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How to Create a Product Requirements Document

Here at Mindtribe, I regularly meet with teams excited to turn their fledgling product concept into a physical reality. Teams come in all shapes and sizes—both startups and big companies, with varying levels of experience and states of clarity around their product concept. My job is to understand their vision and help them transform it […]

Teardown

TiVo Bolt Teardown

Recently TiVo came out with a new set-top box called Bolt and the internet had a lot to say about it. Because, well, it looks like this: Is it winking at us? We’re not sure. But we are sure that we want to further investigate the design of this thing, as well as what lies beneath. Packaging […]

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How to Make a Daft Punk Helmet

Inspiration It all started back in 1995, when I listened to the song Da Funk by Daft Punk. As a European, I had a lot of exposure to Daft Punk music, and after Discovery (2001), it became shall we say…an obsession. 🙂 I stumbled upon this YouTube video on how to make a Daft Punk helmet a while back, […]

Teardown

Dyson Ball Vacuum Teardown

Big thanks to Dyson for reviewing this teardown. By the Numbers: 167 parts 74 fasteners 7 types of plastics 1 PCB 2 mechanical switches We’ve long been fans of the innovative work of Dyson. Their products are immensely creative, beautifully designed, and mechanically impressive. And on top of that, we love Dyson’s transparency and willingness to […]

Teardown

Beats Pill Teardown

At Fictiv, we’re seeking to uncover, decodify, and share how physical products are made — what we like to call the DNA of hardware development. As part of that mission (and our hardware geekery) we’re starting a new teardown series to reveal in a more tangible way the magic behind a wide variety of amazing hardware products. […]

Teardown

BB-8 Sphero Teardown

At Fictiv, we’re seeking to uncover, decodify, and share how physical products are made—what we like to call the DNA of hardware development. As part of that mission (and our hardware geekery) we’re starting a new series to reveal in a more tangible way the magic behind a wide variety of amazing hardware products. As soon […]

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3D Printing Technologies Overview

There are 4 main types of 3D printing technologies: FDM, SLS, SLA, and Polyjet. In this post, I’m going to outline the strengths and weaknesses of each 3D printing technology, to help you choose the best one for your prototyping needs. Picking the Right Technology Similar to picking the right material, understanding your technology options […]

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3D Printing Getting Started Guide

This quick start guide is designed to you help you become familiar with Fictiv’s online tools for 3D printing. Read on for a step-by-step guide to help you: Properly prepare your CAD files Export your files with the correct settings Upload your files to Fictiv Choose the right 3D printing material Step 1: Prepare Your CAD […]

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This is How an Aerospace Engineer Designs Hardware Products

For almost 5 years, James Olander worked as Senior Systems Engineer for Lockheed Martin, a large aerospace company, leveraging his degrees in Aerospace and Space Systems Engineering to develop innovative satellite technology and launch vehicles. But to be a small piece of a massive organization like Lockheed Martin, no matter how great the company or […]

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CAD Design Terms

When learning CAD, some words may seem foreign–extrusion, chamfer, radius, and fillets aren’t exactly intutive. No worries, read up on the terms below as a refresher or an introduction to the most common CAD terms and operations. Main CAD Operations Extrude / Extrusion: An extruded face of an object expands or contracts (or cuts through/against) empty […]