Taking a product from an idea through to a manufacture-ready design. This is what I do.
The product development process is a journey. Every journey is different, but there are common themes, there are risks that can be foreseen, there are challenges to be tackled, decisions to be made, competing factors to be resolved. Experience counts for a lot; a feasible plan is required. I’ve completed this journey many, many times. Let’s go!
The jump from the hypothetical / digital representation of the product to the real world can be tricky. A picture of a thing is not the thing. Many products fail or don’t meet their full potential due to poor implementation / engineering.
While challenging, the development journey is also exciting. Getting an idea out of your head / computer and into the real world is amazing. Holding it in your hand. Seeing something work for the first time – Eureka! Figuring out that the idea can be manufactured at scale, even better!
How can I help with your project?
Free Chat
Schedule a free chat about your project. I’ll help & advise as much as I can. No obligation.
Message Me
Have a question? Would like to discuss a project? Send me a message and I’ll get back to you.
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Services
These are the services I offer. Some projects will require more of one than the others, but they are usually all involved to a greater or lesser extent. Contact me if you have any questions.
Design-focussed Mechanical Engineering
There can often be a tension between the ideal vision of the product and the engineering practicalities. I am an engineer, but I understand that a product often needs to have higher design values than the “default” engineering solution would provide. I can find engineering solutions that will work with the projects design goals.
Design for Manufacture [DfM]
How can the components be made? How can it be assembled? Can it be disassembled and repaired / recycled? Could it be more sustainable? How can it fit within a circular economy? After discussing these factors of the project with you I can provide solutions ensuring that your project can be successfully manufactured at scale.
Concept Development
As the project progresses the initial concept often has to adapt or change as new factors are discovered. I can find creative solutions to these challenges. Analysing the options and determining the best way forward
User-centred Design
Throughout all the development work I keep the user at the fore-front. If the product doesn’t fulfil the users’ needs in a more than satisfactory way, it won’t matter how well engineered it is.
Case Studies
There are a variety of case studies showing a selection my completed projects. Send me a message to start a discussion and I can show you some examples of my previous work that will be relevant to your area of interest.
In 2018 I was awarded an Engineering Emmy Award as part of a team that had developed several products in the TV / Cinematography sector.
In 2020 a solution I developed for a challenging heat management problem had a patent granted.
About me
I'm Jonathan Kennedy (MEng First Class). I am a design engineer with 19+ years of experience. I have been the lead engineer, if not the only engineer, on dozens of projects. I’m passionate about making things better and making better things. The environmental impact of the things we make is a strong personal interest and I bring this viewpoint to everything I work on. I’m based in Brighton, but I work with people and companies throughout the UK.
Engineering design geek
I’m a real geek about figuring out how something can work and how it can be made. It’s very rare that you’ll find me without a pencil and paper since I’m constantly jotting down ideas that occur to me.
Productivity master
With modern software, prototyping services, and a wealth of experience it is amazing what one person can achieve.
Biased to action & prototyping
I’m always keen to get stuck into a project and get things moving. While modern software is an amazing tool, I’m a big fan of physical prototyping at all stages of a project. It’s very rare that you don’t learn something from a prototype, and often the new understanding would have been time consuming or impossible to discover in CAD software.
19+ Years
of experience
38+ Projects
completed
Core skills
These are my main areas of expertise. It is how they are combined and used that is important, this is where experience is indispensable.
Analysis & Synthesis
Defining and solving the key problems is a large part of every design engineering project. Often however, problems can’t be solved in isolation since there are competing factors that need to be integrated. I always keep the bigger picture in mind to ensure a best-case scenario can be found.
Prototyping
I am a prototyping enthusiast at all stages of a project. Physical things need to be physically tried and tested. If a picture is a thousand words, then a prototype is a thousand pictures. It's always exciting to see an idea out of the computer / sketchbook and into the real world.
CAD modelling
I've been using Solidworks CAD software for a long, long time, 19 years and counting. I've mastered this. All my effort goes into the products design, no time is wasted on figuring out how it can be modelled in CAD.
Functional Engineering Design
Mechanisms, assembly methods, strength & durability, thermal management, material selection, I have in depth experience in all aspects of mechanical engineering design.
Design for Manufacture
I’ve designed products to be manufactured using all the common manufacturing and assembly methods and a few less-common ones too.
Communication
Clearly explaining the design scenario is critically important, and often under-valued in engineering sectors. Whether it’s project updates within the development team or creating resources for funding presentations, I understand the value of clear communication.
Contact
If you’d like to schedule a free chat about your project or ask a question use this form to send me a message and I’ll get back to you. I will never share your contact details with anyone else.
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