Best industrial design books according to redditors

This is a manly book.

I'm not sure what you mean with "not literature", books are literature.

It actually happened in radiation treatments of a cancer patient and killed him. It's a classic example in human factors classes when you are studying CS.

http://www.amazon.com/Set-Phasers-Stun-Design-Technology/dp/0963617885

Good book and important story.

Essentially this is what a degree covers. I assume you are not studying ID yet?.
Pulling apart things is a fantastic way to learn, and every ID professional will do it. We have boxes and boxes of disassembled products at my work, and that’s pretty standard.
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Manufacturing-Techniques-Product-Design/dp/1856697495/ref=nodl_
Making it is a good book that shows basic manufacturing processes, and from there you can learn how to design for them.

A few things off the top of my head:

Creative Confidence By Tom and David Kelly (IDEO) - In fact, anything by these guys as IDEO are a great resource for design thinking.

Wacom Pen and Touch S Perfectly adequate starter tablet for sketching on a laptop.

Sketchbook Pro to go with it

Product Sketches - Great book with sketches of everyday things from Ideation to presentation quality.

Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design - Really good book covering the basics of industrial processes to manufacture objects.

Copic Multiliner set - maybe with some stationary. I fucking love stationary. Could combine this with a Moleskin or Field Notes notebook

Steal Like an Artist - cute, short book with a great message about how its not what you steal but how you steal it.

Kor 'Hydration Vessel' - I've had one for like 3 years.

Check out Making It by Chris Lefteri

Here are a few terms, as well as some convenient flash cards someone assembled.

As a previous poster mentioned those are engineering/machining terms.

I also recommend blogs such as Core77 or the Fictiv Blog which talk about a broad range of manufacturing and design topics.

If you’re just dying for more product terms, there are plenty of terms that fall under plastic injection molding

For a good overview of materials and processes, the book Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Designersis a good balance of interesting content, pictures, and examples, and isn’t too boring for the layman.

I see your interesting book and raise you one of my favorites:

This is the book you seek:

https://amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604

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There's also:

https://amazon.com/Mechanical-Movements-Devices-Appliances-Science/dp/0486457435

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There's also this if you want to go to a professional level:

https://amazon.com/Ingenious-Mechanisms-Designers-Inventors-Set/dp/B0041MXUUK

Do NOT pay this much. Look for used copies on Amazon, eBay and Abe's Books. I found a near mint used set for $35.

​

Note: I have no financial interests in referring these titles.

Great reference for beginners.
https://www.amazon.com/Manufacture-Manufacturing-Engineering-Materials-Processing-ebook/dp/B005H7Z0II

I just wrote you some long answers. (My survey's the one with the long rants about folding canes held together with bungee cords, and remote controls with tiny buttons.)

Have you read Henry Petroski's book "Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design"?

Small Things Considered (amazon.co.uk)

It has a couple pages about the design of the OXO Good Grips vegetable peeler, which led to a huge product line (originally intended for people with arthritis, but embraced by many "normal" people as just plain good design.) OXO also has a blog where they show some examples of their design process:

Behind the Scenes (oxo.com)

You should read the book.

(And no, I'm not kidding!)

Get yourself a student edition of some Autodesk products - AutoCad and Inventor at the least - to practice CAD and drafting skills.

Some books about Mech Eng specifically:

http://www.amazon.com/Mechanisms-Mechanical-Devices-Sourcebook-Edition/dp/0071704426

http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Machines-How-They-Work/dp/0486217094

http://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Formulas-Kurt-Gieck/dp/0071457747

http://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604

http://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Engineering-Principles-John-Bird/dp/0415517850

Don't forget about basic electricity, electronics, hydraulics and pneumatics too.

Get some hands-on experience with machine tools such as lathes and mills. Learn how to program CNC machines using G-code. Try to land a summer job at a factory or assembly plant for the experience. Learn how to make metal castings by watching some YouTube videos and visiting a local foundry.

Find some local ASME members to network with and seek a mentor. ASME also offers a limited free membership to college freshmen.

you can just get basic M&P books like https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Materials-Processes-Iu-Mechanical-Technology/dp/0827350201

kind of depends whether you are more production/manufacturing side, or initial/early design side. maybe youll do both.

generally you have to characterize and organize the library of materials your company makes stuff with, approve new usage, track old usage. airplanes- obviously lots of Al grades in 6 and 7, Ti of the 6-4 variety, sometimes composites, sometimes steel, etc. download MMPDS 13 or whatever the most recent edition is, read up about all the metals in there

If you want a serious information on the topic I can recommend a few things that I found useful:

1. Wohlers Report by Terry Wohlers
   
   
2. Additive manufacturing technologies: Rapid Prototyping to Direct Digital Manufacturing by Ian Gibson, David W. Ronsen and Brent Stucker
   
   
3. ASTM F42 Terminology standards
   
   Those things cost a pretty penny but they also contain the kind of information that would let you get a job in the industry. One thing to keep in mind that most of these technologies are several decades old and so you can get 95% of the relevant information out of a ten year old book if you just keep up with news. That becomes a much easier task when you stop using the phrase 3d printing, which has been hijacked by the popular media, and start using more technical and precise terms like Directed Energy Deposition or Vat Photopolymerization. Searching with technical terms will yield you a much higher quality of search results.
   
   Another good resource that is FREE is In Short with Todd Grimm
   
   I would suggest you start trying to think beyond just additive manufacturing and instead try to think about the bigger picture advantages that additive manufacturing represents, such as:
   
   
4. The integration of digital tools with mechanical processes
   
   
5. The potential for automating older processes using new digital capabilities.
   
   
6. Bespoke manufacturing and the "maker movement"
   
   If you think of it that way you will have a better perspective of what meta trends 3d printing is applying and then you can apply that knowledge to CNC, laser cutting and/or arm robots which share many of the same characteristics with 3d printing.
   
   I'd also suggest keeping your eye on the 5000+ people/organisations/companies who are active in the area but who release new things rarely. Examples of stuff I keep an eye on:
   
   
7. Computational Design of Mechanical Characters
   
   
8. 3d printed motor
   
   
9. Kniterate
   
   
10. Stitch Meshes for modelling Knitted Clothing
    
    
11. Luxexcel's 3d printed optics
    
    
12. Contour Crafting
    
    
13. DMG Mori Additive Subtractive Hybrid
    
    
    
    
    
    

Agreed, awesome article that details the importance and consequences of human factors and safety standards. I highly recommend the book 'Set Phasers to Stun' that collects examples of design and engineering oversight.

This one is cheap enough to check out even if it isn't the one you had before:
507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices (Dover Science Books)
by Henry T. Brown
https://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604

I know it sounds weird to you, but if you read "the design or everyday things" by Don Norman, you will encounter this idea.

The idea that products that you fail to use or make you feel stupid are bad designs and not "operator error."

It's a commonly held belief by designers and it makes more sense than you might think initially.

EDIT: another book even more relevant: this one is just stories of how people died because of bad designs https://www.amazon.com/Set-Phasers-Stun-Design-Technology/dp/0963617885

This probably isn't the most helpful answer, but any resources I might have used to learn the fundamentals myself are probably pretty outdated now. Honestly I'd just try to find highly rated books on Amazon that are reasonably priced. I haven't read this one for psych research methods, but looking through the table of contents, it covers a lot of what I'd expect (ethics, validity and reliability, study design and common methods) and according to the reviews it's clear, concise, and has good stats info in the appendix. I had a similar "handbook" style textbook in undergrad that I liked. For practicing stats, I'm personally more of a learn-by-doing kind of person, and there are some free courses out there like this one from Khan Academy that covers the basics fairly well.

But if you can, take courses in college as electives! Chances are you'll have a few to fill (or maybe audit some if you can't get credit), so go outside of HCDE's offerings to get some complementary skills in research or design. I usually find classrooms to be more engaging than trying to get through a textbook at home on my own, and especially for psych research methods, you'll probably have a project that gives you hands-on experience doing research with human subjects (most likely your peers). There are lots of free online courses out there as well if you aren't able to take them for credit.

You guys are making me miss school.

Getting specifically into UX self-study, in addition to a UX-specific research methods book (this is a newer version of one I read in school) I'd also go through the UX classics like Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things and Emotional Design, Krug's Don't Make Me Think, and Casey's Set Phasers on Stun (this last one being more of a fun read than a practical one).

GD&T Application and Interpretation by Bruce Wilson

Along with the study guide its pretty comprehensive.

Things like this remind me of "...and, last but not least, Set Phasers on Stun, the tragic tale of a medical patient who meets his fate beneath a poorly designed radiotherapy machine in Texas."

Sometimes, I wish I didn't know how the sausage is made.

these are the normal ways to avoid undercuts with snap hooks.

Bump off tooling is also an option.

You can also use living hinges to get undercuts on parts from a straight pull tool.


Plastic Part Design for Injection Molding: An Introduction By Robert Malloy is a great intro to IM part design and gives a basic intro to snap fits.

[The First Snap Fit Handbook]
(https://www.amazon.com/First-Snap-Fit-Handbook-3E-Attachments/dp/1569905959) by Bonenburger goes into a lot more detail.

Check second hand book sites for cheaper used copies (Abebooks.com is good).

There are free design guides online (of varying quality...) which give a brief intro but are usually just a few pages so obviously don't have the detail the books above do. This guide by Bayer is OK. (pdf link).

Yes.

Sixties Design A fun romp through the sixties curvy day glow design bent
Eames: Beautiful DetailsDefinitive Eames Book.
Industrial Design Raymond Loewy My favorite all time designer.
Infrastructure by Brian Hayes Not Sexy, but necessary.
Industrial Design A-Z, Taschen Everything by the letters.
PreFab HousesGood, if dated a little on prefab potential
1000 Chairs Bible of chairs
Things Come Apart They destroyed it beautifully for you
Trespass Street Art photographed and credited
Type Vol. 2 The Taschen site-order version comes with a digital code for Hi-Res digital downloads of each plate. Not sure if the amazon version does. Still worth it either way.
D&AD 11 All the D&AD books are a real tight look at that years best and worst commercial work.
Logo Design 2 I'm sure this has been updated, but good enough and much cheaper now.
DDR Design I have a soft spot for bolshevik propaganda forced into design.
1000 Retail Graphics It is what it says it is, not much more. Good for brainstorming, but not really inspiring.

I think if you haven't read the GOF Patterns book, and then gone through the Cocoa apis and spent some time "pattern spotting", then you're probably not really a professional grade developer.

When "Patterns" came out, there had never been a systematic approach to describing common software abstractions or how they solve various problems. We call it "software engineering" but it is usually practiced more like software carpentry.

OTOH, mechanical engineers have been able to draw on references like 507 Mechanical Movements since the mid 1800's.

I've worked with some designers who had books like these:

Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices

[507 Mechanical Movements and Designs]
(https://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484237480&sr=8-2&keywords=mechanisms)

Honestly though, these books might be good bathroom reading, but design comes down to experience. The more problems you solve, and the more things you make, the better your designs will be.

Having been a design engineer for a while now, the absolute best advice I can give you is to talk to the other people who will be using the stuff you design. Starting out, your designs aren't going to be the most elegant. Focus on getting something that is functional.

Then, talk to the machinist who is making the parts. He'll have some advice on what features are difficult to machine, or some features you could include that make your parts easier to manufacture, such as adding a flat surface to use as a datum for machining setups, or "bonus holes" that can be used for lifting or securing the parts on the machine. Maybe if you loosen some tolerances, he can order a piece of mill standard pipe instead of having to hog out a huge piece of round stock. Maybe if you tweak the geometry just a little bit, the part can be made on a manual machine instead of having to wait for the 5 axis CNC to open up.

Talk to the techs who have to operate or maintain the machines. What makes their jobs difficult? They'll know best what parts are hard to access, or which tightly packed assemblies don't have clearances to fit tools in, or what's constantly breaking and needs to be replaced often. They'll show you the "custom made tools" that they improvise so that they can actually work with your equipment.

Talk to the people in procurement, or your suppliers and vendors. Is there cheaper hardware you could use? Maybe switching materials would make it easier to source raw stock. Maybe there's an off-the-shelf coupling you could use instead of machining a custom bracket to join two components. These guys work with lots of other people in your industry, and will gladly share "how the other guy did it".

I'm in a similar position. I'm working on a PhD in Electrical Engineering, so that boat has pretty much sailed for me. I LOVE manufacturing processes and design. I hear these two books are good:
Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design

and
Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals

I might want to do a post of my own to see if I can get some advice for myself. Does anyone have ideas of how I can get into product design? I'm interested in things such as those that are posted on Yanko Design.

http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Packaging-Technology-FOURTH-EDITION-Walter/dp/1930268289

One of the best fundamentals books for packaging.

Amazon has it for Rent

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1930268289/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?ie=UTF8&refRID=CHV35NHAZ0SJWCHNYPBC

https://www.amazon.com/Print-Reading-Industry-Walter-Brown/dp/1605253081/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467926254&sr=8-2&keywords=blueprint+reading+for+industry cheap and tasty

It is three items

FE Review Manual: Rapid Preparation for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, 3rd Ed https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591263336/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hwvwDbHC762S7

Industrial Discipline-Specific Review for the FE/EIT Exam, 2nd Ed https://www.amazon.com/dp/159126068X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LwvwDbC81ZMYC

FE Industrial and Systems Practice Exam https://www.amazon.com/dp/1932613846/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5wvwDbYTTK6W5

Colbourne has one of the best books on the subject. I highly recommend it.

PDF original

The Atomic Chef and other true tales of design, technology, and human error

https://www.amazon.ca/Atomic-Chef-Other-Design-Technology/dp/0963617869

Printed on paper

Mechanisms like what would be found in this book:

507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices

(Dover Science Books) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486443604/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ijE3BbCSGQ3A3

Where could I purchase gears online?

A printing press and chest of books. At least one would be on paper making techniques. The other would be this. That's really all that would be necessary. I firmly believe that the printing press alone is responsible for the sudden rise of modern society.

Actually No. 2 just describes the hardness, and nothing else. But pencils have been evolving a lot over the years. For an interesting (but a little dry) history you can read the book "The Pencil." BTW I didn't downvote you!

I really enjoyed the history of the pencil, interesting history of a banal object.

It really depends on what you want to do. To get started in CAD get Matt Lombard's SolidWorks bible.

A healthy understanding of AutoCAD is vital, too, but I couldn't recommend any books.

This book on manufacturing processes is quite good.

A truly excellent book. It was one of the textbooks for my Human Factors classes in college.

EDIT: a link

I'd check out Don Norman's writings, maybe starting with Design of Everyday Things (AKA The psychology of Everyday Things).

Other books that lead you closer to Human Factors might be books like Set Phasers on Stun: or reading about the various HF Societies

https://www.amazon.com/Set-Phasers-Stun-Design-Technology/dp/0963617885

Set phasers on stun is the staple human factors book and exemplifies why proper ux is so important to product design.

https://www.amazon.com/Set-Phasers-Stun-Design-Technology/dp/0963617885

For gear and gearbox design I would recommend Dudley's Handbook of Practical Gear Design and Manufacture, Second Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1439866015/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LeltybEFADN5A

I use it frequently in the design of power transmission gearboxes. If I get stuck or need more calcification on a topic than the handbook calls out which industry Standards to reference.