Supporting your product development journey with CAD sheet metal design
Whether you are looking for CAD design support to develop your sheet metal product from an initial idea, exploring production methods, or making your first prototype or product, our industrial design team is here to help at every stage.
With extensive experience across many types of products from a variety of industries, our in-house technical design team is well-placed to deliver your vision. Our industrial design engineers use their cross-industry expertise, applying techniques and practices from various sectors to create CAD sheet metal designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and cost-effective to manufacture.
Our industrial design engineers apply a Design for Manufacture approach, ensuring designs are developed with the manufacturing process in mind from the outset.
Delivering a consultative approach to industrial design
We work closely with customers to ensure our approach to design fulfils the brief and that any predefined standards are adhered to.
Our consultative approach ensures that the final product meets expectations, taking into consideration both manufacturability and cost-efficiency. Where appropriate, our Value Engineering expertise can also help identify opportunities to optimise the design, materials and manufacturing processes to deliver the best possible balance of cost and performance.
Our process
1. Consult
We take the time to listen to your needs and review the initial brief to ensure a complete understanding of your product requirements.
2. Present
We brainstorm initial ideas and develop these into concepts to be presented to you.
3. Review
We review the initial concepts, ensuring they align with expectations and meet or exceed the brief.
4. Design
Detailed manufacturing drawings are created in SolidWorks to ensure precision and accuracy.
5. Prototype
An initial working prototype is produced. We then identify and implement any potential improvements before final sign-off, ensuring the design is ready for manufacture.
6. Manufacture
With an optimised design and approved prototype, production quantities are manufactured to your specifications, providing a seamless transition into repeat production.
From industrial design to production
Our industrial design expertise is supported by our wider manufacturing capabilities, enabling us to take products from initial concept and CAD development through prototyping and into production. By combining design expertise with in-house manufacturing, we can identify potential manufacturing challenges early and develop practical solutions before production begins.
Case study: Custom stillage design for Bentley Motors
Our industrial design team developed and prototyped a rotating stillage to protect vehicle modules during transit and present them at the production line.
Case study: Universal workstation for storage solutions manufacturer
Working with a storage solutions manufacturer, our industrial design team developed and prototyped a flexible workstation for an automated picking system, with 2,000 units subsequently manufactured.
Industrial design expertise across multiple sectors
Our industrial design engineers have experience developing sheet metal products and equipment for a range of applications, combining cross-sector knowledge with an understanding of the manufacturing requirements of each industry.
- Warehousing and Logistics – Tote load/unload stations, picking stations, roller ball transfer tables, all integrating with existing systems.
- Automotive – Providing line side solutions, including stillages, trolleys, dollies, slings, skids and paint slave tooling.
- POS and Shopfitting – Custom industrial design solutions for point-of-sale displays and shopfitting needs.
- Materials Handling – Roller transfer tables and conveyor ancillaries designed for efficient material movement.
- Logistics and Packaging – Solutions for automotive and yellow goods transport stillages, optimising logistics and packaging processes.
Design to delivery, adding value at every stage
Discover how we partner with businesses to add value and bring products to life.
