The Product Design Laboratory of the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao was created as a response to the interest of its Department of Graphic Design and Engineering Projects in research and technological transfer in the areas of Product Design, Reverse Engineering and Rapid Prototyping.

The research group is made up of a group of Professors from the Department of Graphic Design and Engineering Projects, together with researchers specifically recruited for concrete projects and some postgraduate students carrying out research work to develop their doctoral theses, as well as a group of master students specialising in Product Design and Manufacturing.

The laboratory works with state-of-the-art equipment. Regarding data acquisition systems, it includes 3D scanners of several typologies such as Creaform's Handyscan GO!SCAN and Handyscan Revscan, Gom's ATOS 5M, as well as Grafinta's HP 3D Scan PRO S3.

The Product Design Laboratory is equipped with a Rapid Prototyping machine, a Dimension Elite model by Stratasys. It is also equipped with and holds the licenses for Reverse Engineering software such as Geomagic Design X (RapidForm XOR), Geomagic Studio, ATOS, Reality CApture, MeshLab and Agisoft, as well as the Geomagic Control and ATOS inspection software. Design software includes CatiaV5, Solid Edge ST and NX academic licenses.

The research group holds close collaborative relations with Laval University in Quebec, the Ensam of Bordeaux and Complutense University of Madrid. In the area of Ecodesign, the Group collaborates with IHOBE (publicly-owned company coming under the Basque Government's Ministry for the Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing) and the Basque Ecodesign Center.

Besides, through its researchers, the Laboratory is in good relation with the Aeronautical Research Room, the Tool Machine Research Room, the Basque Ecodesign Hub and the Ormazabal Work Place in the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao.

The research group works and has worked with a great number of companies, such as Creaform, IK4 Tekniker, Tecnalia, Innovalia, Obeki Innobe, Metronic, Mubea, Pukas, NGS, Pixel Sistemas, Amegari, ServiDAT, Makser, AsorCAD, Sistemodel, Azti, YAT Composites, ITP Aero, Wärtsilä, Novalti, Guascor, CIE automotive, Grupo Amaya Tellería, Grupo Ormazabal - Velatia, Macimbarrena Design Studio, Amegari Fishing Concepts Design Studio and Vicinay.Cadenas.