Dr. Sumit Chhabra (Founder)
Brass · Iron · Steel · Wood · Glass · Ceramic · Leather · Resin
Casting · Spinning · CNC · Injection · Weaving · Hand-carving
CE · UKCA · CPSIA · Prop 65 · REACH · GSO
5-15 working days
Fixed-fee project or hourly retainer
The six engineering interventions
1 — CAD review and revision
We review your existing CAD files (SolidWorks, Rhino, Fusion 360, SketchUp) or hand-drawings and flag production issues — undercuts, thin walls, unrealistic tolerances, assembly interference, unfeasible finishes. Deliverable: annotated CAD file + written review + revised CAD if commissioned. Typical cycle 5-8 days per SKU.
2 — Design for Manufacture (DFM)
Your design gets walked through 2-3 candidate factories with our engineer on-site. We capture every comment — material substitutions, tooling implications, minimum quantities per finish, lead-time impact of each spec choice. Deliverable: marked-up tech-pack with recommended changes and cost impact of each. Typical output: 15-30% cost reduction with zero visible design change.
3 — Tolerance and dimensional analysis
For SKUs where tolerance stack-up matters (assembly-heavy products, mated components, lighting sub-assemblies), we run a formal tolerance analysis — call out critical dimensions, tolerance bands, GD&T where applicable, and go-no-go gauge specifications for the factory's QC line.
4 — Material specification and substitution
Deep material knowledge: which brass alloy for hand-spinning vs machining (60/40 vs 65/35 vs high-tensile), FSC-certified wood species behaviour under humidity (sheesham vs mango vs teak), glass gaffer skill levels for particular shapes, leather grades for structural vs decorative use. Deliverable: written material spec with sourcing notes and cost impact.
5 — Compliance dossier engineering
For regulated markets (CE / UKCA lighting, CPSIA children's products, FDA food-contact), we engineer compliance into the design at PD stage rather than retrofitting at lab stage. Deliverable: ready-to-file compliance dossier with test protocols, expected results, and lab coordination scheduled.
6 — Structural / mechanical analysis
For furniture (load ratings), lighting (structural anchoring), architectural metal (wind loads), we run basic FEA or hand-calculation of critical loads. Not a substitute for licensed structural engineering where required, but sufficient for most retail product categories.
When to commission engineering support (and when not)
Engineering support is a standalone service — you commission it when your program has a specific engineering question that doesn't justify a full PD engagement.
Materials expertise — where our engineering depth lies
Engineering support depth is proportional to our familiarity with a material and its manufacturing processes. Below is where our expertise is deepest — commissioned engagements outside these areas are possible but scoped case-by-case.
- Brass alloys and processes — sand-casting, centrifugal casting, gravity die, hand-spinning, CNC-spinning, hydro-forming, electroplating, hand-patination, lacquering.
- Iron and steel — powder-coating, welding techniques for decorative vs structural applications, salt-spray corrosion resistance engineering.
- Wood — kiln-drying specifications for retail furniture (10-12% moisture), joinery choices, FSC chain-of-custody paperwork, mango-sheesham-teak-acacia species trade-offs.
- Glass — Firozabad hand-blown gaffer skill mapping, mould-blown vs free-blown, temperature-cycle failure modes.
- Ceramic — glaze formulation, kiln temperature curves, FDA lead-leach engineering, blue-pottery specific issues.
- Leather — LWG-certified tannery selection, chrome vs vegetable tannage, structural integrity for handbag construction.
- Assembly and packaging — ISTA-3A drop-test engineering, packaging right-sizing for freight optimisation.
Frequently asked
EngineeringSupport—commonquestions.
How is engineering support different from product development?
Product development is end-to-end — from sketch to golden sample. Engineering support is a targeted intervention on an existing design — CAD review, DFM, tolerance analysis, material substitution, or compliance dossier. You commission engineering support when you have a specific engineering question, not when you're starting from scratch.
Who does the engineering work?
Engineering support engagements are personally led by our founder Dr. Sumit Chhabra, with an internal team of 3 engineers covering CAD (SolidWorks + Rhino), materials, and compliance. Dr. Chhabra has 23+ years of factory-floor engineering across brass, wood, iron, glass and ceramic and holds degrees from Symbiosis International and Savitribai Phule Pune universities.
What CAD software do you work with?
Native support for SolidWorks, Rhino, Fusion 360, Autodesk Inventor, SketchUp. We accept hand-drawings, PDFs, and image-based mood boards for early-stage engagements. Native output format matches whatever your team uses.
Do you provide licensed structural engineering opinions?
No — engineering support delivers manufacturing engineering, DFM analysis and material specifications. For load-bearing structural components requiring a licensed PE stamp (e.g. commercial-grade seating, wall-mounted lighting fixtures over specific weights), we recommend a licensed structural engineer alongside our work.
How does compliance engineering work?
We engineer compliance in at the design stage, not the lab stage. Deliverable is a compliance dossier: applicable regulations mapped, test protocols identified, expected results calculated, lab coordination scheduled at SGS / Intertek / TÜV. This upfront work catches 90% of compliance failures before a sample is even built.
What does engineering support cost?
Fixed-fee project engagement: $1,500-8,000 per intervention depending on complexity. Or hourly retainer at $120-180/hour with a 20-hour minimum. Most clients start with a fixed-fee first project; ongoing engagements often move to retainer once cadence is established.
Where this fits
Adjacentservices,categoriesandclusters.
Related services
Product categories we cover
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