Hello again friends of PCDworks!
In this month's e-newsletter, we
hope you'll enjoy one of Mike's
recent columns from Product Design
and Development magazine where he
discusses
five
innovation roadblocks.
We'll also share our response to
that often heard refrain "It
can't be done!" And you'll get a
glimpse of
a
product we designed that
achieves the goal of any new product
development -- offering better
quality at a lower cost.
As always, we want to hear from you.
So, drop us a line and let us know
your thoughts, concerns and
interests.
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 Anti-Serendipity:
Five Innovation Roadblocks
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 Last
month, I spoke at length of the role
of serendipity in innovative problem
solving, and I offered five axioms
for maximizing serendipity within
your organizations. This month, I'd
like to address the roadblocks we
all face in making this dream a
reality, and in doing so I'd like to
share five contradictory lessons
shared by a very
dear, very smart friend who has
spent most of his life supplying
"tools" - you know, planes, ships,
guns, etc. - to the military.
This may help to explain where all
of that money that we spend
on military procurement actually
goes, and why military projects
often seem to go awry.
"I am amazed at how many of the
military programs I'm working
on now are examples of the opposite
pole of human endeavor," my
friend says. "They are what I might
call anti-serendipity."
"You see, as many ideas arise 'by
accident,' many accidents arise
from ideas," he continues. "Some of
these train wrecks unfold in
excruciatingly slow motion, even
over the course of 15 or 20 years."
Here are my friend's organizational
sins that are guaranteed to kill
innovation...
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Proof
of Concept for Doubting Thomas:
Custom Built Electronics, in a Flash
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"It can't be done!" How many times
have you heard those words? At
PCDworks, Mike's follow up questions
is always the same: " Why
not?"
We never take "no" for an answer
before putting an idea to the test.
Quite often, that means "getting
physical fast" -- turning our ideas
and designs into some form of
functioning prototype as quickly as
possible to prove the idea's merit.
In this vain, our ability to
fabricate, test, and implement
electronic systems in-house lets us
transform many of our "out there"
electromechanical ideas into fully
functional demonstration systems.
Once we've turned an idea into a
design sophisticated enough to
include a rough circuit board
layout, we have the boards and
traces fabricated in a matter of
days. Then, we customize and
populate the boards with all of the
necessary components and parts,
including flashing custom firmware
to microcontrollers. This makes use
of the vast array of equipment in
our electronics lab, such as the
metered shot dispensers,
laboratory-quality power supplies
and oscilloscopes, reflow oven, chip
programmers, and LabVIEW
instrumentation and testing station.
After a board is assembled, it's
extensively tested through both
software simulation and empirical
testing in the instrumentation
laboratory. If a product will be
exposed to harsh operating
conditions, we test the electronics
in our environmental chamber for
resistance to extreme temperature
and humidity.
As a result, we can quickly prove a
concept's merit in the physical
realm, and show a demonstration
system to any doubters out there.
That kind of thinking has earned
PCDworks a reputation for solving
problems that other people can't!
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Digital
Torque Wrench: Cheaper & More
Accurate
|
 Although
most of our products provide some
completely new functionality never
before seen, this is one of the rare
exceptions where we used a new way
of meeting an existing requirement.
The goal -- to provide greater
accuracy at a fraction of the cost.
This digital torque wrench evolved
from an in-house idea through
multiple proof-of-concept prototypes
to a manufacturing-ready state.
A large part of this effort was the
design and construction of an
electronics package which reads data
from a sensor, interprets the data,
and transmits torque readings
through an LCD display and auditory
alerts. After the single board
electronics system was laid out, we
built a custom printed circuit
board, populated it with
off-the-shelf components, and
flashed our custom firmware onto the
onboard microcontroller. Once the
board was assembled, it was tested
first with simulated
software-generated torque readings,
and later by applying torque in
actual product testing. The entire
build and test cycle was
accomplished in less than two
months-- with great results.
The digital torque wrench is
currently being ramped up for mass
production. Stay tuned for more
updates on this exciting new
product. |
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About PCDworks |
Founded by Mike and Donna Rainone in
1997, PCDworks is a full-service
technology development company
specializing in breakthrough product
innovation for a broad range of
consumer, medical and military
clients. Located on a 25-acre wooded
campus outside Tyler, Texas,
PCDworks houses testing labs,
engineering shops, sleeping
accommodations and meeting
facilities. Client services include
technology problem solving, product
ideation, research, engineering,
prototype manufacturing and product
testing. The company is closely
networked with research and
production facilities in the region,
including UT Tyler and East Texas
Medical Center.
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Want
a Lively and Thought-Provoking
Speaker?
Start your new year out right.
Book a lively and
thought-provoking speaker
who can challenge, motivate and
inspire your management or
engineering team.
Mike Rainone is a highly
regarded expert on emerging
technologies and breakthrough
product creation, and a sought
after speaker for companies
looking to light a fire under
their research and development
efforts.
Whether it's a hands-on look at
emerging technologies and their
applications, or a lesson in
rapid and effective product
development, Mike offers a
unique perspective designed to
both inform and challenge his
audience.
Choose from a
list of topics, or
contact Mike to create your
own agenda for a session that is
guaranteed to be inspirational
and though provoking. |
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Be a Guest Contributor
Do you have some interesting
technology news to share? We welcome
guest contributions to our
newsletter, so if you come across
breakthrough technology or weird
science, send an email to
Mike Rainone. We'll make sure to
attribute it to you. |
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