So... you think you can design?

22F

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Mod squad, if this isn't the appropriate area to post this, please re-locate as appropriate.
I'll take the field punishment, rather than the charge o_O

Late last year, I got myself into a design project.
Plans are afoot for an in-house design project to release our inaugural product.
Considerable thought and brainstorming has been going on around here. There’s been a few ideas for projects I’d like to make, simply to keep myself busy, mentally active, off the streets and more importantly – out of gaol!
What’s really funny is that I haven’t done any real technical drawing since high-school, which was a couple of decades ago…
Stay tuned and keep watching this space! It should be an interesting ride.
 

22F

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Just a quick update to keep you all in the loop.
Initial concept drawings were completed – these are the sort of things executed on the back of a napkin/serviette with a crayon.
I had grand plans to do some plans and drawings by hand. A great idea, until the realisation that I haven't done any technical drawing since highschool (about 20 years ago) and that I really suck at drawing – it was no joke during my service as an infantry soldier that crayons were more my style.
The next big idea was to make a model. You guessed it, I have the coordination of a drunken cow.
The Dark Lords have seen to smile on me though, with some fortuitous networking putting me in touch with a wizard CAD draftsman.
It's great to have him on the team, and it's a great opportunity to work with, develop and mentor a young man just starting out in project work and product development that I've managed to pick up along the way in the last two decades of professional industry experience.
So, what is happening now?
My rough concept drawings are in the process of being deciphered and translated into electronic 3D CAD format.
The next phase will be design maturation and development before moving onto two phases of prototyping and certification.
Exciting times are ahead. It's a ray of hope and sunshine, something to focus on besides a lacklustre professional/work life at the moment.
Keep following along, I think it's going to be a hell of a ride.
 

Cad Bane

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Active BIM manager here. Have been in the virtual modeling game for going on 2 decades. If another set of eyes is needed I have some.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
 

22F

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The latest update and achievements from our design project.
The short version:

We have provided practical work experience to allow our team member to graduate university.

And, we're about to conduct the next step (scale-up) and are looking for a CNC capable engineering workshop to partner with for mass production.
Does anyone know of a business in the Brisbane (preferable) or South East Queensland that may be wishing to partner with us on this?

http://packsandbeyond.com/2016/05/so-you-think-you-can-design-part-4/
 

22F

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Our latest update, and there's pretty pictures for all you visual learners:

http://packsandbeyond.com/2016/07/so-you-think-you-can-design-part-5/

Since our last announcement HERE, we have another announcement to share about our M-Lok compatible fore-arm for the Marlin 336.

The second prototype (Prototype 1B) has been completed via 3D printing.

Except for a couple of small points, the design is now complete.

The next step is start discussions with CNC capable workshops for scale-up to mass manufacturing.

So…. if anyone can suggest an engineering workshop with CNC capability, preferably in the Brisbane/South East Queensland area that they know of, I’m all ears!

We're really pleased with how this project is going.
 

22F

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Excitement is building!

The Packs and Beyond design team (a draftsman and myself) have finalized our design prior to a pre-production prototype being manufactured.
This pre-production sample will be CNC’ed in aluminium.

We were just saying to each other how amazing this project has been.
We live at opposite ends of the country, and have conducted an industrial design project only possible with an internet connection - especially since its budget is pretty lean. Literally being run on the smell of an oily rag.

It’s pretty bloody amazing when you think about it.

I’ll have more pics of our second prototype (Prototype 1B) up as soon as possible.
 

22F

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The latest update from the Packs and Beyond design team.
Some very pretty pictures can be found here:
http://packsandbeyond.com/2018/03/so-you-think-you-can-design-part-7/#more-3044


Our last announcement last year just before Christmas (seen HERE) was pretty big for us.

Progress for our M-Lok compatible forearm for the Marlin 336 lever action rifle is continuing full steam ahead.

Prototype 2 arrived two days before my departure for SHOT Show in January.
It was really exciting to be able to show it off in America to garner attention.

We’ve had a baseline examination for Non-Destructive Testing, prior to conducting real world testing. This will be compared to a post-use analysis to determine any failure points.

We’ve had the usual small hiccoughs of a design project of this nature. Overcoming those has been a very good learning experience for the Packs and Beyond design team.

Since Prototype 2 has now been fitted to my Mistress (review seen HERE) to continue the most fun part of the project: live fire usage, handling and ergonomic assessment.

This data will be used to further develop and mature the design prior to the next steps of a production run.

.

At the moment, it’s fitted with the a Magpul AFG (Angled Fore Grip), a Magpul sling attachment point and an Arisaka Industries light mount carrying a Surefire Fury. It’s thought that this configuration will maximize utility with minimal protuberances as possible.

We’re really excited to have reached this stage, and actually have a real product in our hands.

We’re going to be doing a fair bit of shooting on public ranges in the South East corner of Queensland, so if you see us, don’t hesitate to walk up and say G’day!
 
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