INVENTOR SERVICES

This is an exciting age we live in. Technology is accelerating at a rapid pace, and it seems everyone has a great new idea. What's yours? The tools for product design are getting easier to use and cheaper. If you have an idea for a great new invention-- or just a new update for an existing product-- we can help.

Design It

In the past, great new ideas were almost always first sketched on a napkin. That's just how things were done, because great new ideas always come over coffee. Or not. A lot of new products these days still get the ol' napkin sketch, but they quickly go digital. Computer design software (CAD), allows greater detail and clarity than a sketch. You can quickly draw a part in 3D, and start to see how whole assemblies will fit together. This is especially helpful, since it allows a lot of fit or design issues to be caught before your product goes to prototype. Want some cool CAD software? How does free grab you for a price? Once again, Google has brought us a great product for nothing. Download SketchUp7 for FREE, and you'll be designing the next iPod in no time.

Build It

Once you have your CAD model of your part, assembly, or product design, it's time to start building it. Now, it is true, the tools for making your own parts are getting cheaper. But they aren't free. For a lot less than you could buy the machinery to make your own parts, our machine shop can put finished, professional parts in your hands. Usually in a day or two. We have the machinery, equipment, and expertise to make your idea a reality, fast.

Now, you might think that to be an inventor, you HAVE to toil in your basement making design after design until you perfect your widget. Not anymore. Large companies today employ (or outsource) a designer, an engineer, a machinist, a manufacturing department, and a marketing department. The internet gives you access to all of these, cheap. Think of Great River Machine Works as your local, on-demand manufacturing department.

You don't have to be proficient at every stage of product development to be a designer. Quick: Who created the light bulb? Thomas Edison? WRONG! He failed miserably, and hired an outside engineer to perfect the design. You will note that he still got the credit, and the vast fortune. The same concept holds true today: it is better to hire professionals to do the parts of the job that aren't your strong suit, so you can focus on more important things, like marketing. That's where a good prototype machine shop comes in to play.

Outsource

Outsourcing is all over the news these days. Maybe you read the article in Wired on how to design and build your own products. They pointed out how easy it is these days to contact Chinese manufacturing companies to get your products made. Really? You think that sending your product design anonymously over the internet 10,000 miles away, to an unknown company with an unknown reputation for quality, is a good idea? Dealing with a local source will give you much better control over quality and the entire design and manufacturing process!

In the past, a machine shop was a kind of dark, snobby place that wasn't welcoming to non-machinists. Not any more. Great River Machine Works is clean, well-lit, and we are very friendly to non-professionals. We treat every customer with the same respect and helpful attitude. If we see something wrong with your design, we'll give you the benefit of our experience, not make fun of your mistakes. As far as we're concerned, we work for you, so stop on by (we're right off one of the Twin Cities' great bike paths), grab a cup of coffee, and tell us to get to work! Visit us on Facebook, send us your designs via email, or give us a call, we are always ready to help!