Turning ideas into objects: how to optimize the production process
07 / 12 / 2019
One of the most daunting challenges an industrial designer needs to face is to turn an idea expressed on paper (or rather on the computer) into a produced object. The designer can imagine the product, its possible uses, its appearance, which materials to use, and previously analyze all constructive details, but the real challenge is to get it right in the production stage: finding industrial solutions that allow the manufacturing of the object, checking the performance of materials in different situations, finding the right pieces…
This process can take a long time and be the source of many disappointments. Moreover, it is essential to take into account that it is very different to produce one single piece than to industrially produce thousands of pieces. The cost and materials greatly differ and each scenario needs to be approached individually.
Experienced designers have taken all this on board, they have experienced it first-hand and have learned from it, but beginners, recent graduates or students can feel completely lost when facing production.
But for the winners of the Roca One Day Design Challenge in Argentina the production process won’t seem as mysterious or daunting, as they participated in a workshop, led by professional engineers, that addressed various techniques to gain productivity in constructive processes.
They have been able to experiment and understand the steps needed to produce in the most profitable way possible, both in terms of costs and time, and have learned which paths take us to the object and what needs to be taken into account in the design process that might later on affect the production process.
Challenge overcome!