Product Design / Mechanical Engineer Needed – Portable Pet Product

About the project

Product Design / Mechanical Engineer Needed – Portable Pet Product We are a UK start-up developing an innovative portable outdoor product for dog owners and are looking for an experienced Product Design / Mechanical Engineer to help refine our existing concept and prepare it for prototyping and manufacture. The product concept, branding and initial CAD/design work have already been developed. We have also carried out initial market research with UK dog owners, which has identified several areas we would now like to improve from an engineering and usability perspective. The Project: The product is a compact, portable shade and comfort station for dogs, designed for use at beaches, parks, camping trips, outdoor events, holidays, gardens and other outdoor environments. The current concept incorporates: Portable shade canopy Telescopic/adjustable support structure Ground mat/base Optional cooling functionality Detachable water bowl Compact carry/storage solution We have existing CAD/STEP files and product visuals that can be shared with the successful freelancer under NDA. Key challenges we'd like help solving We are particularly looking for engineering/design input around: Portability The complete product needs to pack down as small and lightweight as practically possible while remaining durable. Wind stability The product must remain stable outdoors without requiring an excessively heavy base. We would like to explore suitable anchoring, weighting or structural solutions for different surfaces such as grass, sand and hard ground. Shade positioning We would like to explore whether the canopy can tilt, rotate or otherwise be adjusted so that useful shade can be maintained as the position of the sun changes. Fast, intuitive setup Ideally the product should deploy quickly and intuitively, with minimal assembly. An umbrella/parasol-style mechanism or similarly simple solution would be preferred. Dog usability The shaded base should naturally encourage a dog to sit or lie underneath it. We would like to consider how the mat, cooling functionality, canopy dimensions and overall geometry can support this. Cooling mat/base We would like to investigate practical cooling materials/technologies that could be incorporated into, or offered as an insert for, the base without making the product unnecessarily heavy or complicated. Water bowl integration Our research suggests a detachable/modular water bowl may be preferable to a permanently integrated bowl. We would like to develop a simple attachment/storage solution. Design for manufacture Ultimately, the product needs to be commercially viable for mass manufacture, so material choice, component count, assembly, durability and manufacturing cost should all be considered. What we're looking for Ideally, you will have experience in one or more of the following: Mechanical/product engineering Consumer product development Outdoor/camping products Umbrellas, parasols or collapsible structures Telescopic mechanisms Lightweight aluminium/plastic structures Injection moulded components Textile/soft-goods integration Design for Manufacture (DFM) Prototype development Working with manufacturers in China/Asia Experience taking a consumer product from CAD/concept through prototype and into mass production would be particularly valuable. Deliverables We are open to recommendations on the best development process, but expect the project to include: Review of our existing concept and CAD files Engineering/design recommendations Development of solutions to the issues outlined above Revised 3D CAD Material and component recommendations Design for Manufacture review Prototype-ready engineering files/drawings BOM/component specification where appropriate Support reviewing and improving the first physical prototype There may also be an opportunity for continued involvement through prototyping, manufacturer sourcing and production. When applying Please include: Examples of relevant physical consumer products you have personally developed. Your specific role in taking those products from concept through prototyping/manufacture. Any experience with collapsible, telescopic, umbrella/parasol, outdoor or camping products. The CAD software you use. Your suggested development process for a project at this stage. Whether you have experience liaising directly with factories/manufacturers. Your estimated timescale and proposed fee/milestones. Further product details and existing design files will be shared with shortlisted candidates under NDA.

Skills required