Mechanical Engineering Services

The key to a successful project is clearly defining what it needs to accomplish. Many people unfamiliar with engineering development do not give project planning proper consideration from the start, and it can be very costly to define after development efforts have started. Some of the planning services offered are:

• Regulatory Certification Review - We have experience in getting products certified for ISO 16750-2, SAE J1455, MIL-STD-202G, MIL-STD-810H, ASTM B117, CFR Part 15 & 18, IEC 60601-1, and IEC 60079

• Competetive Analysis - When starting a new product design, it is important to review competing products in the space and quantify their capabilities to ensure your product will be competitive. Many times this will also provide insight to challenges in the space which should be considered during the design phase and any gaps in the market which may inform product requirements

• Establishing Product Requirements - Using desired certifications, functional needs, and anticipated user behavior, it is critical to define requirements for a product before getting started on the design

• Interface Management Control- Careful planning of where and how components and subsystems will attach and interact to avoid major design changes after prototype manufacture. It is important to gather input from Mechanical, Electrical, Software, and UI/UX stakeholders during this planning

• Estimating Project Scheduling - Leveraging past experience in a range of industries and using nearly every manufacturing method available, we can help understand the time and resources required for any scale of project

There are many different aspects of Mechanical Design and Analysis which may be applicable to product development, depending on your needs:

• Static and Dynamic Modeling - Using the product requirements established during planning, it is important to estimate the significant loads on the design to inform design strategy and material choices

• Performance Estimation - For products which are performing a process, it is important to characterize the energy transfer across the design and estimate the real world performance of the components to inform component selection and sizing during initial design. Some typical examples include estimating power consumption and battery life, or estimating heat transfer in various environmental and material conditions

• Conceptual Design - The "cocktail napkin sketch" phase of product development. Roughing out each of the critical components to the design to consider design approaches available and choose the most relevant one. Proper conceptual design can save countless hours in CAD development

• CAD Development - This is what most people think of when they hear Mechanical Design. Using Solidworks or Autodesk Fusion 360, PERRY Mechanical Design will create detailed 3D CAD models of parts and assemblies which are required for manufacturing and assembly documentation. These models can be used for product renderings for marketing material and design simulations such as FEA and CFD

An important part of ensuring a product's success is incrementally validating performance requirements using low cost prototypes. This provides a real-world representation of the design which can offer a much higher return on investment than detailed simulation and modeling. It is also critical for testing assumptions made during the planning phase, and often brings to light challenges which were not initially considered. In-house ability to modify components, electronics, software, and overall functionality of prototypes is critical to the "fail fast" mentality which allows design improvements to be discovered and addressed early in the development process. PERRY Mechanical Design has access to a wide array of fabrication equipment and an established partnership with Marine Machine Services in San Diego. In addition to prototype fabrication and assembly, PERRY Mechanical Design offers:

• Component Testing - Subjecting individual components to operational conditions they are expected to see in service to identify areas where the design needs to be strengthened, or where it is overbuilt and manufacturing cost savings are possible

• Integration Testing - Performing partial assembly of critical subsystems and testing their functionality before the overall design is finalized. Many times in electro-mechanical products, this stage brings to light issues between mechanical, electrical, and software interfaces. This can be mitigated by careful interface management during project planning

• Verification & Validation Testing - Throughout the product development cycle, it is important to test component and sub-assembly designs against their requirements to ensure each requirement is met. It is also critical to test the final product to ensure all of the customer's intended use-cases are covered

• Environmental Pre-Cert Product Testing - Before submitting a final product to a regulatory certification agency, it is important to conduct as much low-cost, in-house testing as possible to ensure the product will pass the tests performed by the certifying body. This can typically include Impact Testing, Drop Testing, Accelerated Life Testing, Salt Spray Exposure, UV Exposure, and Ingress Protection (IP) testing

The key to ensuring a smooth transfer from prototype design to production product is a robust product definition package that provides all critical information about the product without requiring explanation from an engineer. A complete product definition package should include:

• 3D CAD Models in STEP format for universal compatibility

• 2D Manufacturing Drawings of all parts, sub-assemblies, and the top level assembly. It is important to perform proper Tolerance Stackup Analysis to be sure all manufactured parts will fit as intended with no surprises between deliveries of parts

• Bill of Materials which includes sourcing information for CoTS components and material and finish information for manufactured components

• Assembly Instructions detailing each step of the assembly process with pictures and critical specifications like bolt torques, required lubricants or adhesives, and finishing notes

• Packaging Instructions which detail how to prepare the product for shipping and detail how many of each item should be shipped per crate/pallet/container/etc

PERRY Mechanical Design has experience using every major manufacturing process and has worked with countless manufacturers in the US, Mexico, and overseas. PERRY Mechanical Design has designed products using injection molding, machining, sheet metal stamping and forming, 3D printing, casting, water jet cutting, laser engraving and cutting, and even LDS antenna production. PERRY Mechanical Design offers:

• Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Review - With first hand experience learning design limitations of each manufacturing process, PERRY Mechanical Design can review your component and assembly designs before submitting to manufacturers for quote, and offer cost-reducing suggestions to make designs better suited for their intended process without compromising function

• Selecting Manufacturing Partners - Leveraging industry relationships in San Diego, Mexico, and Taiwan, PERRY Mechanical Design can help you find the right balance of cost, quality, and delivery time for your project

• First Article Inspections - Once you receive parts from vendors, it is imperative to inspect the parts and ensure critical dimensions and specifications are within tolerance

In many situations, before we can begin prototype manufacture and testing, it is necessary to raise funding and gauge consumer interest in the product. Once the initial 3D CAD design is complete, a set of photo-realistic renderings can go a long way to sell future customers on your idea. These can also be used for high quality cut-away views to help explain fit or function of your design