by Michael Paloian, President, Integrated Design Systems Individuals in the industry, including rotational molders, are familiar with engineers and product designers, but many are unaware of industrial designers. This is important, but sometimes misunderstood or unknown segment, of the design community. Even among those in the profession its purpose and definition are debated. Many think of industrial designers as stylists who create beautiful products that usually cannot be manufactured. Others employ industrial designers to create exotic concepts or conduct human factors studies for products. Although these perceptions are not totally incorrect, industrial designers are responsible for much more than styling
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Posts by Michael Paloian
Reimagine the Commercial Dishwasher
by Michael Paloian, President, Integrated Design Systems Mike Paloian is an acomplished designer, inventor, lecturer and educator. Integrated Design Systems Inc. (IDS), is an award-winning industrial design firm with practical expertise in medical, analytical and testing, and plastic display and plastic product design. Mr. Paloian serves as Chairman, Product Design & Development for the Society of Plastics Engineers. He is a faculty member, Plastics Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and a Contributing Design Editor, RotoWorld Magazine. Better Plastic Design Challenge: Rethink the Commercial Dishwasher How to Design a Non-traditional Solution for a Better Conventional Product New markets for rotational
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Heineken Case Study: A Thirst-Quenching Plastic Display Design
This is the concept-to-completion success story of meeting the needs of the consumer exactly when they are ready to buy. And, not to spoil the tale, the hero is an internationally known brand and a unique plastic display design. Mass marketing companies are continually seeking innovative ways to beat the competition and promote product sales. A strategic part of their advertising and marketing includes displays—often designs in plastic—to grab consumer awareness and retail floor space. To be effective, displays must be imaginative, visually appealing and distinctive. Companies with household names like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Budweiser and Heineken are battling for
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Production Design Demands a Holistic Approach
Creating a 3D Solid Block Master Model FOURTH AND FINAL SEGMENT When I begin developing a production design I don’t think linearly. That’s a process that would solve a single detail at a time. Instead, I try to approach the process holistically. The idea is to understand the basic objectives of the project and the purpose of the product. This perspective helps establish a set of priorities to be applied to decisions throughout the design process. At this stage of development, most concepts have a defined appearance based on a manufacturing process, component layout and segmentation of parts that form
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Product Design Detail and Documentation
Building a Comprehensive Set of Production Drawings [THIRD OF FOUR SEGMENTS] Production Documentation Nowadays the information displayed on production drawings is limited to critical dimensions. Typically, these include specified tolerances, material specifications, special notes, textures and other information to documents the manufacturing expectations. At one time, however, not too long ago, production drawings were required to include all geometric details illustrating every feature of the part as well as all dimensions. These drawings were used to machine molds as well as establish production quality standards. Today the majority of products are designed with the aid of 3D CAD and used
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Blog, Plastic Design, and Rotational Molding.
Part Two: Successful Product Design Secrets
Bringing It Together: Research, Concept Development and Product Engineering Details [SECOND SEGMENT IN A SERIES OF FOUR] Phase 2: Research and Concept Development Most product development projects don’t strictly follow a linear path from Phase 1, to Phase 2, and on to Phase 3. In fact, most development steps are required to be completed before this phase is initiated. The scheduling depends on the product and management’s set of priorities. Traditionally some information gathering or research is conducted after the development team has accepted specifications. In most instances, concepts are concurrently developed and evaluated, and that forms a foundation for
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Blog.
From Idea to Reality: Secrets of Successful Product Design
Designing a well-planned product design and development process that meets market requirements [FIRST OF FOUR SEGMENTS] The product design and development pathway—from concept to completion—is seldom smooth or easy. There are numerous considerations, a diverse body of knowledge and a range of creative skills required to successfully develop a winning new product. This checklist for success is based on more than 35 years of personal experience…and working with many companies, individuals and a range of product markets. The secrets of successful—potentially award-winning—design range from the deceptively simple to highly complex. Interestingly, product design courses are available in many colleges or
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Synergy of industrial design and plastics engineering
Abstract Innovative products are recognized by designs which have creatively applied a new technology or when a common utilitarian product is been reinvented to reenergize its market appeal. This case study will describe the development of a unique medical device based on the interdependency of industrial design and plastics engineering to yield an award-winning design that could only be attained by a comprehensive integration of these two disciplines. Introduction The design evolution and development of a state-of-the-art hand-held hyperspectral imaging camera began with industrial designers working with a small team of highly talented engineers to define the product embodiment. This
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Blog.
Integrated Product Design
You will learn in this video the inter-relationships between industrial design, product design and plastics engineering. Click here to view the one hour presentation.
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Quality Through Design
Learn how “Quality Through Design” can lead to more sales, better products, etc. Take a ten-minute glimpse from the rotational molding design presentation given in Cancun by our founder Michael Paloian, at a conference hosted by Roto Polymers.
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