling designer, the first principal is the part you intend to make. You may be able to build a library of generic casting moulds, and progressive dies, to be modified to accommodate each and every part. Could you do this for a CNC machining fixture?

Do you design your nuts, screws and springs from scratch?

A problem with mechanical design is that everybody thinks they know how to do it. The task gets micro-managed, often by people who have no clue. The equivalent of this could be you looking over the programmer's shoulder and shouting at them that print is not spelt with an "f" at the end. You would not last long on the job.

--
JHG

 

[KENAT]

Ditto MadMango - I like to see what the competition does. Out marketing folks often ask for the sky causing potentially larger higher risk projects. I'll then look at what the competion does and ask 'if they can get away with that why not us'. Not saying we don't aim to be better etc. but the things I'm talking about aren't the core product but low volume accessories and the like.

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