Mechanical Engineering

Advice for product innovation, design, and development
2024 09 27 kickstarted what i learned HERO
I Got Kickstarted, and Here’s What I Learned
Having done all the research and scaled the considerable Kickstarter learning curve, I wanted to compile what I found to be the most useful resources.
2024 09 17 3 Things Kickstart Hardware Setup HERO
Three Things to Do Before Kickstarting Your Hardware Startup
The biggest pitfall for aspiring hardware entrepreneurs isn’t the funding part; it’s the hardware part and clearing the production hurdles.
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It Takes a Village to Raise a Hardware Product
Entrepreneurs going into hardware face a hefty learning curve, and missteps can end up costing them later in development.
2024 06 03 Engineering Team You Need HERO
How to Outsource the Engineering Team You Need
Outsourcing your engineering needs can be the answer—if you do it right.
2024 04 16 What Successful Hardware Innovators Do Differently HERO
What Successful Hardware Innovators Do Differently
Successful hardware innovators need confidence, foresight, and consideration to do something genuinely innovative.
2024 03 01 LED touch interface HERO
Developing a Product with an LED and Touch User Interface
Sometimes the simplest designs are the most difficult to get right. Here's how we approach the design of a low-information-density user interface.
2024 03 11 tolerance stack HERO_download
Download Delve's Tolerance Stack-Up Analysis Calculator
Our engineers have designed a better tolerance analysis tool that makes doing tolerance stacks a joy. Download it here for free.
2024 02 29 Parametric CAD HERO
On-Ramp to Design Engineering: Parametric CAD
We use Parametric CAD to design the majority of a wide range of new products. Here are some of the problems it helps us solve quickly and capably.
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How 3D Printing for Rapid Manufacturing Is Pushing Boundaries
Features that would be impossible to pull off using conventional manufacturing methods are made feasible with 3D printing.
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On-Ramp to Design Engineering: Sealing
Figuring out just how much sealing products will need is part of the design process.
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On-Ramp to Design Engineering: CFD for Product Development
In its infancy, CFD was complicated, expensive, and challenging—so it was only employed for complex projects like bridges and the space shuttle. Today, engineers use it to optimize everyday products that incorporate the flow of air, gas, and fluids.
Extreme Environments HERO
Product Design for Extreme Environments
Here are some of the harshest environments you might come across as a product designer or engineer and the ruggedized solutions and products that stand up to them.
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Wet and Wild: Our Favorite Fluidics Design Challenges
Product design and manufacturing are always more challenging when the wet stuff is involved.
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Ingenious Engineering: Safety Razors
Few inventions have had as significant an impact on our daily lives as the safety razor.
2023 09 15 ballpoint pens HERO
Ingenious Engineering: Ballpoint Pens
The ballpoint pen eliminated the need for messy fountain pens and all the problems that came with them. This breakthrough invention forever changed the way we write.
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Applying the Pareto Principle to Product Development
The Pareto Principle is a great tool for project teams when they’re trying to decide where to focus their energy and efforts.
2023 09 08 consumer robotics blog image HERO
Designing Consumer Robotics? Answer These Four Questions First
Convincing discerning consumers to buy a home robot isn't easy. To earn a spot in our homes and our lives, “home bots” (and those designing them) must answer four important questions.
2023 08 11 implement the vision HERO B
Implement the Vision: Four Steps to Breakthrough Technical Innovation
These four steps for repeatable technical innovation have proven trustworthy for us on project after project.
2023 08 10 guide to developing product requirements2 HERO
A Guide to Developing Better Product Requirements
Creating product requirements can seem like a straightforward task, but it has plenty of potential pitfalls.
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Our Product Engineers’ Best FEA Simulation Tips
As product engineers, we use FEA simulations to develop, test, and refine designs. These best practices allow us to move quickly while keeping simulation results accurate, honest, and affordable.
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Design or Buy? 6 Tests to Tell If You Should Buy or Design That Component
More often than not, designing your cool new product relies on some new widget. You’re not sure if you should design your own or buy one from a supplier. What if there was a straightforward way to decide?
2023 05 01 AI in Engineering Then Now HERO 1
A History of AI in Engineering from the 1970s to Today
With the transformative potential of new AI tools like ChatGPT on everyone’s mind, it’s easy to forget that artificial intelligence has been used in product design and engineering for many years.
06 Article Dave Fuzzy Start H1
Concept FMEA for Engineering During the Fuzzy Front-End of Development
The “fuzzy front end” of product development can pose some unique challenges for engineers.
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19 Uses for AI in Product Development
The Delve team explores AI’s place in our product development process.
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Biggest Innovations in 2022 That Influenced Product Design
A coffee pod system without a plastic pod. Headphones that read your mind. A touch-sensitive prosthetic hand. Check out the biggest innovations to influence product design in 2022.
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COVID-19 At-Home Tests: A Game Changer, But at What Cost?
Home self-testing kits have played a crucial role in managing the spread of COVID-19 in the US, but a steep environmental price is hidden in the societal benefit.
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What Mini Electronics Are Inside Tiny Wearables?
We opened up wearables from leading companies to see how so much was packed into something so little.
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Why ‘T-Shaped’ Is the Best Fit for Product Design
“T-shaped” is a term used to describe someone’s knowledge and skills. For those of us in product design, it’s a good shape to be.
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CES 2021: Transportation tech promises a cleaner, safer future
The vehicle expo area of CES has been one of the most exciting parts of the trade show in recent years.
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Transforming Engineering
The list of industries experiencing huge disruption fueled by “technology” is growing by the day.
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Top 5 lessons from Badger Shield project
Badger Shield gave me the opportunity to collaborate with an amazing group of men and women this year – designers, suppliers, manufacturers, and customers. I expect to have built lifelong collaborators and friends through this trial by virus. (For background, read the article in Wired).
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PAPR Hood for Healthcare Heroes
The goal: To outfit every health care worker with PAPRs – an amazing piece of equipment used to filter air and inflate a bubble around the wearer’s head to reject any contaminants.
12 Article Dave Onyourown
You’re on your own
All right, who do I blame for this?
2019 12 30 Article Franchino Year In Review Trends
Dave’s 2019 Year in Review
As 2019 winds to a close it’s time to make my annual appraisal of some of the more noteworthy products and events shaping world of design and Innovation. And the last year certainly saw its fair share of significant steps and missteps. So, let’s wade in with a few things I’ll remember that helped define 2019 for me.
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13 Biggest Innovations of 2019 To Influence Product Design
Robots unleashed; the emergence of hearables; sustainable plastics and processes — we weigh in the biggest innovations of 2019 to influence product design.
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Will it recycle?
Have you ever considered what happens to the materials you put into the recycling bin after they are picked up from your curb?
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Our DIY Split-Flap Display: An Adventure in Inefficient Nostalgia
We weren't setting out to invent something radically different, but we wanted to prove to ourselves that we could make our own split-flap display.
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Running Effective Engineering Design Reviews
When not orchestrated well, a design review can very quickly turn into an unproductive meeting and send a team spinning with a poorly conceived action item list.
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Designing Military-Grade Products: The What, Why, and How
With the growing demand for rugged design across sectors, product developers need help figuring out when to accommodate military specifications.
12 Article Jesse Roomba A @2X
Why is the Roomba so expensive? Why are the knock-offs so cheap?
What happens when all the engineers from Delve's three offices gather in Madison? We buy stuff and tear it apart to understand how it is made. Our product of choice? The robotic vacuum.
06 Article Erik Kids Cargo B
Green eggs and electric ham
Will the E-bike change the way Americans think about cycling?
06 Article Strahm Make A Wish B
Pushing each other along
A recent project with Make-A-Wish gave us the chance to make a meaningful connection with a family, which is a great benefit of product design.
06 Article Dave Tesla Frontend H1
Front ends, air flow, boats and aesthetics
The Tesla Model 3 has a front that upends expectations, and it's not pretty.
06 Case Study Dexcom Librarian
#InstantGratification
“Wait. Is that it? Did the needle already go in? I can’t believe it!”
06 Article Jesse Tolerance Tool H1
We are an open book
In the spirit of open source innovation, we are sharing our Tolerance Analysis spreadsheet for mechanical engineers.
06 Article Matt Poster Cutlery B H1
Ingenious Engineering: The Cutting Edge of Cutlery
Eating utensils require some sophisticated metal fabrication technology.
2024 01 31 10 Questions Manufacturing HERO
10 Questions to Your Best Manufacturing Solution
“Do you know a place to get this made?” That’s a question we hear a lot from entrepreneurs looking for a manufacturing solution. It’s actually a very complex question.
06 Article Maker Faire2017 H1
Designing (and making) cool stuff
A recent Saturday at the Madison Mini Maker Faire reinforces the joy of what we do and how fun it is to turn kids on to STEAM fields.
2023 12 19 Six Teardowns HERO
Six Teardowns That Inspire Design Innovation
One of the best ways for engineers to learn about product design is to carefully examine other products. Engineering details, manufacturing processes, and material choices can all be used to inspire your own designs and decisions.
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Of MGBs and multidisciplinary machines
Repairing the complicated carburator of a 1974 MGB convertible is a good reminder that multidisciplinary design produces better products.
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The Future of Engineering
Educating tomorrow's engineers will take more focus on teaching creativity, inclusivity, hands-on and team learning without losing site of the fundamentals.
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The Core Principles for Creating an MVP
A Minimum Viable Product approach to product development can speed things along—if you know what you need to learn.
12-Article Conner BikeThatWorksForAllKids-S12
Design approach selected for adjustable hand cycle
The Lend a Handcycle project takes a leap forward with the selection of a scissor-jack design for seat adjustability.
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Creating a bike that works for all kids
Progress is being made in our quest to design a fully adjustable hand cycle that can accommodate children with physical disabilities as they grow.
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Target practice
A lesson in visualizing the target and aiming in squash is also a good reminder of how to design products.
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A System Approach to Advanced LED Product Design
LED technology opens up a world of possibilities and some new considerations for product design.
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BioReactor Could Have Big Impact on Saving Small Hearts
Using the BioReactor we helped design and manufacture, Dr. Hopkins' team have reached a milestone in developing a process for replacing pediatric heart valves.
"Delve brings strengths that we don't have, which is why I'm looking forward to working with them again."

Vamsee Pamula, Founder & President, Baebies