Oftentimes, customers come to us with designs that are limited in functionality and need engineering to make them manufacturable. While some customers have these problems solved by the time they choose a contract manufacturer, others require a partner to help bridge the gap between design and functionality. PEKO is that partner.
Having worked with Fortune 500 companies and startups on some of the most cutting-edge technologies, we understand the importance of product development and engineering support. Whether you need help with process improvements, functional requirements, or specification clarity, PEKO can help you overcome these challenges, even in the early stages of product development.
Product Development Engineering Process
When you choose PEKO for product development, our engineering team will perform a thorough review of your product design for functionality, reliability, durability, manufacturability, ease of assembly, and more. Leveraging their knowledge in manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, test engineering, and electrical/controls engineering, our team will work with you to refine and optimize your design into a repeatable, production-ready product.
What Does Development Engineering Involve?
- Defining the scope and overall success criteria for the design
- Identifying and enhancing necessary inputs, outputs, and critical parameters
- Quickly creating CAD models and associated details prints
- Producing an indented BOM to help prepare for the prototype stages and beyond
- Consulting internal manufacturing resources for manufacturability improvements
- Validating the process (process validation) at the prototype and pilot phase
- Communicating closely with the customer to understand end-user functionality
Development Expertise & Applications
Our extensive level of development engineering skills and areas of discipline include complete electromechanical development, life testing, DOE, FMEA, FEA, regulatory, and more.
Other specialties include mechanical, electrical/controls, software, pneumatics, hydraulics, temperature control, robotics/motion control, vision systems, thermal analysis, reliability engineering, value engineering, DFM, and DFA.
Specific applications for our NPI and development engineering expertise include:
- NPI Development
- Automation and Test Systems
- Frame/Structural Development
- Motion System
- Vision Systems
- And more…
Engineering Assistance for Projects in Any Stage of the Product Development Cycle
Typically, our customers focus their R&D resources on their core science while our engineering provides the execution side of the technology. However, sometimes a customer will come to us with a concept seeking our assistance in development engineering. A concept could exist in a 3D model, the back of a cocktail napkin, or even floating inside your head. No matter where that idea currently resides, we want to nurture it into a project with a clear definition, milestones, and final goal.
Next, we work to prove the merit and functionality of the initial concept and refine it. During this process, critical parameters are defined with variables and parameters, and the technology and science of the product will be verified and optimized. Even when customers come to PEKO with a fully designed idea, our NPI engineers still go through this refinement process before plans for manufacturing take place. This practice has proven time and time again to reduce design iterations and minimize the inherent circumstances that come along with the manufacturing process.
Before this information is sent off to our machinists and assemblers, our NPI engineers always check to make sure that everything on a print is specified. This is accomplished through prototyping, where we finally turn the initial concept into reality. The prototype phase can often require many trial and error tests before we are confident that we have executed the concept to its completion. Once we finally have the necessary knowledge to bring the design through the manufacturing process, all the processes in the design and bill of materials are clearly defined.
How You Benefit from In-House Product Development & Engineering Support
Early involvement of our product development team allows us to provide our customers with valuable design input that can benefit our customers in a number of ways:
- Improve functionality and reliability
- Reduce manufacturing costs
- Minimize processing problems
- Shorten cycle times
- Accelerate time to market
Contact us today to learn more about our product development engineering services.