Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals by Rob Thompson
Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals by Rob Thompson delivers 528 pages of highly useful, graphically interesting and inspiring content written specifically for designers. This is the type of book I wish I could plug into my head and consume every bit of the information. It covers “over 70 manufacturing processes…with full technical descriptions; analyses of the typical applications, design opportunities, and considerations each process offers; and information on cost, speed, and environmental impact.” Manufacturing Processes also includes numerous detailed case studies of products that are currently on the market, and “a directory of more than 50 materials [with] detailed technical profiles, images of typical applications and finishes and an overview of each material’s design characteristics.”
After purchasing this book, I am still a big fan of Chris Lefteri’s book, Making It, Manufacturing Techniques For Product Design, however, Rob Thompson’s book seems more inclusive with more photos and details. Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals should be a used as a reference book by all industrial designers. It is most likely the best manufacturing book for designers that has been published to date.
The only thing that would make this book better is if it came with a CD of reference information or had an exclusive Web site in order to access the plethora of manufacturing information more easily. There is no way that this six pound beast of a book will be leaving my desk anytime soon. In the meantime, I will be absorbing the information from my home studio. If anyone knows of a good manufacturing reference Web site, please let me know!
Quick Note About Sustainable Manufacturing Practices
E-Waste Dump in Guiyu, China photo by Bert van Dijk
It is unfortunate that most product designers graduate with very little manufacturing knowledge. If we understand how something is being made today, we can help to make it more sustainable tomorrow. If an environmentally friendly alternative does not exist, we have the intelligence and power to innovate. This is one of those situations where knowledge is power. No one is going to teach us this information, so we must teach ourselves.
If you have any further reading or educational opportunities to offer with regard to manufacturing and sustainability, please comment on this post or contact me directly.
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Sounds like a great read! Check out this guy’s blog – http://www.johnehrenfeld.com/ and his book “Sustainability by Design: A Subversive Strategy for Transforming Our Consumer Culture”
That does sound like an interesting book. If anyone has read it please let me know your thoughts.
Great inspirational post
and check out mycomeup.com