Posts by Hannah Rumsey
How I Make My CAD Models Easier for Others (and Myself) to Understand, Use, and Update
Sometimes the hardest part of CAD design isn’t the part itself but making it quick and easy to reuse and/or modify in the future. I’ve seen smart engineers struggle with messy feature trees, broken references, and CAD files that only make sense to the person who created them. We’ve all been there and know how frustrating it can be. In this article, I’ll walk through what makes CAD models hard to understand, what information should always be included,…
Read MoreHow I Choose the Best Prototyping Material for a Project
Sometimes I get asked what the best materials are to prototype with. My typical answer is that it depends. So, I wrote down what it depends on. Hopefully this article helps you understand what prototyping materials to use and when. 5 Things to Consider Before You Start Prototyping 1. Your Testing & Validation Approach First, it’s important not to get too attached to your…
Read MoreCES 2026 Recap: Field Notes from the Floor
We just got back from CES 2026, and we’re still sorting through everything we saw. Rather than summarizing every booth and headline, we did something simple: we asked two teammates to share their biggest takeaways from the week. Below, each section is written in the author’s own voice. If you’re deciding what to build next, what tech is worth…
Read MoreCustom PCB Design vs. Off-the-shelf Boards: Which Is Right for Your Product?
A common question we hear from startups, product owners, and even seasoned engineering teams is this: Do we need a custom PCB design, or will an off-the-shelf board work just fine? What’s great about this question is that it’s not just a technical one, it’s also a business one. There are multiple factors to consider,…
Read MoreProject Management vs. Project Leadership: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters
You’ve likely heard a lot about project management, both within the field of engineering and outside of it. You might even have “project manager” in your title. This is all for good reason; managing budgets, timelines, and deliverables is needed for any successful project. But there’s another important piece that doesn’t get as much attention:…
Read MorePlant Maintenance Shouldn’t Be Reactive—Here’s How to Get Ahead
Smooth startups are great, but the real challenge lies in keeping equipment running at peak performance after installation. I’ve seen it too many times: the first few months go well, production hums along, and then… the machines go down unexpectedly. Those once seemingly insignificant parts are missing when you need them, preventative maintenance is hit-or-miss,…
Read MoreThe A-Surface Modeling Debate: Which CAD Software Reigns Supreme?
If you’ve ever been part of a product development team, especially in automotive, aerospace, or consumer goods, you’ve likely witnessed (or participated in) the age-old debate: What’s the best software for A-Surface modeling? At our office, it’s a topic that comes up again and again, and for good reason. From CATIA to NX, Creo, Rhino,…
Read MoreUnexpected Parallels Between Product Development and Jiu Jitsu
Twice a year, DISHER holds team offsites to evaluate progress, make improvements, and build connections. At one event, I mentioned wanting my three kids to try martial arts. My colleagues, Collin and Jeff, recommended Jiu Jitsu, emphasizing how beneficial it is for kids due to its complexity and cognitive benefits. My middle child asked if…
Read More7 Essential Strategies for Debugging Software
We’ve all had to troubleshoot technology at some point. Maybe it was resetting the microwave clock after a power outage, reconnecting a smart speaker that mysteriously dropped off the Wi-Fi, or figuring out why your printer refuses to print unless it’s in a particularly good mood. Even if you don’t write code, debugging is a…
Read MoreThe Developer’s Debugging Toolkit
Debugging can feel like solving a mystery, except the clues are buried in code, hardware, or network logs. Before you start, it’s important to take inventory of all your tools. The tools might look a little different depending on the domain you’re working in, but having the right ones at your disposal can make the…
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