How to learn industrial design

To learn industrial design, you must complete formal study. The majority of Industrial Designers have a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design. In Queensland, study Industrial Design at Griffith University and QUT. Dienamics recommends that students completely internships with industry experts to gain real world experience.

Why learn Industrial Design

Industrial designers bring creativity into the manufacturing of products to make them the best they can be. If you’ve got both creative and technical skills, then a career in industrial design may be the way to go.

What is Industrial Design

Industrial designers combine creative and technical skills to design commercial and consumer products including tools and appliances. They take products from a concept in a customers head to a fully functional product.

How important is Industrial Design

Industrial designers design products that we use everyday, like fridges, appliances, laptops, and cars. They take these products from a concept in the customer’s head to a fully functional product. Industrial designers also play a role in establishing the aesthetics of the product to ensure that it’s ‘on-brand’.

What is product design

Good product design is all about designers aiming to improve how people feel when using the products they create. Designers assist brands to make more sustainable, long-term products.

Can a product design be copyrighted

Yes, applying for a copyright costs about $35 per work/product and can take approximately 6 weeks or less. For an added fee, you can apply for additional rights such as the right to file for statutory damages (you pre-designate how much your work is worth), which can be used later to increase the potential damages you might receive if another is found in court to have violated your copyright.

What is product design process

Research users and problems, Design and Prototype, Test with users, Refine the design, Launch product, Measure product success

How product design can change the world

Sustainable manufacturing is now more necessary than ever and product design plays an important role in creating the opportunity for sustainability in product manufacturing. Product designers can design products that are more Abundant, Easily reproduced, Renewable, Recycled or Recyclable; and/or, Biodegradable

Let Talk About Polystyrene

Plastic

Let Talk About Polystyrene

Posted by Dienamics
September 1, 2017

Polystyrene (PS) plastic is a naturally transparent thermoplastic that is available as both a typical solid plastic as well in the form of a rigid foam material. PS plastic is commonly used in a variety of consumer product applications and is also particularly useful for commercial packaging. Dow Chemical Company invented a proprietary process to make their trademarked and well-known polystyrene foam product “styrofoam” in 1941. The material is somewhat controversial among environmental groups because it is slow to biodegrade and is increasingly present as outdoor litter (particularly in the form of foam floating in waterways and the ocean).

The solid plastic form of polystyrene is commonly used n applications requiring a balance of low cost, rigidity, light weight and clarity. These are often disposable or short use items like test tubes or petri dishes, CDs cases, plastic cutlery and food containers like yogurt tubs or the red “solo” cup you drink from at a BBQ and/or when you’re losing in a game of beer-pong.

The foam form of polystyrene is used most often as a packing material. You have probably unpacked a custom styrofoam housing if you’ve ever bought a new television or computer. Similarly, you’re probably familiar with styrofoam packing “peanuts” used as filler for miscellaneous small items being shipped. Styrofoam is also used for “to-go” containers and disposable tableware from many restaurants.

Polystyrene is typically a homopolymer, meaning that it is composed only of the monomer styrene in combination with itself. Depending on the type of Polystyrene it could be classified as a “thermoplastic” or a “thermoset” material. The name has to do with the way the plastic responds to heat. Thermoplastic materials become fully liquid at their melting point (210-249 degrees Celsius in the case of Polystyrene), but they begin to flow at their glass transition point (100 degress Celsius for PS). A major useful attribute about thermoplastics is that they can be heated to their melting point, cooled, and reheated again without significant degradation. Instead of burning, thermoplastics liquefy, which allows them to be easily injection molded and then subsequently recycled. Thermoset plastics, by contrast, will not reliquify once they are “set” in solid form.

Polystyrene is very inert in that it doesn’t react particularly well with either acidic or basic solutions. However it is susceptible to chlorinated or hydrocarbon based substances such as fuels, which will dissolve it rapidly.

If PS isn’t the right plastic for you, take a look at our article on the 10 Common types of plastics.