Design

What types of product designs does your company specialize in?
Cypress Industries started product design for customers needing assistance with designing for manufacturability, design completion, and making modifications to existing designs. We often receive incomplete product drawings or drawings requiring revisions prior to manufacturing the project properly. In order to expedite our clients’ time to market we have broadened our product offering to include description of product design timeline, product design development, and the corresponding product design cost estimate generation.

Cypress Industries specializes in basic to mid-level design projects for electronic, plastic, and metal products, parts and assemblies. Additionally, Cypress engages in, but is not limited to, aluminum and die casting product design evaluation. In the case complex design work exceeding Cypress’s scope becomes necessary, such as FEA, structural analysis, complex Mechanical Engineering, or Electrical Engineering, we will refer clients to our design and engineering partners to ensure they get the technical expertise they require.

Cypress Industries typically performs product design work ranging from $100 - $9,000 USD in cost.

What is a typical product design timeline?
Every project design timeline varies depending on its complexity and at what stage Cypress Industries becomes involved in the product design evaluation and/or product design development. A typical description of a product design timeline from a basic product idea to finalized 3D approved drawings is listed below (please click to enlarge description of product
design timeline):

The description of a product design timeline provided above is an approximation for a product of average complexity. Some less complex projects, or projects further along in the overall design process may experience much quicker timelines. Likewise, more complex projects may experience significantly longer timelines. Rapid prototyping is recommended for most clients.

Rapid prototyping is used to generate a physical prototype of the design to verify that the design is 100% correct before starting to cut a tool. Once a steel or aluminum tool is made, it is very difficult to make any modifications, and in certain cases it is impossible. Rapid prototyping is an additional cost to the client but is an essential component to the product design evaluation and/or product design development. The client should make clear during the product design evaluation and/or product design development phase whether or not they would like to have a rapid prototype quoted and produced.

Once the client signs off on the design and it heads to the tooling phase, Cypress Industries is responsible for building to the design, not making sure the design works perfectly. We recommend all our clients review designs to make sure they will work, and get rapid prototypes made to confirm their functionality.

What is a typical design cost?
An estimate of design cost is difficult to approximate. With some firms design costs can range from $5,000 to well over $1,000,000 USD depending on project/product complexity and the size of the design firm. Cypress Industries does not produce such designs.

Cypress’s typical design costs ranges from $100 to $9,000. The low range of the estimate of design cost could be just a minor modification to an existing design, and the high end could be a comprehensive design from scratch of a retail product with moderate complexity. Most basic to average complexity designs with no drawings provided by the client range from $1,000 to $3,000 USD.

Rapid prototyping costs vary greatly depending on the part. These can cost from $500 to $10,000 or more depending on the size and complexity of the part.

Can you take my idea and create drawings?
Yes. After an initial product design consultation with a client, either by phone or in person, we will have a clearer more refined understanding of the your specific product evaluation and/or product design needs. During this initial discussion period, we will work with you to generate a Scope of Work, which will list your design requirements and “wish list.” This Scope of Work will aid us in solidifying our understanding of your project and serve as a guide through the design evaluation and development process. Once this process is concluded your design should be complete within one to two weeks. This design can be used to generate formal quotations from Cypress Industries and/or other manufacturers.

What software packages do you use?
Cypress Industries has the ability to read most all design software packages. Our U.S. operations design in Pro-E (Pro Engineer), while our China factories use Pro-E and Solidworks. If you are going to send us drawings for either modification or quotation, we prefer they be in the following formats:

Pro-E (Pro Engineer)	Solidworks
Autocad	IGS
SAT	STL

Will you compete with design firms bringing you business?
Absolutely not, Cypress Industries respects our channels and will not compete with design firms whom bring us manufacturing projects. Typically, we do not compete with most design firms, because we do not take on large design projects. Rather, as mentioned, we refer the most complex projects to design firms that refer us projects in return.

In addition, we will sign Non Disclosure Agreements (NDA’s) with design firms first (and clients) to ensure their data is kept proprietary. If customers ask Cypress Industries to quote them design directly, we will not do so without first consulting with the design firm and obtaining their permission (typically we will just tell the client no).