Services
Product development services
Most product development help comes from specialists in one discipline. Atrick Design works across mechanical, electrical, software and manufacturing at once, so the expensive problems that live between them get seen before production, not after.
Jump to: Problem solving · Prototype to production · Reliability redesign · Electronics and controls · Certification · Working together
Untangling complexity
When a product is stuck
A product line with too many returns. A machine that works on the bench and fails in the field. A project stalled because the mechanical, electrical and software people cannot agree on what is wrong. These are the jobs Atrick Design is built for.
The work is diagnosing what is actually broken, not what people think is broken, then landing on the simplest fix that lasts. That means real failure data, a root cause failure analysis, and testing the fix before it ships.
- Warranty claims and service calls eating the margins
- A prototype that went into production and never got finished
- A design that works but costs too much to build
- Fixes that did not stick the last time
Prototype to production
Your technical co-founder, without the equity cost
For startups and inventors: a working prototype for investor meetings or a patent filing, fast, without hiring a full engineering team. Start with an MVP and iterate without burning runway.
For established companies: take a working prototype to a design that can be built consistently, with DFM, DFA and DFMA built in from the start: fewer parts, faster assembly, lower cost, higher reliability. The wider DFX view covers test, service and reliability too.
- Concept, CAD and working prototypes
- Modular design, so options and replacement parts stay simple
- Clean BOMs, build documentation, and change control with ECNs
- NPI: taking a new product into production and training the assembly team
- Patent-ready drawings and multiple design variations for inventors and patent attorneys
Have an AI-generated picture of your product? Here is what it leaves out, and what it really costs to make →
Reliability redesign
Fixing products that are already in the field
Before founding Atrick Design, I spent seven years as the product developer inside a Connecticut contract manufacturer. On the Fastcorp DIVI frozen-vending platform, I replaced a DC vacuum pump and a plastic robot with an AC vacuum pump and a sheet-metal robot, built on modular vacuum, power and robot designs. Duty cycle went from about 20% to 100%, the machine got much quieter, and Fastcorp reported RMAs down about 90%. The details are in the case study →
The same modular vacuum, power and robot designs went into a line of robotic dispensing kiosks, and I integrated the complete machines into and through production. On a commercial treadmill line, redesigns cut full-machine factory returns by more than 90%, as reported by the manufacturer.
Electronics and controls
Boards, controls and firmware, designed with the mechanics
PCB and PCBA design in KiCad, with assembly sourcing, power electronics, motor controllers for electric vehicle applications, PLC and automation work, and embedded firmware. Because the same person designs the enclosure, the harness and the board, they fit together the first time.
Certification
Designed to pass certification
Products designed and tested for ETL (to UL standards), CSA, CE and KC certification, including surge and electrical safety testing: safety labeling, build documentation, and defending test methods with the lab. Atrick Design designs products to pass certification testing and works alongside the lab and your compliance team. It does not run the regulatory filing itself.
Working together
Ways to work together
Fractional engineering leadership
Ongoing technical guidance for your team on a weekly or monthly retainer.
Project-based development
A specific deliverable, from concept to working prototype or production design.
Problem-solving engagements
Diagnose what is broken, redesign for reliability, optimize for manufacturing.
Rapid prototyping
Prove the concept before committing to scale, in days to weeks rather than months.
One-off parts and projects
A single part, a repair, a custom piece or a small one-time job, start to finish.
Overflow for engineers and firms
Extra capacity in a crunch, fresh eyes on a stubborn problem, or white-label work for your clients.
Who Atrick Design works with
Individuals and businesses alike: startups and inventors, patent attorneys, established manufacturers, engineering firms, restorers and racers, and makers whose project has outgrown their equipment.
When Atrick Design is not the right fit
- Running mass production. Atrick Design will help you get there; production houses run it better.
- The cheapest option regardless of quality.
- Running a regulatory filing, such as a medical device approval.
- Someone to run files without thinking about them.
Tools
Capabilities
| Mechanical | SolidWorks CAD, sheet metal, castings, weldments, suspension systems, robotics, reverse engineering, 3D scanning and printing |
|---|---|
| Electrical | PCB and PCBA design (KiCad), power electronics, motor controllers, PLC and automation, control systems |
| Software | C++, firmware, ladder logic, embedded systems, operator interface design |
| Manufacturing | DFM, DFA, DFMA and DFX, weld fixtures, assembly process design, 20+ years of MIG and TIG welding and fabrication |