About 3DM Design

Experienced mechanical product design, without the layers

3DM Design helps founders, product businesses and engineering teams turn mechanical ideas and design problems into practical, manufacturable solutions.

I founded the business in 2004 to give clients access to experienced mechanical design capability without needing to build a full-time in-house team.

Since then, we’ve worked across a broad range of products, industries and stages of development — from early concepts and difficult mechanical problems through to prototypes, manufacture and commercial products.

What matters most is that the design works in the real world.

You work directly with me

When you engage 3DM Design, you’re not handed over to a junior designer after the first meeting.

I’m the person discussing the problem with you, developing the concepts, doing the design work and working through the engineering decisions.

That keeps communication simple, decisions quick and the design thinking close to the problem.

Clients often come to me because they:

• have a product idea but don’t know how to engineer it

• need an experienced designer to solve a difficult mechanical problem

• have an internal engineering team that’s already at capacity

• need capability or experience they don’t currently have in-house

We’ve been on the product journey myself

One of the biggest advantages I bring is that I haven’t only designed products for other people.

I’ve developed and commercialised my own product too.

WAKEYE was designed, developed and launched by me, then sold internationally into more than 40 countries.

That experience gave me first-hand understanding of what happens beyond the CAD model — manufacturing decisions, suppliers, product refinement, launch, customers and the commercial realities that come with bringing a physical product to market.

That changes how I approach design.

I’m not just thinking about whether something can be modelled.

I’m thinking about whether it can be made, assembled, used and improved.

From early ideas to manufactured products

Over the years I’ve worked on products at very different stages.

Tallon Marine started with a sketch on a napkin. I became the main designer as the product developed into a commercial range.

Tectrax required significant mechanical development, taking the mechanical side of the amphibious vessel system through design and into manufacture.

Those projects are different, but the approach is the same: understand the real problem, work through the engineering properly and keep the design practical.

How I approach design

I prefer simple, efficient solutions over unnecessary complexity.

That means:

• understanding the problem before jumping into CAD

• looking for the simplest practical solution

• designing with manufacture and assembly in mind

• considering how the product will actually be used

• prototyping and testing where it adds value

• refining the design as new information becomes available

Good design isn’t about making something look clever.

It’s about making it work.

Based in New Zealand, working internationally

3DM Design is based in Wellington, New Zealand, and I’m happy working with clients internationally.

Projects can range from a specific mechanical problem through to longer-term product development support.

If you’re developing a mechanical product, have a design problem that needs experienced input, or need extra engineering capability for a project, get in touch.

Email: contact@3dmdesign.co.nz
Phone: +64 4 2376 591