New product development process

Step 1: Product Design Information

This information is supplied by you. The more detail you can provide to the Soblin Product Development Team about your product, the sooner we can bring your product to market.

Provide us with a description of your product and how you want it to perform.

Tell us how your customer will benefit from using your product.
Provide us with any drawings or sketches of your product.
Give us any information you have on competitive products.
How is your product similar?
How will your product be better?
Tell us your target price and what production quantities you want to pursue.
Indentify any standards or agency approvals your product will need.

Step 2: Product Design

Using state of the art design software, we will develop a three dimensional solid model of your product. This model will become the basis for the rest of the development of your product. Our team will be able to:

Develop virtual prototypes for your review.
Perform stress analysis and performance testing.
Create mechanical drawings of components and assemblies which can be used for fabricating prototypes, fabricating production parts, obtaining tooling, manufacturing and assembly quotes, and at to provide quality assurance.

Step 3: Product Review

Frequent and thorough design reviews are an integral part of the design process. Either in our office, at your facility or through on-line collaborative tools, you will be able to review and guide the product design to meet your requirements. Once you have approved the design, your product will move to the prototyping and testing phase.

Step 4: Prototyping and Testing

While much of the design work can be done “virtually” on the computer, building prototypes is essential in proving the design meets your requirements. In addition to our in-house prototyping capabilities, we have a network of suppliers who can deliver the mechanical or electrical parts needed to complete your prototype. Rapid prototyping provides a hands-on example of your product to marketing managers, production managers, purchasing agents, or any other key people. Their early access to your product can save time and speed completion of your product getting it to market sooner.

Our development team uses a large number of vendors to fabricate prototypes. We request quotes from many vendors to promote competition, get the best pricing and delivery, and reduce your costs.

Once the prototype is built, our team will test it to ensure that your product meets or exceeds your design requirements.

Step 5: Mechanical Drawings

Mechanical drawings are the documents you need to control the design intent of your product. They define the specifications of each component, assembly, and sub-assembly in your product. They control the size of each part feature and how the parts fit together. If the parts do not function correctly or do not fit together, there may be a problem with the parts or the assemblies. Checking the parts against the mechanical drawings can determine whether or not the parts and/or assemblies are correct.

When you order parts from a manufacturer, it is their responsibility to provide you with parts that match the specifications and dimensions in the mechanical drawings. If the part does not match the mechanical drawings, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to correct the part. The mechanical drawings of your product become the controlling document in your agreement to purchase parts from the manufacturer.

Step 6: Production Tooling

Mechanical Drawings are used to quote and fabricate production tooling. The drawings of the components and assemblies are sent to multiple vendors to promote competition and optimize tooling costs. Our team will compile and evaluate each quote and provide a report on all of the quotes along with our recommendations. Once you’ve selected a source and approved the quotes, the tooling fabrication process can begin.

Step 7: Production Pilot Run

The Production Pilot Run is the final stage. Each part and assembly is inspected to assure that the design specifications have been met. Product performance and functionality are tested to assure that your product performs and meets the design specifications.

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