About Us
Candy Product Design is an innovative product and industrial design consultancy based in Cambridge, UK.
We are passionate about creating elegant, functional products that have timeless appeal. Our robust solutions are built on decades of production engineering know-how, combined with diligent attention to detail and thorough failure analysis. Our ethos is strictly ‘form follows function’, engineering driven design rather than gratuitous styling.
Our many years of production experience enable us to offer realistic, informed concepts and a smooth, speedy route into production. We keep the end product and its manufacturability in mind at all times during the design process.
We offer significant industrial design experience and skills across a broad range of sectors such as scientific, medical, military, industrial, telecommunications and consumer.
Candy Product Design has formed out of Dickinson Associates and is led by Phil Candy, an industrial designer with over 25 years’ experience in product design and manufacture.
Our Design Process
Below we have highlighted fundamental design activities and the general order in which they usually occur. However, each project is different and we will tailor the design process to your unique circumstances and requirements in order to create the most efficient and effective route to manufacture for your product. A project can include all or just some of the stages detailed below.
1
Specify requirements
We work with our customers to develop a clearly defined product specification. Each project is unique and before we start designing, we need to fully understand your requirements and expectations. We will then prepare a project estimate that sets out exactly how we can help you, how the work will be structured and how much it will cost. Like the briefing process, our design quote will be free of charge and without any obligation.
2
Feasibility study
Occasionally, a feasibility study is required to verify specific issues with the envisioned design, manufacturing process, material or proof of principle before a decision is made to commence with a design project.
3
Concept Designs
Based on your design specifications, our research, and our extensive product design experience, we use a methodical and iterative process to explore ideas and develop various design concepts.
At this stage we take into account the entire design and production process, as decisions made at this stage have a significant impact on the final product and its manufactureability. Material selection, mechanics, ergonomics, aesthetics, and, most importantly, manufacturability are all factors that we take into account from the start.
Our concept generation process is quick, accurate, and, most importantly, produces designs that can be manufactured.
4
Production Engineering
Once a preferred design concept is chosen, the detail design of the separate components begins. This stage builds on the planning and initial development work, refining the design into a fully functional CAD model and set of engineering drawings.
The production engineering of a product requires a holistic approach and a feel for the product. Details of the envisioned product can change at this stage due to manufacturing constraints as ‘reality bites’, and it is vital to accommodate these needed adjustments without losing sight of the vision for the original concept.
Working to Design for Manufacturing (DFM) standards, we use Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools to develop detailed 3D models of all parts, components and assemblies. The detail design is driven by the selected manufacturing processes and we will work closely with your chosen manufacturer to finalise the engineering of the design to match their capabilities and specifications.
5
Prototype and Test Design
To ensure that a product is ready for manufacture, prototyping and testing are a critical part of the product development process.
There are numerous prototyping processes available, as well as different levels of realism that can be achieved depending on requirements. Prototypes can be created to test the overall form and functionality, gather user feedback, or test specific components.
We have our own 3D printers and workshop, which allows us to easily and quickly validate designs throughout the design process.
6
Production support
Prior to production, we will have provided you with a full production-ready CAD and data pack for manufacturing. The quality of this data is vital for the smooth transition to production. We work closely with your chosen manufacturer, fine-tuning the design to meet exacting manufacturing requirements.
Once parts have been released for tooling it is very important that the manufacturing processes are controlled very closely. Tools usually require adjustments, as they are rarely made absolutely to CAD initially. This stage ensures that tools are made to a point where they can supply parts that look and function correctly. This requires time and often detail changes to the design. We support the tooling debug phase until parts are to CAD and production ready.
Once tools are set up we will quality check first run production samples.
We provide ongoing support throughout the production process, liaising directly with the manufacturer, which enables us to respond quickly to any queries or adjustments that may arise.
