I take a mechanical product from idea to something a factory can actually make: concept, design for manufacture and assembly, verification, prototyping and the build-ready drawings. One engineer accountable for the whole thing, for founders, OEMs and industrial businesses.
Senger Engineering supports product development for hardware founders, established OEMs adding new SKUs, and industrial businesses commercialising an internal innovation. The engagement spans the full mechanical scope, not just CAD, not just FEA, not just drawings, but the engineering needed to take a product from rough concept through to a fabricator-ready package.
The studio works alongside, or in place of, an in-house engineering function. Where existing concepts are already partially developed, the engagement can pick up at any stage and run through to manufacture.
Every product development engagement is shaped around the actual maturity of the concept. The stages below describe the full journey, the engagement may begin and end at any point.
Concept exploration with the founder or product team. Functional requirements captured, target users identified, manufacturing budget understood, regulatory and standards landscape mapped. Output: a clear, written product brief that anchors the rest of the engagement.
Multiple design routes explored at the sketch and rough-3D level. Mechanism options compared. Trade-offs between cost, manufacturability, performance and aesthetics surfaced explicitly so the client can make an informed selection rather than receive a single fait-accompli.
The selected concept is taken to full detailed design in SOLIDWORKS, with Design for Manufacture and Design for Assembly applied throughout. Part count is challenged. Tolerance stacks are calculated. Process routes (machining, fabrication, casting, sheet metal, injection moulding) are selected to suit the manufacturing partner and unit volume.
Critical components verified by hand calculation and, where the loading or geometry warrants it, by finite element analysis. Stress, deflection, fatigue and modal behaviour checked against the duty cycle. Verification documented in a design report so the engineering rationale survives the project handover.
Where prototyping is in scope, design is adjusted for prototype-stage manufacture (3D print, machined billet, sheet-metal mock-up). Prototype findings are fed back into the production design before commitment to tooling. Iterations are tracked through a revision register so design decisions are traceable.
Final design released as a complete manufacturing package: GA, fabrication, shop drawings, BoM, weld and bolt schedules, surface treatment notes and assembly drawings, all to AS 1100 and supporting Australian Standards. Manufacture support continues during first article production.
Product development calls on a wider toolkit than pure structural or mechanical scope. The disciplines below are applied across every engagement as the brief demands.
Process selection, tolerance allocation, feature simplification.
Part-count reduction, fastener strategy, ergonomics of build.
Worst-case and statistical (RSS) stack-ups across critical interfaces.
Stress, deflection, fatigue, modal, in SOLIDWORKS Simulation.
Linkages, hinges, sliding fits, range-of-motion verification.
Strength, fatigue, corrosion, cost and finish driven by application.
Bend allowances, k-factors, weld access and finishing constraints.
Where the product becomes part of a wider structure or installation.
Shop drawings, BoM, weld and bolt schedules, surface treatment.
3D-print, machined-billet, sheet-metal mock-up, matched to test goals.
For founders and teams who want to validate technical feasibility before committing to full development. A fixed two-week engagement to assess the concept, identify the engineering risks, scope a development plan and deliver a feasibility report.
The most common engagement. Senger Engineering takes the product from concept (or wherever the brief currently sits) through to a complete manufacture-ready package, including DFM/DFA, FEA verification, prototyping coordination and full drawing pack.
For teams with existing in-house capability who need an experienced engineer for a specific stage, a focused FEA verification, a DFM review on a partially-complete model, or just the manufacture-ready drawing pack at the end of an in-house design phase.
Senger Engineering's product development practice is most useful where mechanical engineering is core to the product itself, not just the casing around the electronics.
Senger Engineering treats every product development engagement as confidential by default. NDAs are signed at first contact where requested. Concepts, sketches, models, drawings and reports developed during the engagement remain the client's intellectual property, full assignment of design IP is included as standard in every product development contract. Background IP and reusable engineering methodology remain with Senger Engineering, which is consistent with industry practice and does not affect the client's freedom to operate with their product.
Earlier is generally better. Senger Engineering is comfortable picking up at the napkin-sketch stage, where the right early decisions on architecture and process route can save substantial cost and time downstream. The Discovery Sprint (Option A) is specifically designed to validate concepts before significant capital is committed to development.
Senger Engineering coordinates prototyping with appropriate Perth and Australian suppliers (machine shops, sheet-metal fabricators, 3D-print bureaus, plastic moulders). The engineering ensures the prototype answers the right questions, the supplier's deliverables match what's modelled, and the test feedback loops back into the production design before tooling is committed.
Yes, for fabricated steel, machined components, sheet-metal, and small-batch industrial production within Western Australia. Senger Engineering can recommend appropriate fabricators based on the design's process needs, batch volume and quality requirements. Final supplier selection always rests with the client.
Yes, standard NDAs are signed at first contact on request. Senger Engineering can also work to a client-supplied NDA template. Pre-engagement confidentiality is maintained as a matter of course regardless of whether a formal NDA has been executed at the time of first discussion.
All product-specific IP, concepts, drawings, models, calculations, design decisions, is assigned to the client on engagement completion as standard. Background engineering methodology, calculation templates and reusable design tools remain with Senger Engineering, which is industry-standard practice and does not affect the client's right to manufacture, sell or licence the product.
The engineering work is carried out with the relevant Australian Standards in mind, and the design report references the codes the product complies with. Where the product is subject to formal regulatory approval (e.g. AS/NZS 60335 for appliances, AS 1418 for lifting equipment, ADR for trailers), Senger Engineering supports the client through the documentation requirements but does not perform the regulatory submission itself unless explicitly scoped.
Pre-concept discussions are confidential and free. Initial scoping calls typically take 30 minutes, the output is a written engagement plan, NDA-protected, with no obligation.