ThinkSketchDesign Portfolio

Fly Fishing Reel Design for DDH

Kingfisher Product Design, Berkeley, CA 2008

As lead designer on this project, I worked directly with the client to design and prototype this high-end fly fishing reel.

Based on existing fly reel models in our target market, we designed and manufactured a working prototype for pre-market testing.

The reel body is machined out of solid aluminum. Bearing tolerances are tightly controlled. Material thickness and spacing between lightening holes are optimized to reduce weight. We used the Solidworks material analysis tools to ensure symmetrical weight for balance along all axes. Springs, ball nose plungers, and cork have been carefully selected to provide the correct "feel" of the brake resistance and ratchet systems.

Battery Charger for Socket Mobile

Kingfisher Product Design, Berkeley, CA 2008

I was lead designer for this molded-plastic battery charger modeled in ProE.

The charger is designed for industrial use of the client's proprietary battery units. Each of the 8 bays securely holds either a battery unit or an adapter cartridge designed to accommodate their legacy units.

Careful attention has been paid to plastic thickness and tolerances to ensure reliable screw threading and optimum snap fit of the batter units.

DVD Cartridge for DVDPLAY Kiosks

Kingfisher Product Design, Berkeley, CA 2008

I was lead designer for this molded plastic DVD cartridge to be used with the client's DVD dispenser kiosk.

We were hired to produce a reliable CAD model of the client's existing product. We also implemented a few changes in design critical areas. Existing dimensions were measured and adjusted to ensure reliable performance.

“Print-a-Crate” FDM Made Storage

Kingfisher Product Design, Berkeley, CA 2008

I helped design these print-at-home brackets that convert FDM waste into useful crates.

A FDM prototype machine can only use its plastic plates a few times before they must be thrown out. This project set out to find a creative way to reuse these plates. The result: a set of FDM-printed brackets that can link old plates together to make useful storage crates.

We used the project as a promotional tool for our startup design firm. We put our branding on the brackets and open-sourced the CAD files.

Print your own set.

Various Projects

Kingfisher Product Design, Berkeley, CA 2008

In addition to projects I managed at Kingfisher, I played a supporting role on many other project teams. I gained great experience from working on these teams. A sampling of these projects includes:

A Pan-Tilt Robotics Unit for Directed Perception

An Underwater Robotic Flood Lamp for E-M Designs

An Electronic Repair Field Case for Greg Staples

Pneumatic Self-Spotting Bench Press

Dartmouth College 2002

With 3 other engineering students at Dartmouth, I designed this working prototype of a unique "safety" bench press.

Our assignment was to identify a real world problem in a sports market and to brainstorm, design, and prototype an elegant solution. Our product addressed the injuries suffered each year due to bench pressing without an able spotter.

Our market research found that existing safety devices were unsatisfactory and that new development in this market space was not prohibitively constrained by existing patents.

After a long brainstorm, we were inspired by the pneumatic office chairs in our studio. We realized we didn't need a machine to hold the weights up. Rather we designed a bench that would lower the lifter down below a safety bar. This solution was simple, cheap, and effective.

We took initial steps to patent our device.