Podcasts Have Arrived!!!

What better way to explain what we do than to talk about it!

We recently recorded a series of Podcasts with Great Yorkshire Radio talking about design, about what we do and who we are; we’ll publish them over the next few weeks in parallel with the radio broadcasts, so here’s the first about our clients and how we save them stress and hassle!

 

The Complete Beginners Guide to Squiggles

SquiggleWe have recently recorded a series of podcasts about Makersmith, our clients and our design and manufacturing processes. During one interview the interviewer said “So actually, you start with a squiggle and turn it into a real product?” – and of course the answer is “Yes, that’s exactly what we do…” but, like most things it isn’t quite as straightforward as that.  First you have to have to ask what is a squiggle?, where does a squiggle come from? and lots more besides:

What is a squiggle?

The Oxford Dictionary definition is “A short line that curls and loops in an irregular way.” That’s sort of it, but not quite, our squiggle is much more than this…

Our squiggle can be:

  • A very rough sketch of an idea on paper – or a paper napkin – or the back of your hand
  • A thought that you can just about describe – in your mind – or in the mind of your client
  • A shape that you have seen and that you can describe in space with your hands
  • Something drawn in the sand on a beach
  • A pattern that you have seen – the pine needles lying on a path, the waves on a beach, the texture of a fabric
  • A set of words that describe what you want

And once seen, squigglers can say “I want it like this”; it’s a starting point on a path of design…

Where does a squiggle come from?   

Yoga shapesIn your dreams… . Ideas do come from dreams, perhaps one of the most fundamental was Niels Bohr when he was inspired to describe the structure of the atom by a dream. You may dream of products, structures, shapes, landscapes, machines…

The world around us: the natural world contains so many complex shapes, so many simple shapes and they can all inspire new products, new forms for products, new structures and inspiring buildings.

Our man-made world: often one idea, one shape or form or function will inspire others as contrast or reaction.

Necessity: sometimes only one shape will work or will fit in a space – only one squiggle will do…

leaf pattern2Competition: “I want one like that” or “ I don’t want one like that” are both powerful drivers for creators of things

Clients: your clients have their own squiggles that they pass on to you. You end up with a whole pile of the things – it would be great if someone could take those from you and resolve the squiggles into something concrete…

Where does a squiggle go?

For us, squiggles always go somewhere; we are presented with a squiggle of thought, words or drawing and take it through a sometimes huge process to come out at the other end with a product – a thing – that the was the intention of the original squiggler.   And the say “ah yes, that is just what my squiggle meant…”

Sometimes along the way one squiggle gives rise to others as we generate and select ideas, but always the squiggles become more fully formed as tangible shapes, components and processes develop.

That’s where our expertise lies – in taking the squiggle and delivering the living product.

Do you have a squiggle?

There’s always something that you can put into a squiggle. Our clients rely on us to take their ideas forward from that squiggle to the end product, we also generate squiggles, idea, concepts of our own for clients.

If you have a squiggle or your business has a squiggle, get in touch -we can make your squiggle live!lightbulb water

https://www.makersmith.works/

Modular Design

Modularity is a great concept – in buildings – in products – in transport systems; anywhere there’s a need for flexibility combined with cost effective production.

But what is modular design? Put very simply it’s LEGO®; lots of pieces produced in quantity but capable of assembly into a number – or in the case of Lego, an unimaginable number – of design combinations.

We also ought to distinguish between modular product and pre-fabricated product as there’s often confusion between the two.

Pre-fabricated products are those which are made and assembled in one place – usually the factory -and then shipped complete or mostly complete to their point of end use. As opposed to assembling the product at the point of end use.  This most often applies to building structures which traditionally were built from individual components – bricks and mortar for example – on site. Pre-fabricated buildings are built in a factory and moved whole to the site, this eliminates a lot of risk, cost and effort on site in favour of a more streamlined factory process.

Pre-fabricated products are also often modular as well, but they don’t have to be.

The key issue in modular design is the interaction of the various elements when they are assembled in their various configurations. The ease of assembly and the correct interfacing between the modular elements requires considerable design thought.

This is one of the huge benefits of using computer aided design systems (CAD) as most mainstream packages have features that facilitate modularity.

Here at Makersmith we use SolidWorks as our core 3D CAD system and this allows us to completely visualise and test designs before they are manufactured or constructed. In particular, SolidWorks has a “configuration” feature that allows you to easily create variations of a basic part design as well as easily assemble multiple parts into a range of different assemblies.  This process works equally well for large structures such as buildings as it does for simple individual parts.

The short video shows how a simple model of a piece of pipe can easily be configured with length and diameter variations – all with the same basic geometry. It’s really a very powerful tool indeed.

Modular Structure

We use the same process to construct modular structures that are assembled from many hundreds of parts:

The great thing about doing this is that it’s easy to check all the interfaces and connections to ensure that design detail is fully resolved and that there are no unanswered questions.

Designing and developing modular systems is really satisfying and it’s great when they go together and simply work; it’s probably because we still enjoy playing with LEGO®!

If you want to see more about an early modular building system then this is a great article:

http://www.metropolismag.com/cities/the-enduring-lives-of-sasa-machtigs-modular-creations/

Why Design Processes are the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread…

In life there is always a tension between rules and freedom; how much do you restrict freedom in order to preserve it?

The same tension exists in the product design and manufacturing process. If you don’t have some ground rules then there’s a probability, actually a really high probability, that you won’t get anywhere meaningful with the design, let alone get something made at the end the process.

The trick is that the rules have to facilitate the freedom – and no more. You could say that so as long as whatever rules or systems you have don’t get in the way of your end objective then that’s OK.  But that’s not good enough, your rules and systems have to have a really positive benefit and not merely not be neutral.

Here at Makersmith one of our main services is to design and make special products and projects for Built Environment specialists – that’s architects, builders, interior and landscape designers. To do that really effectively we have a process, a framework, that we go through in order to ensure that we get the design- and the end product – right first time.

mark-duffel-422279-unsplashWorking within a defined framework means that designers have more freedom to focus on being creative without having to think too much about the overall process and whether they are on the right track. It’s a bit like going out for a walk and going from waymarker to waymarker.  You can explore and admire the view but when you get to the next signpost you know you are on the right route to reach the end.

What we do isn’t radically new but, because we do it every time, it works. So if you are our client our waymarked process goes like this:

  1. We listen to you and find out what you really want to achieve with the design – or project. Sometimes we realise that what you really need isn’t what you are asking for – in which case we’ll tell you!
  2. Your objectives are embedded in a complete specification that will roll all the way through the project and includes every factor and influence.
  3. You get to sign that off.
  4. We then indulge in our freedom to design – within the rules of the specification – and come up with viable design concepts. These are always 3 dimension computer models so that you can really see what the design looks like.
  5. In a meeting with you we agree the best option and you sign it off.
  6. The detail design is then worked out to give a really efficient and cost effective end product.
  7. Just to make sure we sit down with you to make sure that you are entirely happy and then you get out your pen again and sign the design off to production.
  8. There’s not so much freedom now but instead we focus on cost effective manufacturing processes; we make the project.
  9. Finally of course, we ship, or deliver and install the project. Unsurprisingly it looks just like the computer model and matches the specification.
  10. You are very happy.

That’s it in a nutshell, it works, and better still, it means that you know throughout the process how things are going and what your project is looking like. We don’t go off into a corner and suddenly produce a finished product that isn’t quite what you wanted.

So – that’s why design processes are better than sliced bread…

Toast anyone?

 

Supporting Safe Working (Literally..!)

Pulsar Instruments Plc, founded nearly 50 years ago, is an established and well-respected manufacturer of noise measurement instruments. The devices are used exclusively by health and safety professionals to monitor industrial noise levels and to ensure that they remain legal.

Safeer Sign
The finished SafeEar Max sign

Makersmith were asked to manufacture structural framing to support Pulsar’s innovative SafeEar Max signs which can be wall or pole mounted in factories or worksites.

 

The front panel can be changed to provide hearing protection warnings or simply messages to encourage people to reduce noise.

We manufactured and assembled the frames from CNC cut plywood sections so that they would be both cost-effective and stable.

Using plywood in this way allowed us to make the frame elements self-aligning so improving accuracy and simplifying assembly.

Framing Components
Plywood framing components

 

The client was really pleased and gave us the following feedback:

“Thanks for the wooden frames, they’ve been a great success for this project, providing suitable stiffness for the environments they’ll be used in plus the flexibility for the customer to mount them in various locations.”

It pay to think “outside the box” for structural products; see what we can do then talk to us and we can help with solutions in timber, steel and a wide range of other materials.

 

Assembled frames in a stack
Assembled plywood structural frames

It’s been great to work with Pulsar Instruments who have a strong presence in the UK and sell products to over 40 countries around the world via an extensive distribution network. All Pulsar Instruments’ products are manufactured in the UK and are above all affordable, robust, easy to use, yet accurate.

 

You can find out more about Pulsar at www.pulsarinstruments.com or you can email the team at sales@pulsarinstruments.com or ring 01723 518011…

Retro Cool

Do you remember the very first video games? The tennis game? The “ball” that bounced from one side of the screen to the other and you had to catch it by sliding paddles up and down at the sides of the screen? Well, if you do you are probably really very old and the games industry has changed just a little since then.

Picture of the console enclosure
The SolidWorks 3D model of the enclosure assembly

 

Jack Barber was inspired to replicate this tennis game using a Raspberry PI as a training exercise. He was looking for an enclosure to house the game that would reflect the retro feel of the original.  Having talked to us we designed a sloping plywood enclosure with a white Perspex faceplate that was suitable simple, retro and durable.

We used SolidWorks to prepare the 3D design which then allowed us to export all the part details for machining on our in-house CNC Router and Laser cutter.

The faceplate was laser cut from white Perspex and the casing parts from birch plywood.

Perspex faceplate
The laser cut Perspex faceplate

 

We then assembled the unit, adding threaded inserts to enable the back panel to be easily removed. The whole case was given a clear wood wax finish and the Perspex panel bonded in place.

All of which goes to show that for one-off or small batch quantities you don’t need to get a plastic enclosure, it’s possible to make something much more tactile and creative.

Result – a housing that met the brief perfectly and has enabled Jack to build the tennis game; now to make some more…

Finished product
The finished enclosure

 

And don’t forget – if you need something making – however retro or unusual, just get in touch with us!

 

 

 

 

 

You can find out more about Jack Barber here.