Mechanical engineering and product development services
Ascent Design is a mechanical engineering and product development practice based in Boulder, Colorado. Its experience spans every stage of physical product development, from concept and feasibility studies through prototyping, pre-production, and full-scale manufacturing. Principal Mechanical Engineer Ralph Burns has developed flight hardware, medical devices, consumer products, and manufacturing tooling, with work reflected in dozens of utility patents.
Ralph E. BurnsPresident and Principal Mechanical Engineer
Transforms creative concepts into physical realities, guiding projects from the earliest stages of feasibility assessment through prototyping and high-volume manufacturing.
Assesses project feasibility and estimates costs through proof-of-concept models to inform key business decisions.
Establishes structured project guidelines to eliminate ambiguity and align engineering outcomes.
Develops precise physical prototypes using targeted fabrication methods to validate design parameters.
Establishes, tests, and documents manufacturing processes and custom tooling.
Coordinates transition from initial pilot runs to full-scale, high-volume manufacturing environments.
Deploys specialized technical engineering to design components, assemblies, and mechanisms with a strong emphasis on manufacturability and high-performance physical behavior.
Integrates electrical hardware with mechanical systems for cohesive instrument and product packaging.
Engineers custom injection-molded and blow-molded plastic components optimized for strength and durability.
Applies advanced numerical simulations to analyze structural performance and material stress under load.
Refines designs to ensure efficient fabrication, assembly, and reduced production costs.
Medical Devices · Aerospace · Consumer Products · Manufacturing · Laboratories
Medical Devices · Client: Tri-Med International
Designed and engineered an effective dual-dose syringe utilizing an injection-blow molded bellows cartridge and a valve intrinsic to the rubber stopper. The design process incorporated large-displacement non-linear finite element analysis to tune critical design parameters.