Design review & de-risking

Know where your
design could fail —
before it does

Structural and DFM review of your hardware before prototype or tooling spend. We surface failure modes, manufacturing risks, and engineering improvements while they're still cheap to fix.

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Cost of finding problems late
Concept stageVery low
Detailed designLow
PrototypeModerate
ToolingHigh
In the fieldExtremely high
Structural analysis

FEA where it
actually matters

FEA is included where structurally relevant — not every project requires it. For simpler designs or concept-stage reviews, engineering judgment and manual calculations may be more appropriate and faster.
Stress concentrations — see where load accumulates and why
Safety factors — quantified against your load case and applicable standards
Deflection and fatigue — static and cyclic performance validated
Design optimisation — geometry changes tested virtually before any physical build
FEA stress analysis — von Mises stress contour plot

Review packages

Choose your stage

Three packages mapped to your development stage. Indicative pricing shown — scope confirmed in an initial conversation.

$ · Concept stage
Viability & Concept Review
Pre-CAD — before investing in detailed design
From $750 AUD + GST
Structured session + written summary
  • Engineering and manufacturing lens assessment
  • Key risks, constraints, and unknowns surfaced
  • Viability verdict: proceed / conditional / rethink
  • Initial simplification and consolidation opportunities
  • 3–5 prioritised next steps
  • Design Consultation Summary delivered within 24hrs
Typical: session + summary within 24hrs
Most common
$$ · Most requested
Design Review
Before prototyping or further development
Priced by scope + GST
Typical engagements from $2,500 AUD
  • Structural and DFM assessment
  • Component consolidation and simplification opportunities
  • FEA where structurally required
  • Tolerance, fit, and assembly review
  • Written report with prioritised risk register
Typical timeline: 4–6 business days
$$$ · Pre-production
Pre-production Audit
Before committing to production tooling
Priced by scope + GST
Typical engagements from $5,000 AUD
  • Full DFMEA
  • Detailed FEA and structural validation
  • Manufacturing process and supply chain review
  • Design review against applicable standards and load cases
  • Comprehensive report, risk register, and follow-up
Typical timeline: 7–12 business days

Pricing scales with design complexity and component count. Scope confirmed before work begins — no surprises.

Not sure which package fits? Start with a free 15-min call — or book the Idea & Feasibility Review ($750) for a 60-minute structured session with written summary.

Book a call →

Beyond a basic review

Not just manufacturability —
real engineering insight

A basic DFM check tells you whether your design can be made. Our review goes further — examining whether it should be made that way. That requires understanding the final application, the manufacturing process, and the business case.

The most valuable findings are often not manufacturability failures — but opportunities to simplify assemblies, reduce part count, and remove unnecessary cost before production. That level of insight comes from real experience across design, manufacture, and field use.

What we review

Four categories of risk

Category
What we look for
How we assess it
Structural
Stress, fatigue, and failure modes
Load case assessment, stress concentration identification, and FEA where structurally relevant. Safety factors confirmed against applicable standards.
DFM
Manufacturability grounded in real constraints
Geometry, tolerances, and process selection reviewed against what a supplier can actually achieve — and at what cost.
Assembly
Fit, tolerance stack, and field service
Tolerance stack analysis, assembly sequence review, and consideration of how the product will be maintained or repaired in the field.
Standards
Regulatory and material requirements
Applicable standards identified, load cases developed accordingly. Failure analysis and reverse engineering support where relevant.

Example project

De-risking in practice

Consumer furniture · Structural analysis
Dining Table Frame — FEA to ISO 19682:2023
Private client · Consumer industry
Table displacement FEA
Frame stress analysis
Bolt calculations
Load case summary
Custom steel plate table frame reviewed before manufacture commitment. Loading conditions derived from ISO 19682:2023 — no dedicated dining table standard exists, so applicable loads were established through standards review first.
1
Standards review to establish applicable loading — horizontal static 400N, vertical static 2×1,000N, leg strength 5W+222N.
2
Bolt calculations across all load cases — connection design flagged as requiring change before manufacture.
3
FEA across all load cases — peak stresses and deflection assessed against allowable limits.
Outcome Frame cleared for manufacture. Connection redesign identified before production — avoiding an estimated $8k–$15k post-tooling revision and associated delays.
View all projects →
Fractional engineer
Need ongoing engineering support?
Design review is for discrete engagements. For ongoing access to senior engineering judgment — structured to your development cadence — see our Fractional Engineering offering.
Learn more →
Best suited for
  • Structurally demanding or complex hardware
  • Products approaching prototype or tooling commitment
  • Complex assemblies where part count, cost, or reliability matter
  • Load-bearing consumer, industrial, or mobility products
Not the right fit for
  • Styling or visualisation reviews
  • Consumer electronics or PCB design
  • Projects with no structural or manufacturability constraints
  • Pure rendering or documentation-only work

Ready to de-risk
your hardware?

Contact us to discuss your design and development stage.

Request a review Need full development?