About

Kestrel Design provides comprehensive mechanical and electromechanical product design and development services, from initial conceptual development to final production support. A rigorous approach is applied both to engineering problem solving and to prediction and management of development cost and schedule.

The company has designed products for a variety of industries. Examples include consumer appliances, complex mechanism design, electronics packaging, medical diagnostic equipment, fluid systems, robotics, light transportation, and aerospace products.

Most development programs are multi-phase, beginning with concept development and ending with production documentation and pilot manufacturing support. We have experience with both domestic and overseas production.

Through established associations with a network of designers, engineers, suppliers, and other design organizations, a complete development team can be provided for a variety of products.

How We Work

As an extension of your in-house team

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

experienced collaboration, consistent communication, a focus on tangible results, frequent milestones

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

sub-system design, conceptualization, prototype development, design review, cost optimization

As a turnkey product development resource

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

As a turnkey product development resource

full product development, from concept to production documentation and full manufacturing support

Design Principles

Through practical experience, we have developed guiding design and development principles that we apply throughout all phases of a program.

They include:

thorough problem definition: define the right problem and define it well, identify the key issues
business mindset: maintain focus on the overall business objective
design strategically: successful product design involves engineering, production, marketing, sales, purchasing, logistics, and maintenance and support considerations
attention to detail: apply rigorous standards to investigation, design, and decision making
documentation: maintain detailed records of key decisions, investigation, and results
iteration: design is inherently cyclical....create, evaluate, refine
empiricism: soft and hard prototypes are essential, prototype early and often
production intent: design with production intent from the beginning, considering form, materials, processes, assembly, make/buy strategy, quality control approach, and end-of-life strategy
safety: design for inherent safety where possible, considering production and use scenarios
human factors: prioritize ergonomics, interface design, reduction of usage error
structured problem solving: structured methodologies can guide and enhance the inherent creative nature of design
reduction to simplicity: constantly strive to reduce all solutions to their simplest form
review the state of the art: evaluate analogous and competitive products and solutions
objectivity: maintain detachment, do not bind to one solution path
technical depth: apply a high level of technical scrutiny, apply engineering fundamentals

About

How We Work

As an extension of your in-house team

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

As a turnkey product development resource

As an experienced resource for discrete project needs

As a turnkey product development resource

Services

Design Principles