Material Selection in Product Design: Choosing Plastics, Metals, and Elastomers
Material selection in product design shapes almost everything about a product: how it looks and feels, how strong it is, how it is manufactured, and how much it costs. Choosing the wrong material can force a redesign late in development, so it pays to think about it early. Our product design team in Los Angeles […]
How to Turn Your Invention Idea Into a Real Product: A CAD and Prototyping Guide
Every successful product you have ever used started as an invention idea — a sketch on a napkin, a note on a phone, a frustration someone finally decided to solve. The hard part is what comes next: turning that invention idea into a real, manufacturable product. After more than 22 years helping inventors and entrepreneurs […]
3D Scanning for E-Commerce and AR: Creating 3D Product Models for Online Stores
3D scanning for e-commerce and AR lets brands show products online the way customers see them in person: from every angle, at real scale, and even placed in their own room through augmented reality. If you sell furniture, footwear, décor, collectibles, tools, or accessories, a 3D model can make your product pages more engaging. Our […]
Can Any Object Be 3D Scanned? Size, Surface, and Material Limits Explained
Can any object be 3D scanned? It’s one of the first questions we hear from customers who walk into our Glendale studio with a part in hand. The short answer: almost anything can be 3D scanned, but size, surface finish, and material determine which scanning method we use, how much preparation the object needs, and […]
3D Printing for Low-Volume Production: When It Beats Injection Molding
3D printing for low-volume production has changed the math for anyone who needs a few dozen to a few thousand parts. For decades, the only real path to production-quality plastic parts was injection molding — and that meant paying thousands of dollars for tooling before the first part ever came off the machine. At our […]
3D Printing Functional Prototypes: Testing Fit, Form, and Function Before Tooling
3D printing functional prototypes is one of the smartest ways to reduce risk before spending money on production tooling. A functional prototype is a part you can actually assemble, load, flex, and test, not just look at. At our 3D printing studio in Los Angeles, we help product teams pick the right process and material […]
Designing Custom Earrings in CAD: Weight, Backings, and Balance
Designing custom earrings in CAD is a little different from designing rings or pendants. Earrings hang from the earlobe, so weight, balance, and the way the piece moves matter just as much as how it looks. At eCadCam, our jewelry services team designs and prepares earrings for jewelers, designers, and brands across Los Angeles. Here […]
How Long Does Custom Jewelry Take? A Realistic Timeline from CAD Design to Casting
How long does custom jewelry take? For most custom pieces at our Glendale studio, the honest answer is two to four weeks from first conversation to finished, wearable jewelry. A simple band can be ready in under two weeks, while an intricate multi-stone engagement ring may need five or six. Below we break down every […]
Laser Cutting for Film and TV Props: How Production Designers Get Set Pieces Made Fast
When a shooting schedule is measured in days, prop fabrication can’t wait weeks. Laser cutting for film and TV props has become one of the fastest ways for production designers, art directors, and prop masters to turn concept art into camera-ready set pieces. From our Glendale studio, minutes from the major Los Angeles lots, we […]
How Long Does Product Design Take? A Realistic CAD Project Timeline
If you are bringing a new part or product to market, one of the first questions you will ask is how long product design takes. The honest answer is that a CAD project timeline depends on complexity, how well-defined your idea is, and how many revision rounds you need. Still, after 22+ years of running […]