@pud Hey Philip! I'm the mechanical designer for CLUG.
CLUG actually started as a 3D printed object, our Makerbot was extremely helpful in the development process, as we could tune the 3D printed model through a bit of trial and error, then engineer the production model to match the flex.
As far as who your would need, our team is:
- Industrial designer (how it works, looks, feels, etc)
- Mechanical designer (what plastic to use, manufacturing oversight, strength, life, etc)
- UX designer (website, video, photography, etc)
- Business lead (he's actually an industrial designer by trade, but has been handling all of our sales/PR/financing and everything else)
That's just a rough overview, we all cross over into each others areas quite often!
As far as general advice, if you have an idea, build a little mockup however you can, whether it's using wood, metal, or CAD and 3D printing, and take that to an industrial design firm so they can take it all the way!
CLUG