SurfaceID Blog
Industrial Design & Mechanical EngineeringErgonomics in Industrial Design
Ergonomics plays an important role in industrial design, improving user-experience and productivity.
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...
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...
Mechanical Engineering & Industrial Design: The Essential Differences
It is essential for industrial designers and mechanical engineers to work in harmony during the product development process. But how do they defer in their approaches to this discipline? In this article, we’ll let you know the similarities and the differences between...
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...
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...
4 Sustainable Product Design Practices
Did you know that approximately 80% of product-related environmental impact is determined during the design phase? Industrial Designers hold a lot of environmental responsibility when designing new products. However, through thoughtful decision making, they can...
5 Effective Sustainable Materials for Product Design
Have you been looking for a way to make your product more sustainable but don't know where to start? Or do you feel guilty whenever you throw something in the trash that you just know will end up in the landfill? We'd like to introduce you to some materials which can...
The Straightforward Cost of Expert Industrial Design Services
Well, the most correct but annoying answer is: it depends! There is no fixed price for hiring an industrial design firm. It mostly depends on the scope of the project. Venous Light Medical Design Sketch Rendering What are we defining? Industrial design is a...
Sand Casting: The Remarkable Manufacturing Process
In our previous post, we discussed the exclusive benefits of 3D printing and CNC machining. Another very important manufacturing method is sand casting. As the name suggests, a mold made of sand is used to cast metal into robust metal pieces. The sand is mixed with...
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...
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,...
SurfaceID Visits Manufacturing Facility in Shenzhen, China
Located in the very south of China, right next to Hong Kong, Shenzhen has become an important manufacturing hub for the world. Shenzhen's population has grown at an incredible rate throughout the years, climbing from just 30.000 people in the 1970s to over 17 million...
Mechanical Engineering and the Success of your Product
While the CEO of SurfaceID's Montreal team is traditionally trained first and foremost in industrial design, the process of bringing a new invention from conception to manufacturing can't be done without going through a thorough and extensive mechanical engineering...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
3 Reasons U.S. Companies Should Design Their Products in Montreal
Designing a product in Montréal is a wise idea for any American firm wishing to exploit into a weak currency, benefit from tax credits and harness a diverse and highly skilled pool of industrial designers. This post elaborates on these four key reasons to take your inventions across the border.
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.
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.
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.
5 Types of Product Prototypes for Effective Design
There are several types of prototypes, including; breadboard prototypes, sketch models, appearance models, 3D prints and CNC prototypes. Knowing when to make each one primarily depends on where you are in the product development process.
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.
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.
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.