The Product Development Technology Station (PDTS) partnered with Childline Free State to design, develop, manufacture, brand, and package the Rocket Ship Teething Toy, delivering a 400-unit production run that supports child welfare and community initiatives. The teething toys were produced from medical-grade silicone using injection moulding, with PDTS employing rapid (limit-run) tooling methods to make the required tooling inserts efficiently. This project exemplifies how collaborative innovation can convert an idea into a market-ready product with social impact.

PDTS is a dynamic hub for end-to-end product development. Comprising five specialised units, PDTS offers customised services across product design, prototyping, tooling, manufacturing, branding, and short-run production. These units work together through interdisciplinary collaboration to create innovative, market-ready solutions.

For the Rocket Ship Teething Toy, the Advanced Machining and Tooling Unit produced the CAD designs, prototypes, and tooling, while the Graphic Design and Branding Unit developed the product identity (logo), colour palette, typography, visual elements, and packaging design. The integrated approach ensured technical quality, strong brand identity, and production readiness.

PDTS’s mission is to transform innovative ideas into functional products and to enhance existing ones through careful engineering and design. The unit supports businesses, innovators, and individuals across the product development journey, from concept through to short-run manufacturing and branding. Projects like the Rocket Ship Teething Toy highlight the value of university-based innovation units in fostering skills development, driving innovation, and enabling commercialisation, while delivering tangible benefits to the community.