Lydia A.

Most products get stuck twice. The first time is between the designer who makes it look good and the factory that says it can't be made as drawn. The second time is at launch, when the product is ready but nobody planned how to sell it. I handle the design, the manufacturing files and the launch, so nothing gets lost in between.

WHAT I DO

Product design for manufacturing
I take a sketch, a photo, a rough prototype or an existing product and turn it into a 3D model a manufacturer can quote and produce. I design around the process you'll actually use (injection molding, CNC machining, sheet metal or 3D printing), so wall thickness, draft angles, ribs, bosses, snap-fits, fasteners, tolerances and parting lines are dealt with from the start, not fixed after the factory pushes back.

Launch marketing
The same CAD model becomes your sales material before a single unit is made: white-background images for Amazon and Shopify, lifestyle and exploded-view renders, short turntable videos for ads, and a launch or pre-order page with an email sequence that turns visitors into a waitlist. You don't wait for samples to start marketing, and you don't pay another designer to rebuild the model.

HOW A PROJECT RUNS

1. Brief (day 1). Before I draw anything, I ask five questions: How many units? Which manufacturing process? What unit cost are you aiming for? Where will it be sold? What's the deadline? The answers change the design. You get a one-page brief to approve, so we agree on scope before any money is spent on design time.

2. Concepts. Two or three directions as sketches or quick renders, each with a note on what it means for cost and manufacturing. You pick one, or mix them.

3. CAD and DFM review. A full parametric 3D model. I check it against your process and give you a short DFM report: what I changed, why, and how it affects cost.

4. Prototype files. STL/3MF files for 3D printing so you can hold it, test it and fit your parts before paying for tooling.

5. Manufacturing pack. Everything a factory needs to quote:
- STEP files plus native CAD files
- 2D drawings with dimensions, tolerances and notes
- Bill of materials for multi-part products
- CMF sheet (colour, material, finish), so the factory knows exactly what to match
- A list of questions to send the factory with the files, so you get accurate quotes instead of guesses

6. Launch kit (optional). A render set sized for your store, crowdfunding page or pitch deck, a turntable or exploded-view animation, and a launch page with a waitlist or pre-order form, connected to a welcome email sequence.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME
- Progress screenshots at every stage, not just a final file.
- I'm in Lagos (GMT+1), which overlaps the full UK and European working day and US East Coast mornings.
- Clear scope and revision limits agreed at the start, with no surprise invoices.
- You own every file. Your idea stays confidential under Cad Crowd's terms.
- If something in your design will cost more to make than it should, I'll tell you before you find out from a factory quote.

GOOD FIT
Inventors with a first product, hardware and consumer-product startups, Amazon and Shopify brands adding a new product, and companies redesigning an existing product to cut cost. Typical products: electronics enclosures, kitchen and home goods, fitness and outdoor gear, packaging, toys, beauty and personal-care devices, and accessories.

NOT A FIT
Work that needs a licensed engineer's stamp (structural calculations, pressure vessels, certified FEA sign-off). I'll tell you up front instead of taking the job.

FILE FORMATS
STEP, IGES, STL, 3MF, DWG/DXF, PDF drawings, PNG/JPG renders, MP4 animations.

Send me a sketch, a prototype that isn't working, or a manufacturer's rejection email. Any of those is a good place to start.