My Internship with ITERATE

In April, I started work as a Junior Design Engineer at ITERATE Design + Innovation in order to complete a 5 month industrial placement. This is part of the MSc in Advanced Product Design that I am currently studying at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

At the beginning of the internship, I attended a number of networking events where I had the opportunity to introduce myself and explain my role as a Product Designer. This helped me develop my confidence by talking in front of a large group of people in English, as French is my first language.

Also, I had the chance to visit two companies (CEL Robox and Renishaw) and attend the Plastics, Design and Moulding (PDM) Show where I found suppliers to prototype a product I was developing. In addition, it gave me an opportunity to learn more about manufacturing techniques such as injection moulding and plastic recycling.

Solar Powered Phone Charger 

Independently, I worked on two different projects: the first was a phone charger that used solar panels to generate power. It was small and compact, making it easy to transport. At the beginning of the project some research was necessary to understand the market, materials and technical aspect of this kind of product; making sure there was a need for a new design. I then started to sketch some design ideas, agreed a final concept with the client and developed it further. Not having an engineering background, I had some difficulties understanding and visualising the electronic system, which showed me how complex it can be to develop a detailed design. After creating additional sketches, the final design was chosen and I produced a sophisticated 3D CAD model of the product using SolidWorks, which can be found in the header of this article.

Intelligent Baby Spoon

The second project brief was to create a smart device for babies with special diets such as diabetes and those that were born premature. After researching the market and looking at medical devices, toys and other baby products, I identified the need for an intelligent spoon. This spoon linked to a smartphone application and helped parents monitor their baby’s nourishment – making their lives easier! This project enabled me to develop my CAD skills and focus on the complexities of 3D surfacing, as well as demonstrating my graphic design abilities as I built the visual layout of the ‘app’.

Conclusion

Working at ITERATE, I have learnt to make sure that every design decision is rationalised and substantiated, which will ultimately ensure that the product meets the users’ requirements and can be manufactured. The need for a new design is very important; it will help to build the credibility of a product and ensure that it is a commercial success when launched. During the design process, the iteration of a concept can be broad but significantly helpful through simple and neat sketches. The production of a final 3D CAD visualisation gives a good insight of the final working prototype, making the product as real as possible by adding fine details such as textures and logos.

I feel that my placement has allowed me to demonstrate versatility and creative flair in an innovative and forward thinking company.