Kurt Dudley.
Independent consulting / Kurt Dudley

Design the part.
Develop the process.
Plan for production.

I help identify where additive manufacturing, advanced materials, and design automation can remove a bottleneck and create a practical path from prototype to production.

Available for consulting engagements and full-time roles in application engineering, design, and advanced manufacturing.

See the approach in practice: Evol Sciences & composite tooling ↗
01

Additive manufacturing & production strategy

Bridge rapid prototyping and scalable production.

Identify where additive manufacturing provides a practical advantage, then connect it to the right production method. Focus on reducing manual work, shortening tooling lead times, and increasing throughput.

  • Process and material selection for prototyping and low-volume production
  • 3D printed tooling for resin casting, injection molding, thermoforming, and metal casting
  • Technical-ceramic tooling for thermoplastic-composite forming
  • Production bottleneck analysis and paths to higher throughput
02

3D design & design for additive manufacturing

Start with the process. Build in design control.

Develop parametrically controllable geometry around the intended material, manufacturing process, and product requirements, making iteration and customization repeatable.

  • DFAM and production-oriented 3D design
  • Topology and feature development within manufacturing constraints
  • Wall thickness, clearances, build orientation, and post-processing considerations
  • Part consolidation and design refinement for fit, function, and scale
03

AI automation & design workflows

Turn customer choices into designs that can be made.

Connect intuitive customization workflows with image generation, multi-view editing, mesh generation, and AI-assisted CAD. Build manufacturing rules into the workflow from the beginning.

  • Text-to-image and multi-image generation and editing
  • Image-to-mesh and AI-assisted CAD workflow development
  • Parametric controls for application-specific customization
  • Geometry review and preparation for the intended manufacturing process
04

Advanced materials & composites

Develop the material and the process together.

Application-specific formulations and process development spanning SLA resins, cell-culture applications, technical ceramics, elastomers, and advanced composites.

  • Custom 3D printable resins and ceramic formulations
  • Graphene, carbon nanotube (CNT), and boron nitride composite systems
  • Thermal, electrical, and high-temperature application requirements
  • Material-process compatibility and application-specific validation planning
05

Integrated product development

Connect the idea to a practical production path.

Develop products across mechanical design, electronics and sensor integration, prototyping, and manufacturing strategy—with attention to both the first functional part and the route to scale.

  • Concept development and product architecture
  • Electronic and sensor integration
  • Functional prototyping and iterative refinement
  • Rapid manufacturing, production tooling, and post-processing automation
How the work begins

Understand the system
before choosing the solution.

01 / Map the need

Find the real constraint.

Understand the product, the people making it, and the manual steps, tooling delays, or design limitations affecting delivery.

02 / Develop the approach

Connect geometry, material, and process.

Use application-specific design and prototyping to test the approach and refine it against manufacturing requirements.

03 / Build the path forward

Prepare for repeatability and scale.

Identify the tooling, automation, post-processing, and production methods needed as demand grows.

From invention to market
0 → 1 → 1,000,000

A way of thinking about the full journey: enable the idea, make a functional product, and plan for scalable manufacturing.

Consulting experience. Team-wide contribution.

Bring this approach to your team.

These services reflect the capabilities I bring to a full-time role: connecting design decisions to materials, manufacturing, automation, and product outcomes.

More about Kurt →
Custom machine design & process development

From process bottleneck
to patented architecture.

Rotational printing, resin delivery, and mechatronics synchronization with multiple tiled projectors.

See my 3D printing systems engineering →