SurfaceID Blog

Industrial Design & Mechanical Engineering
Designing for the Internet of Things (IoT)

Designing for the Internet of Things (IoT)

Hello, design enthusiasts! Today we are going to plunge into the internet of things, better known as IoT, where your coffee maker knows your caffeine priorities more than your best friend does, and the thermostat automatically readjusts itself as if it reads your...

read more

6 Essential Benefits of User Experience Design

Industrial design as a practice, balances aesthetics and functionality. However, there is one element which bridges the gap between a good and a great product—User Experience (UX). In essence, the main principles of UX are centered around creating memorable products...

read more
Latest Industrial Design Trends for 2024

Latest Industrial Design Trends for 2024

Industrial design is a field that is constantly evolving, especially as technology becomes more and more advanced. Here at SurfaceID, we are constantly keeping up-to-date with market design trends. It ensures that we are designing products which are focused and...

read more
Benefits of Hiring an Industrial Design Consultancy

Benefits of Hiring an Industrial Design Consultancy

Do you have an idea just ready to be developed? Or a complex problem that requires a quick solution? Let’s face it, launching a product is very hard! We know that it’s tempting to try and figure it out all by yourself. However, hiring an industrial design consultancy...

read more
Virtual Reality and Industrial Design

Virtual Reality and Industrial Design

Industrial design is about imagination, conception and ultimately, sharing a vision with the rest of the world. What if we could interact with it at the earliest stages? Ever since the release of the first HTC Vive in 2016, virtual reality is mainstream and we've been...

read more
CNC Machining & 3D Printing

CNC Machining & 3D Printing

As product designers, customers constantly come to us urging us to manufacture products in-house through 3d printing.  Everyone is going crazy for 3D-prints these days.  And understandably so, it’s like Star Trek magic—to be able to input some data in the replicator,...

read more
3 of the Best Seal Types for Product Design

3 of the Best Seal Types for Product Design

When it comes to choosing the right seal types for a product, there are a few critical questions that should first be answered to avoid malfunctions. Depending on the particular seal's application, an incorrectly chosen seal can result in poor performing products,...

read more
Prototyping with Vacuum Casting

Prototyping with Vacuum Casting

Introduction Vacuum casting is a low budget method allows to very quickly produce many plastic replicas from the silicone mold of a master model. Generally used for prototyping, the possible use of different materials available for injection allows to precisely...

read more
Understanding Computer-Aided Industrial Design (CAID)

Understanding Computer-Aided Industrial Design (CAID)

What is computer-aided industrial design? Computer-aided industrial design (CAID) is simply the use of computerized software in the industrial design process. As opposed to traditional manual drafting, CAID is an automated process that greatly increases the efficiency...

read more
3 Common Plastics in Industrial Design

3 Common Plastics in Industrial Design

Plastics come in all types. At SurfaceID, we use our experience in working with them to choose the best match for your project. Here are some of the most commonly used plastics. Polyolefin Includes Polypropylene (PP), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and High Density...

read more
How to choose a supplier in China?

How to choose a supplier in China?

Introduction As an American or Canadian entrepreneur, it can be a difficult and daunting task to choose a supplier overseas . We’re several thousand miles away, primarily English-speaking and largely unfamiliar with Chinese law, business practices and culture. So how...

read more
Choosing a Manufacturing Process For a New Product

Choosing a Manufacturing Process For a New Product

Before allocating any time and effort into creating your first 3D model for a new product, a manufacturing process should first be selected. This post outlines the many factors that should be considered when choosing the right process, such as costs, process capabilities, product aesthetics and more.

read more
5 Brainstorming Tips For a Productive Session

5 Brainstorming Tips For a Productive Session

When carried out effectively, brainstorming fosters innovative thinking and builds team cohesiveness. At SurfaceID, our industrial design team brainstorms around the whiteboard every Friday. Here are five brainstorming techniques that have proven to be successful for our design team.

read more
10 New Product Manufacturing Processes

10 New Product Manufacturing Processes

This post will guide you through the most common manufacturing processes, techniques and tools you will encounter when getting a product manufactured. Depending on the product in question, CNC milling, sheet metal forming and progressive die stamping are just a few.

read more
Surface Finishing: Awesome Decorating Techniques

Surface Finishing: Awesome Decorating Techniques

Color, texture, and protective qualities are a few factors typically considered when choosing the optimal surface finish for a product. However, if you wish to add some extra perks to your product’s outer shell, here are some excellent surface finishing decorating techniques.

read more
When, Why and How to Create a Prototype?

When, Why and How to Create a Prototype?

Think you’re ready to create your first prototype? Based on years of expertise, this post outlines the importance of creating a prototype, at what stage in product development you should create your first prototype and what method should be utilized to create the prototype in question.

read more
10 Steps Towards Having your New Product Manufactured

10 Steps Towards Having your New Product Manufactured

There are many factors involved in getting a new product manufactured. Detailed design development, 3D development, prototyping and advanced engineering are a few critical components in the process that should be completed before entering the manufacturing phase. Our design process at SurfaceID helps illustrate these components.

read more