engineering design services
The team at Design Integrity (DI) has broad technical expertise that spans the full engineering design and new product development spectrum, making DI one of the top design engineering consulting firms in the US. Areas of expertise include:
- mechanical engineering design
- electrical engineering
- hardware design, firmware and software
- systems engineering
- exploratory and proof-of-concept development work
- design audits and due diligence support
- engineering analysis
- design for manufacturing and assembly
- expert witness support (product design, patents, trade secrets, etc.)
- product cost reduction
Mechanical Engineering
One of our primary competencies at Design Integrity (DI) is mechanical engineering. Our position in the marketplace is centered on our ability to take top priority projects with a high level of technical complexity from any point in the project through production launch.
Our staff is trained to be effective problem solvers, creative innovators, analytical in our approach, detail focused, and team oriented. We feel strongly that we can take on any challenge, and it is through our methods, our staff, and our passion for what we do that we can persevere and arrive upon clean solutions for the most difficult design problems.
Electrical Engineering
Our electrical engineering expertise is focused across the field of new product design and development. Our team has experience developing new systems across a variety of markets, including industrial equipment, consumer products, medical devices and equipment, and automotive subsystems. Our expertise includes the following areas:
- Embedded system design
- Hardware, firmware and software
- Connectivity – WiFi / BLE / Cellular / IoT / LoRa
- Rapid electrical system prototyping for proof-of-concept
- Controls
- Testing and safety certification
- Automated and semi-automated products and equipment
Mechanism and Machine Design
One of our key differentiating competencies is our ability to design complex mechanisms and machinery. Over the years, our engineering team has developed dozens of products with multi-component mechanisms, motors, solenoids, fine motion controls, and rapid operating sequences.
Our mechanism design experience spans across several product categories including power tools, medical devices, IV pumps, packaging equipment, food processing machines, and hardware installation tools. We are not a traditional machine design firm, as our team typically works on innovative products that break new ground and incorporate new features, technologies, and manufacturing processes.
Electro-Mechanical Design
A majority of our programs involve electro-mechanical products with microprocessors driving the operation, sensors, firmware, one or more motors and solenoids, and a user interface with buttons and a screen. Browse through our Projects page to see examples of our electro-mechanical design work.
There are several talented design engineering consulting firms across the US, but if you’re looking for a top engineering design firm in the Chicago area, DI should be on your short list.
Design for Manufacturing and Assembly
A vast majority of our engineering projects make it to production and market launch. The main reasons for our high success rate are the experience level of our staff and our project management expertise. In addition, our team has in-depth experience with all high-volume manufacturing processes, and we have a firm understanding of the strengths and trade-offs for each.
We have expertise with engineering economics, as well, to assist with determining the most effective manufacturing processes using net present value financial methods. New products must be designed so they are easy to assemble, economical to produce, and optimized for cost. Design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA) methods are utilized on all of our projects, and the level of part consolidation versus assembly labor is factored into each design.
Engineering Analysis
Our engineering team has diverse analysis expertise that includes:
- stress analysis
- finite element analysis
- dynamic equations of motion
- designed experiments (Taguchi methods)
- energy methods
- design optimization
- statistical tolerance stackups
Design Audits
Our technical staff provides design audit services for our clients across a wide ranges of industries and market segments. Design audits are conducted for a variety of reasons, including:
- Gap analyses, such as gaps between product requirements and performance
- Due diligence in support of mergers and acquisitions
- Support of major strategy decisions
- Risk assessments / analyses
Plastic Part Design
Over the past 25 years, our staff has designed several hundred new plastic components. Although we have designed dozens of plastic enclosures for consumer products and medical devices, a majority of our plastic design experience has involved engineered plastic components and assemblies (components that perform functions, carry loads, and integrate with motions and mechanisms).
Our plastics experience includes a wide variety of manufacturing processes, including injection molding, gas-assist injection molding, insert molding, double-shot molding, TPE/TPR overmolding, blow molding, rotational molding, thermo-forming, vacuum forming, and compression molding.
Our team has worked with a diverse range of materials, though a majority of the parts we have designed used various nylons, acetals, ABS resins, Teflon, polyesters, polycarbonates, polypropylenes, PET, PVC, rubbers including silicone, and PPO (such as Noryl). When an application requires a special or less common resin or blend, our team collaborates with resin manufacturers and blenders to determine the most suitable resin for the application.
Contact Us Today
Reach out to start a project or talk with our staff about our capabilities and expertise.