For Small Teams & Startups
Hardware Product Development Expertise
Training
For Hardware Product Development Startups, Fastway Engineering training focuses on teaching the fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering (Solid Mechanics, Kinematics, Heat Transfer, Fluids). This is accomplished via the latest product development tools like Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). These instructor-led classes are the perfect mix of Technical Theory and Practical Application. No matter what level you're at, you'll walk away with more confidence and more optimized designs.
Being a better designer means being a better decision maker. We help product development startups do this by refreshing the fundamentals, while catching up on the latest product development tools. Interested in training your engineering team in the latest CAD/CAE tools from software like Solidworks, PTC Creo, Ansys, and Autodesk? Check out our CAD/CAE training classes.
Product Development Consulting
Fastway Engineering has maintains a core focus on Design for Manufacturability and Design for Assembly. For small teams and startups, this means starting with a working prototype and getting it "dialed in" for production. Whether it’s for Plastic Injection Molding, Sheet Metal, Casting, or many other Manufacturing methods, we partner with manufacturing experts, like Prismier, to help bring designs the last critical steps into production. To do this, we leverage the latest digital CAD/CAE tools to help accelerate the often expensive and time consuming Design-Prototype-Test phases of the hardware product development process.
mHUB Chicago Partnership
For smaller teams and startups, most of our Training and Product Development consulting takes place at mHUB Chicago through our unique partnership. Through mHUB we engage with Chicago's innovative startup product development community on a regular basis through monthly Product Development Classes. To find out when our next class is, please check out the mHUB Community Event Calendar or reach out to us directly.
Product Development Startups Case Study: The StrongBags Helix Pro
The goal of this new travel luggage product was to have durable luggage that could meet the 4 day a week usage demands of the professional airline industry. Over the course of a year, that is nearly 100x the average use for the travel market. To do this, the Helix Pro has advanced ergonomic handle features; it is durable, but has easily replicable parts in the unlikely event that something breaks; and is at a price point that younger flight crew members could afford. Additionally, the modular design allows StrongBags to offer multiple size options while hitting minimum order quantities (MOQ's) from the manufactures. This minimizes tied up capital, which is critical for startups and small companies.
There were a few points of challenge that came in on this project, the first being working with prior CAD drawings from an earlier version of the design. One of Fastway’s initial goals for the project was to optimize the design for Plastic Injection Molding - which included a goal to reduce the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) as well as simplifying the mold tooling, while maximizing the interior volume.
After validating it via 3D printing, the mature design lead to successful campaigns on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
Read the entire case study on our blog here.
