Good Engineering Advice Is Hardest To Find When You Need It
Articles on simulation, design, leadership and manufacturing, sorted by topic
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These engineering insights come from the engineers who run PPS projects. We write about problems we see in real designs. A stress result misses the hand calculation, or a part costs too much to machine. A design review ends without a decision, or a test finds what the model missed. Each article takes one problem, shows how we checked it, and explains what we would do next time.
The articles are grouped into seven topics. CFD & FEA Simulation covers finite element analysis and flow models, and how to check them. Design Best Practices covers the engineering design process, from DFMA to drawings a supplier can quote. Engineering Leadership and Project Management cover design reviews, stage gates and keeping a program on scope. Manufacturing Insights applies lean manufacturing principles where cost is decided: in the design. Sustainable Engineering uses life cycle assessment to cut material, energy and emissions early. Engineering Methodology covers verification and validation, which proves a model matches the hardware. Start with the topic that fits the problem in front of you.
We write this mechanical engineering blog for practicing engineers and the people who manage them. These engineering insights assume you know the basics. They focus on the decisions that change the outcome: which method fits, what to check, and what a good result looks like. Use them to question a report you already have or to plan the analysis your next design needs. They also help when you train a new engineer on your team.
An article cannot see your loads, your drawings or your schedule, though. When a design decision, a supplier dispute or a safety margin depends on the answer, send the data to our engineering consultants. We reply within one business day. The first step is a free scope assessment that ends with a roadmap: what we would check, change or test next, and why.
One design moves through all seven topics. Simulation checks it, best practices shape it, and methodology proves the model matches the part. Manufacturing and sustainability set its cost and footprint. Leadership and project management keep each decision on time.
Standards and references for these articles: ASME V&V 10 (computational solid mechanics) · ISO 14040 (LCA principles and framework) · NASA Systems Engineering Handbook
Read stress, flow and heat results the way our engineers do, and check a model before it drives a design.
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DFMA, CAD and drawing lessons that help suppliers quote, build and inspect your parts right the first time.
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Run design reviews that end in a decision, set gate criteria and keep an engineering program on its scope.
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Use life cycle assessment to cut material, energy and emissions while the design can still change course.
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Apply lean manufacturing principles in the design, with value engineering, DFMA and better shop floor flow.
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Plan stage gates, schedules and prototypes so hardware programs stay on scope and every gate means something.
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Verification and validation that proves a model matches the real hardware before you commit to the tooling.
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Find stress, fatigue, and buckling risk in the model before tooling, with results you approve at each gate.
Find it before tooling.
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Stress
Fatigue
Buckling
Cut part count and assembly steps so the design costs less to build at any qualified shop you choose.
Fewer parts, less cost.
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Part Count
Assembly
Unit Cost
From concept to launch through stage gates you approve, with simulation and testing where the design needs it.
From concept to launch.
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Concept
Stage-Gate
Testing
Who Writes These Articles, And Where Do The Methods Come From?
Engineers who run PPS projects write every article in our engineering insights: engineering design lessons learned on real designs. They cover what went wrong, how they checked it, and what they would do next time. The articles teach methods you can use, not sales pitches.
PPS engineers run FEA, CFD, CAD, and DFMA in-house, with testing in-house, at a managed lab, or at your facility. Every design goes through our design QC, and the articles follow the same methods. Each post names its author and shows when it was last updated, so you always know who stands behind each method.
Nick Duff, Co-Founder & Chairman, CEO, is an aerospace stress engineer on flight-critical aerospace and defense programs. Tom Cushing, Co-Founder & CTO, is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). He leads the tools, methods, and design QC our engineers use from assessment to delivery. You can read their backgrounds on our About page. Spot a mismatch with your project? Tell us, and we will look. We reply within one business day.
Can I Use The Methods In These Articles On My Own Designs?
Yes. Each article in our engineering insights explains the method step by step, so you can apply it to your work today. It covers what to set up, what to check, and what a good result looks like. We write for practicing engineers who know the basics.
There is a limit, though. An article cannot see your loads, materials, schedule or drawings. The same method can mislead you when the inputs are off. That is why ASME V&V 10 sets out how to verify and validate a model. When a design decision, a supplier dispute or a safety margin depends on the answer, get a second look.
Use the articles to plan your next project, to review a report from a supplier, or to train a new engineer. Then have the work checked by an engineer who can see the whole problem. Our free assessment is the first step. You send the data and we review your project scope. You get a roadmap that shows what we would check, change or test next, and why.
How Do I Find The Right Article For The Problem I Have Now?
Start with the problem, not the topic. Our engineering insights are grouped into seven topics, and each topic page lists its newest articles first. If a result looks wrong, start with CFD & FEA Simulation or Engineering Methodology, which cover model checks and verification and validation.
If parts cost too much or suppliers push back, read Design Best Practices and Manufacturing Insights. They cover DFMA, drawings and lean manufacturing principles. Is a program late, or will a review not end in a decision? Read Engineering Leadership and Project Management, which draw on the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook. For footprint questions, read Sustainable Engineering.
Each topic page also shows how our engineers approach that method and lists the standards we reference. You can search every article from any blog post, and the newsletter sends each new article when it publishes. If you still cannot find your problem, send us a short description. We reply within one business day, and the first step is a free assessment that ends with a roadmap.
Have a design question now? Get a free assessment and roadmap.
Send your drawings, models and the problem in front of you. We review your project scope in a free assessment and reply within one business day with next steps.
On-site assessments that require travel are quoted separately.
