What do you need from me to get started?

We require a clear project brief including sketches, reference images, dimensions, and functional requirements. Please also specify your intended manufacturing method and target budget to ensure we engineer the product correctly from day one.

Is the cost of the physical prototype included in your packages?

No. Our fees cover the engineering design, 3D modeling, simulation, and technical documentation. We provide the manufacturing-ready files (DFM) you need to send to a prototyping facility or manufacturer.

What if I don't like the initial design?

This is why our workflow includes a dedicated "Concept & Ideation" phase. We present initial directions for your approval before beginning detailed engineering. This ensures the final output aligns perfectly with your vision.

Why should I choose you over a cheaper designer?

We are degreed engineers, not just 3D modelers. We ensure your product is physically viable, manufacturable, and mechanically sound. Investing in professional engineering now prevents expensive re-tooling errors during manufacturing.

Do you provide Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)?

Yes. We respect client confidentiality and are fully willing to sign an NDA before discussing your intellectual property or project details.

What file formats will I receive?

You will receive industry-standard 3D source files and 2D technical drawings ready for manufacturers.

Can you help me find a manufacturer?

While we do not handle manufacturing in-house, we provide comprehensive manufacturing support. We can recommend vetted partners and communicate with vendors to ensure your technical drawings are understood.

Do you only work with clients in Boston or Charlotte?

No. Sebar Design works remotely with startups and businesses across the United States. Our team is based in Boston, MA and Charlotte, NC, and all engineering deliverables (CAD files, technical drawings, and simulation reports) are delivered digitally, so location is never a barrier to working together.

What is a fractional product designer or engineer?

A fractional product designer or engineer provides senior-level mechanical engineering and industrial design expertise on an as-needed basis, without the cost of a full-time hire. It is the right fit for startups and small businesses that need to take a product from concept to a manufacturable, market-ready design without building an in-house engineering team.

Who is Sebar Design a good fit for?

Sebar Design is built for founders, startups, and small-to-medium businesses anywhere in the United States who need an experienced product designer or mechanical engineer to turn an idea into a manufacturable product, but are not ready to hire a full-time engineering team.

Sebar Design

Sebar Design is a fractional engineering consultant and industrial design studio based in Boston, MA and Charlotte, NC. We serve as a fractional technical co-founder for startups and established businesses, bridging the gap between abstract product ideas and manufacturable, market-ready reality. We specialize in mechanical engineering, industrial design, CFD/FEA simulation, and precision prototyping.

Services

Technical Strategy & Fractional Leadership: Acting as your fractional technical co-founder: feasibility assessments, manufacturing roadmaps, and vendor sourcing for startups building physical products.
Mechanical Design & Engineering: Professional mechanical engineering including complex assembly design and structural optimization.
Industrial Design: User-centered industrial design focusing on ergonomics, aesthetics, and manufacturability.
Rapid Prototyping & CNC: Functional and aesthetic prototyping using SLA, FDM, and precision metal CNC machining.
FEA & CFD Simulation: Advanced structural and thermal simulation to validate designs before production.

Selected Work

The Sebar Monocoque (Automotive Design): A minimalist, performance-focused car body designed via CFD and validated through 3D printed prototypes.
The Electric Guitar (Product Design): A study in ergonomic form and acoustic sustain, redefining the connection between player and instrument.
The Heat Exchanger (Fluid & Thermodynamics): A 3D-printed copper heat exchanger using triply periodic minimal surface geometry to manage high thermal loads.
The Reverse Engineer (Furniture Design): A rapid reverse-engineering project delivering production-ready manufacturing files for a commercial furniture factory in a 72-hour sprint.

Studio

We operate through a structured process: Discovery & User Insight, Concept Development & Ideation, Prototyping & Iteration, and Finalization & Production Support, handing over 3D models, manufacturing drawings, and full production support at the end of every engagement.

Contact

Email: hello@sebardesign.com
Locations: Boston, MA and Charlotte, NC

How We Handle Supplier Errors

October 15, 2026

Last week a silicone overmolding supplier emailed us with news nobody wants to hear. They had run trials on the metal tubes we sent them, and three of the five were crushed.

Here is what happened. Before a production run, a molder dials in the machine: temperature, injection pressure, clamp force. Every trial shot uses up a part. The first three shots ran at too much pressure and deformed the tubes. The fourth one worked. That left the supplier with too few tubes to finish the sample run.

Ask for photos before anything else

The first thing we asked was whether this would be a problem for production, and whether we could see a picture. A photo tells you in ten seconds what a paragraph of translated email cannot. It showed exactly how the tubes failed, which told us where to look for a fix.

Get the news early

The supplier told us the same day the trials failed and explained what went wrong. That gave us time to order new tubes before it held up anything else. The sooner you hear about a problem, the cheaper it is to fix.

Find the real cause

It is easy to call this the supplier's mistake and move on. But the tubes failed under real process loads. The molder also told us the tubes get abrasive blasted before molding, which is another hit to a thin wall. So the honest question was ours too: is the insert strong enough for the process it has to survive? We asked, and their answer was that a stronger tube would help. Turning the pressure down and hoping is not a fix.

Keep everything else moving

One setback should not stall a whole project. We asked the supplier to make the one good tube in the final black color so testing could keep going, ordered five new tubes from our metal supplier, and kept a separate, smaller overmolded part on track for its own trial the next day. The new tubes are about two weeks out. The schedule moved, but it did not stop.

What we are doing differently

Send extra inserts for process setup. Molding trials use up parts, so five samples means fewer than five good ones.
Tell the molder the limits of the insert up front: material, wall thickness, and how much pressure it can take.
Ask about every step the part goes through, including prep like blasting, not just the main process.
Ask for photos early and often, especially when working across languages and time zones.
Build in slack around anything that depends on two suppliers handing parts to each other.

The takeaway

Supplier errors are going to happen. What matters is how fast you hear about them, how quickly you find the real cause, and whether the rest of the project keeps moving.