Our Process

At FormaSharp, we specialize in end-to-end product design and development services tailored for startups, inventors, and small manufacturers. Our process is built to ensure your ideas evolve into manufacturable, market-ready products through a structured, collaborative, and transparent workflow.

Two people sitting at a round white table with laptops, a coffee cup, a small potted plant, a notebook, and a smartphone.

Step 1: Discovery

Every successful product begins with a clear understanding of its purpose and constraints. In the Discovery phase, we conduct a detailed product design consultation virtually to gather your requirements, assess feasibility, and define the scope of your project.

What’s included:

  • Initial consultation to understand your product goals

  • Review of sketches, reference images, and functional needs

  • Feasibility analysis based on materials, budget, and manufacturing methods

  • Identification of key performance, compliance, and aesthetic targets

Top-down view of a person's hands at a black desk with various office and art supplies, including a ruler, pens, a pencil, an eraser, a sharpener, a black stone, and a compass, with one hand writing with a pen and the other hand holding a ruler.

Step 2: Ideation – Industrial Design & Concept Development

In the Ideation phase, we explore multiple creative and functional directions using industrial design principles and design thinking methodologies. This is where your idea begins to take visual and functional shape.

What’s included:

  • Concept sketches and mood boards tailored to your brand

  • Exploration of ergonomic, aesthetic, and functional variations

  • Early-stage material and manufacturing process evaluation

  • Collaborative refinement of the most viable concept

A blue bench vise with a silver handle mounted on a work surface.

Step 3: 3D CAD Modeling – Design Using SolidWorks

Once the concept is approved, we move into 3D CAD modeling, where your product is digitally created using SolidWorks. This phase ensures your design is accurate and ready.

What’s included:

  • Parametric 3D modeling with precise dimensions

  • Assembly creation and documentation

  • Preparation for rendering, drafting, and prototyping

A blue bench vise with a metal clamp, disassembled into parts, on a light green background.
A blue metal bench vise mounted on a wooden workbench with a cluttered woodworking workshop background.
3D rendering of a blue bench vise with adjustable components on a light green background.

Step 4: Rendering – Photorealistic Product Visualization

In the Rendering phase, we create photorealistic product visuals. These high-quality images help you showcase your product to stakeholders, investors, or customers before physical production begins.

What’s included:

  • Realistic material, texture, and lighting application

  • Multiple view angles and exploded views

  • Marketing-ready visuals for presentations and websites

  • Environmental context simulation (e.g., product in use)

3D model of a bridge with green supports over a curved brown base.
Colorful plastic playground toy with a red horizontal rod and yellow knobs, resting on a textured black surface outdoors at a park, with trees and modern buildings in the background.

Step 5: 3D Printing

Once your design is finalized and validated through CAD modeling, we move into 3D printing to bring your concept into the physical world. This phase allows us to create functional prototypes or end-use parts using high-quality materials and precise additive manufacturing techniques.

What’s included:

  • Rapid prototyping using FDM or resin-based 3D printing

  • Material selection based on strength, flexibility, and finish

  • Print orientation and support optimization for dimensional accuracy

  • Post-processing options such as sanding, painting, or assembly

Technical engineering drawing of a circular mechanical part with four mounting holes, dimensions, and angular measurements.

Step 6: 2D Drafting (Manufacturing Drawings)

We create detailed technical drawings for manufacturing, including tolerances, dimensions, and annotations per industry standards.

Includes:

  • Orthographic views

  • GD&T and weld symbols

  • BOM and revision control

A laser cutter emitting sparks as it cuts through metal in a dark industrial setting.

Step 7: Final Stage - Send for Manufacturing

In the final phase of our product development workflow, we ensure your design is fully prepared for manufacturing. Whether you're working with CNC machining shops, injection molding facilities, sheet metal fabricators, or 3D printing vendors, we provide all the necessary deliverables and support to make the transition from digital to physical seamless and efficient.

What’s included:

  • Export of manufacturing-ready CAD files in industry-standard formats such as STEP, IGES, STL, and DXF

  • Complete technical drawing packages including 2D drafting, GD&T, BOMs, and revision history

  • File organization and documentation tailored to your chosen manufacturing method (e.g., CNC, molding, casting, fabrication)

  • Vendor communication support, including clarification of design intent, tolerance requirements, and material specifications

  • Assistance with quotation requests, DFM feedback integration, and design revisions based on manufacturer input

We understand that your idea is more than just a project—it’s a vision. That’s why we treat every design with the care, precision, and creativity it deserves. Whether you're launching a new product, refining an existing one, or prototyping a bold innovation, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

We hope you’re thrilled with the journey and confident in the results. Your success is our mission, and we look forward to helping you bring your next idea to life.

CONTACT

A workspace with a white computer keyboard, a pair of glasses, two rose gold pens, and a notebook with lined pages on a white surface.