David Davis on Engineering Development

by Chuck Umeda 00/08

Dave described his background and work experience.  He has designed “thousands of pieces” of equipment from automatic welding equipment for the auto industry to telescope mirror washing equipment to punch pressing equipment for making ceramic substrates (electronic applications) and fail-safe controls for nuclear energy applications.  He has 29 years of experience in engineering.

Dave made a statement that reflects insight gained from those many years of experience in R&D (Research and Development) Engineering.  He said, “there is no ‘impossible thing’ to do, (some) things just take longer to do.”  (As inventors, this is what we like to hear.  It also reveals an air of confidence gained from many successes.) 

A typical scenario is that the inventor has an idea, but doesn’t always know what steps are necessary to transform that idea into reality.  A lot of people put more into the engineering aspect in the early stages of prototyping than is necessary.  Hiring an engineer or designer will help, if they comprehend your idea.  If they don’t understand your idea, you could be paying for unnecessary work.  Many people think you have to get a design engineer to make CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawings, complete with dimensions.  There are companies that will do the engineering at $75/hour and drafting at $30/hour, and you will be paying that just to work out the ideas.  People have ideas and then try to hire an engineer to develop it.  That is premature.

It is better for the inventor, economically and practically, to do some groundwork yourself first.  A computer is wonderful thing, but don’t discount what you can do with sketches, Dave urged.  This gets your idea in a more viewable form.   You have to come up with something people can understand in order for them to further develop your idea.  There are several other options: verbal descriptions, sketches to illustrate or a simple model.  Dave recommends making a model or a simple prototype first to demonstrate your idea.  Use what you have on hand or can easily get, such as cardboard, foamboard.  He even mentioned getting some sheets of paper to tape together, fold, cut, and bend as an exercise to getting the idea from a mental concept to something tangible.  These are your friends from which to make a model quickly so that you can visualize your idea.  He suggested other things to try: paper maché or two-part foam material that can be mixed and poured into a mold.  After it hardens, it can be cut, filed, sanded, etc.  It doesn’t have to be artistically beautiful; it just has to demonstrate your concept.  You can then handle it, try it and see where improvements can be made.

A lot of people can’t think in 3-D.  He cited examples where even experienced engineers, armed with formal engineering drawings, have failed to convey their concept to other engineers.  The drawings showed what it was, but could not show what it did.  In the field of engineering, information is conveyed through the use of engineering drawings or what was used to be called “blueprints.”  But if you can’t do that, simply make a model, which is valuable, because it conveys your idea to someone else.  Then the engineer can see what your idea is and what it is that your idea does and is able to develop and even refine the idea. 

With a model, and with proper agreement, you can then approach Mac Mills or Dave for the next phase.  (Writer’s note:  Dave is not in the prototyping business, but is willing to provide technical consulting as his time allows.)  They in turn will be able to apply their engineering skills to develop, improve and refine your idea.  Dave capably uses CAD software,  “a half-dozen” different ones for engineering and design purposes.

Balsa wood is great for models, because it is easy to work and light.  Years ago, his wife needed a show & tell item for a dental hygiene class she was taking.  He got busy with some balsa wood.  Some hours later, Dave had produced a giant tooth!  The finished model was far more effective than many words, because it conveyed information.  It is also a memorable visual aid.  (In this writer’s opinion, it is even bigger than what a T-rex could use!)  He has even used styrofoam to make a model of a hovercraft.

Dave invented a device to greatly reduce the time required for carpenters to nail boards to rafters.  Even with today’s pneumatic nailers, the cost in labor can exceed $1 per nail.  At the rate of one nail every six inches, the costs accumulate quickly.  It takes time for the carpenter to position the nailer, drive the nail (bam!), move six inches while kneeling, nail again (bam!) and so on.  It’s not easy either as Dave discovered first-hand while building his large 1,600 sq. ft. garage.  So he invented a device to hold the pneumatic nailer and equipped it with a long handle and wheels.  It could roll along the roof automatically driving a nail every six inches.  All this while standing upright and striding along behind the device.  The difference is speed!  The pneumatic nailer worked fast, creating a machine gun rattle that startled the neighbors.  Judging by Dave’s impish grin, one might think that was not entirely accidental.  Fortunately, the SWAT Team wasn’t dispatched, so he completed his project and also came up with an invention!