MIND OF ITS OWN DESIGN

Innovation, Product Design, & Prototypes

About Mind of Its Own Design

Welcome to Mind of its own Design, a consulting firm dedicated to manufacturing research and development. We will take your, or your company’s idea for a product, invention prototype, or manufacturing process, and bring this idea to life. Many times, unique ideas and novel products fail to achieve commercial success due to lack of engineering and manufacturing design expertise. At mind of its own design we take your design and mature it so it is functional, optimized for manufacturing or scale up, and made to withstand use or environmental conditions. Research and iterative design are rigorously employed for each project worked on; we are dedicated to your idea no matter the product class or research area.

Design is an iterative process, an organic process, and one where the final product is more than the sum of its parts. The reality of engineering constraints, environmental use conditions, material characteristics , all can influence the final design. You may be brought somewhere you didn’t expect but this can lead to something more functional or beautiful or both.

About Dr. Clayton Weiss, Chief Of Engineering, R&D

Dr. Clayton Weiss has a bachelor’s of science in civil engineering from the George Washington University; areas of study included, structural engineering, waste and drinking water treatment, and geotechnical engineering. Dr. Weiss received a PhD in material science and engineering from the University of Connecticut. Doctoral research was in the area of advanced manufacturing, including laser induced chemical vapor deposition, vacuum chamber and automation, 3D additive manufacturing of ceramic components, and joining of ceramics through chemical reaction. Dr. Weiss worked as a contract research scientist for the Army Research Laboratory for three years. Research included novel manufacturing routes for ceramic raw materials, glass behavior in extreme conditions, and the design of a ceramic and diamond growing, laser driven, additive manufacturing system. The purpose of this machine was making complex three dimensional parts out of diamond or ceramic powder, fused together, and built layer by layer. Dr. Weiss created Mind of Its Own Design to provide high level assistance for engineering and product design to individuals and small businesses.

Expertise

  • Machining: mill, lathe, grinding, sheet metal, welding
  • Additive Manufacturing: 3D printer, computer 3D drafting, laser object scanning
  • Textiles: sewing and pattern design, industrial sewing, leatherwork
  • Composite Materials: fiberglass, carbon fiber, mold making
  • Material Selection: metals, ceramics, glass, polymers (plastic), natural materials
  • Material analysis: light microscopy, sample polishing, chemical and crystallographic identification
  • Automation and Process Controls: motion control, pneumatic/solenoid actuation, Programmable Logic Controller(PLC) system control, temperature PID controller and remote sensing
  • Laser and Advanced Manufacturing: optics, laser processing, vacuum systems, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), additive manufacturing of metals ceramics and elemental materials
  • Design for Safety: failsafe design, auto shutoff and sensing of process gas, interlocks for access restriction
  • Design for Manufacturing: process design, integration of existing technology, manufacturing machine ease and scale up