| Aim |
To provide a concise and
efficient conversion of your concept to reality |
| Services |
Mechanical design, CAD design
and drafting, CAD animations, prototype fabrication, display standard models. |
| Assets |
Inventor2010 CAD.
Well equipped in house workshop and many links to wide range of specialists
in industry. |
|
|
What we do
We provide a support service right from that first spark of an idea, assist
you nurturing it into a viable concept and help to turn it into reality.
We develop the concept through CAD to produce a virtual prototype, produce
marketing presentations and animations, and develop detailed prototype
drawings. We can build it for you as well
Our strength is our exposure to many different aspects of industry,
both "hands on" and design
Examples of our work. Showcase projects marked **
Engine
Stokes engine, design and construction of first prototype to running
stage.
Industrial
*1* Ezyloader 'Hideaway' design and construction of prototype collapsible
lifter
Hydraulic twin line rotary union
*2* Innovative sheet metal forming machine (Animation)
Regenerative drive-retardation system, Two stage gearbox for transport
industry
Ergonomic
Powered articulated crutch
*3* Seat base for office chair Animations
*4* Mobile phone personal collection system - Rivet Equipped (photo)
Calibration rig for intelligent cycle crank
Aviation
Mining
*7* Drill rig gearbox (parts list
Explosion proof instrument enclosure
Stokes Engine
The Stokes engine is an internal combustion engine which does not have
the crucially limiting feature of a crankshaft. Pistons in a typical crank
shaft equipped engine have a fixed pattern of motion which leads to a fixed
(and not necessarily the most appropriate) pattern of volumetric gas expansion
and exchange.
The engine features four opposing pistons with wedge shaped crowns
to form an X shaped combustion chamber. Rotational movement is transmitted
to/from the pistons by a cam ring. The cam ring profile can be changed
to produce a wide range of gas expansion and exchange profiles.
Advantages include:-
-
A fully balanced engine with only torque pulses to be dealt with.
-
Lower exhaust gas temperature and pressure leading to less exhaust noise.
-
Less requirement for a cooling system as the engine is only exposed to
heat exchange for a shorter time.
-
The pattern of combustion takes advantage of the natural cooling of the
exhaust cycle, which was previously unavailable.
The engine was designed and built entirely in house, and ran successfully
on fuel as a four stroke and on gas as a two stroke.
Ezyloader hideaway
Designed and built following a customer request for a low profile stowed
version of the traditional loader, the Hideaway went from concept to production
in only six weeks.
The Hideaway uses a slightly scaled down version of the traditional
loader, mounted on a pair of triangular frames and extended by a hydraulic
cylinder. The stowage box is around 400 by 400 by the width of a ute, and
extends to a working height of around 1.5 meters above the vehicle tray.
It allows the operator a 3.6 metre radius of movement 360° around the
vehicle.
As the main booms are always held horizontal by hydraulics, the operator
provides the minimal amount of force required to move the load of up to
300kg. Unlike a boom type crane, the operator stays with the load, allowing
fast and accurate placing of the load. The split boom allows the operator
to move around the vehicle and return directly to it, or circle obstructions
effortlessly as required.
Hydraulic twin rotary union
Designed as an addition to the Ezyloader Hideaway, this device allows
hydraulic oil to pass from the body of the loader up to the beam, regardless
of the number of rotations of the beam. It replaced two hoses which previously
were prone to damage from excess rotation of the beam
Sheet metal forming machine
This project (more of an obsession really) was developed in-house over
several years in response to the need for a machine to form a increasingly
complex series of parts for repairs and fabrication within the aircraft
industry. Although basically a pan brake, rapid adjustment of the clamp
lock, multiple clamps and forming bars allow it to make a much greater
variety of shapes than traditional machines, and it can be easily adjusted
into several different working modes with only one tool.
The machine can form a wide range of folds not normally possible with
a pan break – reverse folds, partial folds, interrupted folds,
variable radius folds, over square folds, joggles etc. The folder is complemented
by a guillotine, a bench shear and rollers.
Seat base for office chair
The seat base is a solution to the problem of office chair bases. An
increasingly large percentage of workplace injuries occur as a result of
people having accidents when alighting or exiting five castor chairs, or
by retaining poor posture when moving chairs across unforgiving surfaces.
The seat base provides a friction free movement in both lateral and
fore aft axes, and is provided with a weight brake. The weight brake only
disconnects when the seat is occupied, and when the operator has turned
to face the work space. This allows people to enter and exit the seat as
easily as a fixed seat. The work zone is an arc which can be adjusted to
suit the work space.
The low forces required to move the seat when in the normal operating
position greatly reduce fatigue and potential damage to the operators spine.
A second brake, which only operates on the fore aft axis, can be set by
the operator, or left in the off position, which also encourages the user
to retain a better posture.
The base can be a free standing device or low profile rails can be
secured to the floor, either above the floor, or rebated into a false floor
for a truly flush.
After several attempts to develop this concept by other companies,
we approached this task with a clean sheet and produced four progressively
improving and enlightening test prototypes, identifying and solving a number
of interesting and subtle challenges. The most recent device is now in
the first stages of production.
This design raised many interesting challenges- it had to cope with
a wide range of operator weights, and its 'feel' in several areas, required
a lot of detail design to perfect. It is an excellent example of how a
seemingly straightforward design can be challenged by the need to account
for the wide range of human factors and sizes
Powered articulated crutch
The powered articulated crutch is a device which aids people with leg
injuries, who lack the strength or stability required to rise un-aided.
This allows a higher degree of independence for some patients and also
reduces risk to care givers. The device uses a linear actuator designed
in house for the task, to telescopically extend or retract the foot. The
upper half of the crutch also collapses to allow easier stowage or to allow
the operator to use the crutch as a more convenient walking aid.
Calibration rig for intelligent cycle crank
The calibration rig was designed to allow the designer of an intelligent
bicycle crank to calibrate his device. The crank is able to measure tension,
torsion, bend and compression loads on the crank and from that information,
the power and style of an athlete can be determined and modified to improve
performance.
The crank rig had to turn the crank at a speed of 120rpm and provide
a constant and known load to the crank. The rig also had to cope with the
different lengths of the adjustable crank.
The test rig had to supply a constant load in one direction, so a fluidic
muscle was used. This allows an accurate constant load to be used with
low input pressure, maintaining a safe laboratory environment.
Mining
Drill rig gearbox
