The last two years have seen a surge in innovative ideas to go plastic free, making the prospect of a plastic free world seem that bit more possible. Here’s a round-up of our favourite design moments in the movement away from plastic from the past couple of years. Plastic alternative made of fish waste Lucy […] Read more

At Cambridge Design Technology, we love to give students the chance to learn about real world applications in design and development, and to experience the industry. Offering paid internships, we don’t believe in making students do the washing up, shredding and photocopying – everyone takes a turn with that, even the MD. When we take […] Read more

Making the decision to bring in external skills and services isn’t always easy or straightforward. Firstly, it can be difficult to take the step at all. But secondly, and especially when you’re looking at outsourcing some or all of your product design needs, it can be hard to know how to go about finding the […] Read more

Here at Cambridge Design Technology (CDT) we take pride in two things above all else. The first of these is the quality of the product and technology design consultancy services which we offer. The second is the fact that we offer that quality on a truly global basis.     We don’t see any reason […] Read more

A consciousness of sustainable product design has never been greater. The damaging environmental impact of many products has been known for a number of years and so it is incredibly encouraging to see a huge shift to redress the situation. Indeed, children are being taught about sustainability in primary and secondary schools, and there are […] Read more

The creation of some advertising marketing models, using modern and traditional methods, brought together up-to-date 3D design with cutting edge 3D printing technologies and long-established model-making skills. This 3-way collaboration, between Cambridge Design Technology, Prototype Projects and Mimesis Models, enabled the production of three ‘traditional Britain’ scenes in large scale glass milk bottles. About Mimesis […] Read more

Whether you’re a young start up or an established business with a strong product development process, every little helps. So, it makes sense to take advantage of whatever tax breaks you’re entitled to. For companies with an active research and development (R&D) function, it can add up to thousands of pounds’ worth of expenditure. But, […] Read more

Life is for living but there are times when risks need to be managed. In this article we take a look at how design engineering for disasters can provide the necessary security blanket which, ultimately, saves lives. Earthquake-proof bed If disaster strikes in the form of an earthquake, for example, when you are at your […] Read more

We recently came across these two great videos which show the real power of physics. We hope you enjoy watching them as much as we have! The sand pendulum The first video shows how the laws of physics control the pendulum to create a geometric shape from the sand contained within the pendulum. Absolutely fantastic! […] Read more

The DIY AI robot If you have always wanted a DIY AI robot that follows you around the house and brings you drinks and snacks, read on! The Smartibot, developed by Toymaker The Crafty Robot, is a build-it-yourself robot toy for children and adults. Described as the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) enabled cardboard robot, […] Read more

Cambridge Design Technology were approached by Peter Englefield, who is a keen golfer. Peter wanted to develop a new golfing aid which would assist amateur golfers of all abilities in their game. Many golf clubs (rightly so), limit the use of smart phones and clever apps to prevent competitive advantages over players that aren’t using […] Read more

Proud to be made in Britain In the post war years, Britain’s standing in the world as number one manufacturer was undisputed. Everything was adorned proudly with “Made in England”. This stamp of origin was not only commonplace, but synonymous with high quality, technical innovation and was respected throughout the commonwealth and the rest of […] Read more

We are absolutely fascinated by these incredible Rube Goldberg Machines – such masterpieces! A Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, Goldberg was best known for his zany invention cartoons. We’re sure his engineering degree is behind all of this! Bringing the principle of creating a horrendously complicated machine to do a simple or pointless job, the creations shown in the […] Read more

In our last article we looked at taking a brief through the concept phase to a CAD design ready for prototyping. Here is what happens when we send the concept to prototyping.   Prototype Phase We sent Jack Lowe, our Product Designer, over to Prototype Projects to document what happens next. We knew the purpose […] Read more

The Simpsons Story Simpsons of Langley are a UK-based company specialising in the manufacture, distribution and retail of professional pet care products. The family-run company, which was founded in 1960, is regarded as a market leader in the design and sourcing of innovative products for the pet grooming industry and which are aimed at enhancing […] Read more

Innovative companies of all sizes with a new product or technology idea or a concept need to go through the process of design, development, testing and market readiness. Along the way, many such companies, particularly entrepreneurs with funding but little in-house expertise to draw on, must outsource some or all the skills needed to progress […] Read more

What is reverse engineering? Reverse engineering is the process of analysing an existing product’s constituent components to allow a fully replicated design – or design knowledge – to be created from the information extracted. Products and concepts as wide-ranging in structure and function as mechanical devices, electronic components, computer software, chemical formulas or organic matter […] Read more

As Christmas beckons and the curtain begins to fall on 2016, it’s time for Cambridge Design Technology to reflect on the year – and what a year it’s been! Here at Cambridge Design Technology, we’ve been creatively solving our clients’ production problems at every opportunity during 2016, and the future promises to bring new opportunities […] Read more

Last year we wrote an article about our solid partnership with 3D modelling vendor Solidworks – you can find it here. This time we’re trumpeting the benefits of another, but very different, 3D modelling application called PTC Creo Parametric. We source this through Root Solutions, a company whom we’ve worked with for many years. To […] Contact us

In this latest article in our series which examines the services and technologies that complement – and are critical to – commercial product design, we’re going to look at software and electronics design and development. Our previous articles have covered: Using SolidWorks CAD software to create the product design Protecting your Intellectual Property with patent […] Read more

The latest in our series of articles looking at complementary services to the product design is on Prototyping. By the way, if you missed our earlier articles you can find them below: Using SolidWorks CAD software to create the product design Protecting your Intellectual Property with patent law The increasing use of Virtual Reality in […] Read more

Never one to shy away from technological developments, we had a finger firmly on the pulse of virtual reality recently. Courtesy of VR gaming company, Fragers Ltd, who offer portable VR booths and double decker gaming buses, we left the real world behind as we stepped into a virtual reality and tried out the latest experiences. […] Read more

Overview When designing products and components, it is vital to ensure that their integrity and reliability within the bounds of ‘normal usage’ will not be compromised. Alongside product and technology design processes, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) can be used to model how product structure and will respond to stress, and from this to predict any […] Read more

The safety of a product is always a core element of any product design and development process, and it is an increasingly heavily regulated area. Ensuring that any potential hazard associated with a product’s use – either through product failure or misuse – is therefore an essential part of a product designer’s role. The process […] Read more

We will be attending the DSEI expo on 15-18 September 2015. DSEI is the world’s leading defence and security event showcasing military and defence technology. Visit the DSEI website to find out more about the event.   […] Read more

Cambridge Design Technology have appointed Jemma Ford, a student of Photography to record the design portfolio of our projects and products we have created. Using her Cannon rig and the Bouncelite flash diffuser designed by Jon Plumb and his team, she exploited the control and functionality of Bouncelite to tame the stark flash light that […] Read more

Freestyle Modelling is an emerging modelling methodology with its roots in the sort of sub-divisional surface  modelling traditionally used by gaming and animation designers. It is now being increasingly used in the solid modelling environment. How does it help in product development? In this article we’re going to take a look at a the latest […] Read more