Idea to Physical Object
A documentation of my process of designing, manufacturing, and distributing a novel physical product. This was done to satisfy my curiosity on what it takes to bring an idea for a physical mass manufactured product to the world.
Step 1 - Idea Generation and Brainstorming
Through my work as a mechanical engineer, I have designed, modeled and produced drawings for many parts. However, I wanted to bring something into the world that was my own, and could be enjoyed by other people. I settled upon the idea of designing a dice, as it would be an interesting exercise to create a novel design, and it could be produced relatively inexpensively at scale. I drew some very crude sketches for brainstorming before diving into CAD to create concepts for the faces.
Step 2 - Developing CAD concept
This was by far the longest step in design. I wish I had captured more phases of this design, but after much tinkering I ultimately ended up with a design I enjoyed. It felt well balanced, somewhat novel, and geometrically pleasing. These are a few images of models that I experimented with.
Step 3 - Quoting the Design, International Shipping
Having arrived at a design that I was pleased with, I then had to find a manufacturer to produce them. I opted for an initial run of 200, and did many design tweaks to small features like chamfers and fillets to arrive at a reasonable cost per unit. This tweaking to achieve a $20 price point per unit took almost as much time as the entire initial design. Small features that make up integral features of the design can add a lot of cost, so I had to do some balancing to achieve the desired end look and feel. The first run was manufactured in Shenzhen, China so I had to do some special paperwork so that they would clear through US customs.
Step 4 - Receiving, Packaging, and Distribution
Having received my intial shipment, I devised a packaging and shipping method. I wanted my end users to have something to store and protect the dice, so they are shipped with a durable black felt bag, in a protective bubble mailer. For intial distribution, I created a listing on Etsy and have since mailed dice to customers in dozens of countries. It’s thrilling to see consistent 5 star reviews from people who enjoy the product, especially because dice are a product that bring people together for games and enjoyment.
5 - Final Product
