1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
 
These Terms of Use govern access to and use of tier1engineer.com and the information, educational materials, graphics, tools, resources, products, and other content made available through the website by Tier-1 Engineer, LLC.
 
By accessing or using the website, you agree to these Terms of Use.
 
If you do not agree with these Terms, you should discontinue use of the website.
 
These Terms apply to general website use. Purchases, Tier-1 Design Readiness System engagements, and other specific services may also be governed by additional terms presented at the time of purchase or engagement.
 
2. WEBSITE PURPOSE
 
Tier-1 Engineer provides practical engineering and manufacturing information intended to help users better understand product design, manufacturing processes, design-for-manufacturing principles, engineering fundamentals, and related technical topics.
 
Website content may include:

• Manufacturing Process Primers;

• Engineering & Design Basics;

• technical articles and explanations;

• diagrams, graphics, illustrations, and examples;

• design and manufacturing guidance;

• Tier-1 Playbook information and previews;

• calculators, reference materials, or technical tools;

• product-development information;

• information regarding Tier-1 Design Readiness System services; and

• other engineering and manufacturing resources.
   

The website is intended to make practical engineering and manufacturing knowledge easier to understand and apply.
 
3. EDUCATIONAL & INFORMATIONAL CONTENT
 
Unless expressly stated otherwise, information published on the website is provided for general educational and informational purposes.
 
Engineering and manufacturing decisions depend on many project-specific factors, including geometry, materials, loading, tolerances, manufacturing process, equipment, supplier capability, operating conditions, regulatory requirements, safety considerations, production volume, inspection methods, and intended use.
 
General website content cannot account for every condition applicable to a specific product or project.
Users are responsible for determining whether information found on the website is appropriate for their particular application.
 
4. NO PROJECT-SPECIFIC ENGINEERING APPROVAL
 
Use of the website does not create an engineering engagement, consulting relationship, Engineer of Record relationship, professional engineering relationship, or other professional-client relationship with Tier-1 Engineer, LLC.
 
Website content does not constitute:

• approval of a specific design;

• validation of a product or concept;

• production or tooling approval;

• supplier approval;

• safety certification;

• regulatory or code compliance review;

• professional engineering certification;

• manufacturing release authorization;

• product certification; or

• a guarantee of manufacturability, performance, reliability, cost, or production success.
   

Following a design rule, guideline, example, recommendation, or other information published on the website does not mean that Tier-1 Engineer, LLC has reviewed or approved a user's specific design or application.
 
Project-specific engineering review services are provided separately through the Tier-1 Design Readiness System and are governed by the applicable Tier-1 Design Readiness System Terms & Conditions.
 
5. USER RESPONSIBILITY
 
Users remain responsible for evaluating and verifying information before applying it to a product, design, manufacturing process, or engineering decision.
 
Appropriate verification may include:

• independent engineering judgment;

• calculations and analysis;

• prototype development;

• testing and validation;

• supplier consultation;

• material verification;

• dimensional verification;

• inspection;

• tooling review;

• manufacturing validation;

• regulatory review;

• safety review; and

• consultation with appropriately qualified professionals.
   

Tier-1 Engineer, LLC is not responsible for decisions made solely on the basis of general website content.
 
6. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
 
Unless otherwise stated, the website and its original content are owned by or licensed to Tier-1 Engineer, LLC and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual-property laws.
 
Protected materials may include:

• written content;

• Manufacturing Process Primers;

• Engineering & Design Basics content;

• technical explanations;

• graphics and illustrations;

• photographs owned by Tier-1 Engineer;

• diagrams;

• tables;

• charts;

• layouts;

• design rules and reference materials;

• document structures;

• Tier-1 Playbook content and previews;

• branding;

• logos;

• terminology;

• review frameworks;

• website design elements; and

• other original materials.
   

The Tier-1 Engineer name, branding, logos, and Tier-1 Design Readiness System materials may not be used in a manner that implies affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement, or authorization without prior written permission.
 
7. PERMITTED USE OF WEBSITE CONTENT
 
Users may access and use publicly available website content for ordinary personal, educational, professional, and internal business reference purposes.
 
Reasonable use may include:

• reading and referencing website content;

• applying general concepts to one's own work;

• sharing links to Tier-1 Engineer webpages;

• citing Tier-1 Engineer as a source where appropriate; and

• using information as one input into independent engineering or manufacturing decisions.
   

Unless expressly authorized, access to website content does not transfer ownership or grant a license to commercially republish, redistribute, reproduce, or sell Tier-1 Engineer content.
 
8. PROHIBITED USE
 
Without prior written authorization from Tier-1 Engineer, LLC, users may not:

• reproduce substantial portions of the website for redistribution;

• copy or republish Tier-1 Engineer content as their own;

• sell, sublicense, or commercially distribute website content;

• reproduce Tier-1 Engineer materials in competing guides, courses, databases, websites, or services;

• remove copyright, trademark, attribution, or ownership notices;

• impersonate Tier-1 Engineer, LLC or its representatives;

• represent Tier-1 Engineer content as approval of a specific design or product;

• use Tier-1 Engineer branding in a misleading or unauthorized manner;

• attempt to bypass website security or access controls;

• introduce malware, malicious code, or disruptive software;

• interfere with the operation or security of the website;

• use automated systems to excessively scrape, harvest, download, or reproduce website content; or

• systematically use Tier-1 Engineer content to create, train, populate, or materially improve a competing commercial knowledge base, artificial-intelligence system, engineering reference service, or content product without written authorization.
   

Reasonable indexing by legitimate search engines and ordinary website accessibility technologies are not prohibited by this Section.
 
9. PRODUCTS, PLAYBOOKS & PURCHASES
 
Tier-1 Engineer may offer digital products, reference materials, Playbooks, engineering services, or other paid products through the website.
 
Prices, product descriptions, availability, and purchase conditions may change from time to time.
 
Purchases may be subject to additional product-specific terms, license conditions, refund policies, checkout terms, or service agreements presented at or before purchase.
 
Purchasing a Tier-1 Playbook or other digital product does not transfer ownership of the underlying intellectual property.
 
Unless otherwise stated, purchased digital materials are licensed for the purchaser's own personal, professional, or internal business use and may not be resold, redistributed, uploaded for public access, or commercially reproduced.
 
10. TIER-1 DESIGN READINESS SYSTEM SERVICES
 
Information presented on the website regarding Concept Reviews, Design Reviews, DFM Audits, Initial Assessments, Review Levels, pricing, lead times, or other engineering services is general informational material.
 
Actual project scope, pricing, lead time, required information, and engagement conditions are established through the applicable project submission and Initial Assessment process.
 
Tier-1 Design Readiness System engagements are governed by the applicable Tier-1 Design Readiness System Terms & Conditions, project-specific Initial Assessment, Approved Scope, and any separately executed written agreement.
 
Website descriptions do not expand or modify an Approved Scope unless expressly incorporated into the applicable engagement in writing.
 
11. THIRD-PARTY LINKS & SERVICES
 
The website may include links to third-party websites, manufacturers, suppliers, software providers, standards organizations, retailers, educational resources, or other external services.
 
Tier-1 Engineer, LLC does not control and is not responsible for the content, availability, security, accuracy, products, services, or privacy practices of independently operated third-party websites.
 
A link to a third-party website does not necessarily constitute endorsement, approval, or warranty of that third party or its products or services.
 
Users access third-party websites at their own discretion.
 
12. AFFILIATE LINKS & COMMERCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
 
Some links or recommendations on the website may be affiliate links or may otherwise result in compensation to Tier-1 Engineer, LLC.
 
Where applicable, Tier-1 Engineer may receive a commission or other compensation when a user purchases a product or service through such a link.
 
Affiliate relationships do not increase the price paid by the user unless expressly stated otherwise.
 
Tier-1 Engineer aims to present products, tools, services, and resources based on their relevance and usefulness, but users remain responsible for evaluating whether any third-party product or service is appropriate for their needs.
 
13. ACCURACY & UPDATES
 
Tier-1 Engineer makes reasonable efforts to provide useful and accurate information.
 
However, engineering practices, manufacturing processes, technologies, materials, equipment, standards, regulations, supplier capabilities, software, pricing, and other technical information may change over time.
 
Website content may contain errors, omissions, outdated information, simplified explanations, or information that does not apply to a particular application.
 
Tier-1 Engineer, LLC may revise, update, remove, or replace website content at any time without obligation to update previously accessed or downloaded material.
 
14. NO WARRANTIES
 
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the website and its content are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied.
 
Tier-1 Engineer, LLC does not warrant or guarantee:

• accuracy or completeness of all website content;

• suitability for a particular application;

• manufacturability;

• product performance;

• tooling success;

• production success;

• regulatory compliance;

• product safety;

• supplier performance;

• commercial success;

• uninterrupted website availability; or

• error-free operation of the website.

Use of website information is at the user's own judgment and discretion.
 
15. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
 
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Tier-1 Engineer, LLC will not be liable for losses, damages, costs, or claims arising from or related to access to, use of, inability to use, interpretation of, or reliance upon general website content.
 
This includes indirect, incidental, consequential, special, commercial, or business-related damages, including:

• tooling costs;

• manufacturing losses;

• scrap or rework;

• product failures;

• prototype failures;

• production downtime;

• supplier disputes;

• lost profits;

• lost revenue;

• business interruption;

• redesign costs;

• warranty claims;

• customer claims;

• recalls;

• regulatory issues; or

• other downstream losses.
   

Nothing in this Section limits liability to the extent such limitation is prohibited by applicable law.
 
Paid engineering services are subject to the separate liability provisions contained in the applicable Tier-1 Design Readiness System Terms & Conditions or other governing agreement.
 
16. WEBSITE AVAILABILITY & SECURITY
 
Tier-1 Engineer, LLC may modify, suspend, restrict, or discontinue any portion of the website at any time.
 
The website may occasionally be unavailable because of:

• maintenance;

• software updates;

• hosting outages;

• network interruptions;

• third-party service failures;

• cyber incidents;

• equipment failures; or

• other circumstances outside Tier-1 Engineer's reasonable control.
   

Tier-1 Engineer does not guarantee continuous or uninterrupted access to the website.
 
Users may not attempt to interfere with, damage, compromise, or gain unauthorized access to the website or systems used to operate it.
 
17. PRIVACY

Use of the website is also subject to the Tier-1 Engineer Privacy Policy, which explains how personal information may be collected, used, shared, stored, and protected.

Where the website uses cookies or similar technologies, additional information and user choices may be available through the site's cookie consent system.

18. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS

Tier-1 Engineer, LLC may update these Terms of Use from time to time.

The current version will be posted on the website with the applicable effective date.

Changes apply to website use occurring after the updated Terms become effective.

Changes to these Website Terms of Use do not retroactively modify an active paid engineering engagement governed by separate Tier-1 Design Readiness System Terms & Conditions or another written agreement.

19. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of the State of Iowa, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Any dispute arising from general use of the website will be subject to the applicable courts serving the location of Tier-1 Engineer, LLC's principal place of business, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

20. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

Any invalid provision will be limited or interpreted only to the extent reasonably necessary to preserve its intended effect while complying with applicable law.

21. ENTIRE AGREEMENT REGARDING WEBSITE USE

These Terms of Use and the Tier-1 Engineer Privacy Policy constitute the general terms governing use of the Tier-1 Engineer website.

They do not replace product-specific purchase terms, Tier-1 Design Readiness System Terms & Conditions, Initial Assessments, Approved Scopes, NDAs, or other separately executed agreements applicable to a specific transaction or engagement.

22. CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions regarding these Terms of Use may be directed to:
Tier-1 Engineer, LLC
Website: tier1engineer.com
Email: info@tier1engineer.com