Senior Design Showcase: Computer Vision for Smart Recycling
A clip of what our UC Davis senior design team built, demonstrated at the Graduate Poster Showcase in April 2024.
Engineers who actually build hardware.
How we help
Design from scratch or work on your existing project
Start a part or assembly from a blank canvas, or pick up where your current project left off.
Review part files for manufacturing feasibility
Bring a CAD model. We mark it up for printability, machinability, tolerance stack, and cost — before you commit.
Prototype engineering
We work with you until your part is as perfect — or better — than you imagined. Send us a sketch, reference, or idea. We'll even travel to you at no cost anywhere in the High Desert, CA.
Mechanical and design engineering
Hands-on help building prototypes, brackets, end-effectors, and custom mechanical assemblies for robotics teams.
Small-scale production manufacturing
We manufacture your parts in plastic and metal. If we can't, we'll point you to a shop that can assist you better.
What software do we use?
We primarily use SolidWorks for design, Fusion 360 for CAM, and FreeCAD on occasion.
Designing a plastic product for production? See our dedicated injection molding design & DFM services — functional, tooling-ready CAD built from prototype to mold.
Selected projects
Robotics & R&D
A sample of robotics, mechanical, and prototyping projects — from senior design to open-source hardware upgrades.
Aluminum Stand for Robot
A lighter, portable stand built from 4040 aluminum extrusions to move the robot around UCD, with connectors that match a commercial-kitchen fryer basket.
Wooden Prototype Stand for Robot
A spare-wood proof of concept to validate how the robot performs in inverse gravity before committing to the aluminum build.
Upgrade Guide: +161% Torque on Joint 3 of a 7-DOF Arm
Open-source upgrade guide bringing the J3 holding torque from 0.39 Nm up to 1.02 Nm — a 0.63 Nm (161.54%) increase.
Portable Conveyor with Teensy Speed Control
A custom conveyor belt with reworked electronics — Teensy microcontroller driving the robot's motor drivers and pulley system.
Built the Open-Source AR4 Robot
Built from online resources and guides, used to test methods of automation in the fast-food industry.
Custom one-off work
Custom parts for people.
We also help individuals and businesses with one-off custom work — hubcaps, gears, intake manifolds, rings, phone mounts, and more — measured, modeled in SolidWorks, and made to fit.
Custom Hubcaps
On-site measurement of a customer's rims and spoke pattern with calipers to design custom-fit hubcaps.
Custom Intake Manifold
A full-size, 22.5-inch six-runner intake manifold modeled in SolidWorks — plenum, runners, throttle-body flange, and fuel rail — then split into sections and 3D printed.
Bentley Actuator Gear — Reverse Engineered
The original plastic helical gear from a Bentley actuator had cracked at the hub. We measured it with calipers and modeled a 59 mm tapered-helix replacement in SolidWorks, including the hub and insert bores.
BMW E36 DME Cover
A modified DME (engine computer) cover for a BMW E36, reworked in CAD with custom port flanges and mounting bosses, then 3D printed.
Tapered Reed Spacer — 1999 Honda CR125
An 83 × 64 mm reed spacer for a 1999 Honda CR125 that tapers from 10 mm to 4 mm, delivered with a fully dimensioned drawing.
Custom Signet Ring
A signet ring built around the client's logo — a raised emblem on the face and an ampersand badge on the side — modeled in SolidWorks and 3D printed.
Dragon Spoke — Propel Pedal
Straight-pull bicycle spokes for Propel Pedal, wrapped in a twisted helical fin, iterated through several revisions and 3D printed — plus aero-profile test spokes.
Toy Ford Steering Wheel
An 8-inch, three-spoke replacement steering wheel for a toy Ford, with a bolt-on hub insert, modeled in SolidWorks and 3D printed.
Custom Phone Mount
A 7-inch phone mount bracket with slotted mounting holes and a row of retaining fingers, designed around the client's setup and 3D printed.
Chevy Model Replica Lights
Tiny 11 mm louvered light housings with an integrated mounting post, designed for a Chevy scale-model replica and 3D printed.
Cartographer V4 Probe Mount — Sovol SV08
A custom mount for the Cartographer V4 bed probe on a Sovol SV08 3D printer, iterated through several versions, with the final version printed in PPA-CF carbon-fiber nylon.
Solar Farm Site Layout
A 660 × 660 ft solar farm modeled in 3D and drawn in SolidWorks: 48 panel rows, a 1,250 ft access road into a 26 ft all-weather interior road with a 120 ft hammerhead turnaround, perimeter fencing, an entrance gate, and a concrete equipment pad for the inverter and transformer.
Deuce Splitter — Under Wraps
Our newest work with Deuce Splitter is still under wraps. We can't wait to show you more.
Detachii — Coming Soon
We're engineering a new product with Detachii LLC, and it's still under wraps. We can't wait to show you more.
In-house projects
Built for our own shop.
Tools, fixtures, and upgrades we design in SolidWorks and build for ourselves, using the same process we use for client work.
Robotic Fry-Station Gantry
An R&D gantry that carries an AR4 robot arm on a travel rack over a commercial fryer, built from 4040 aluminum extrusion on casters, part of our fast-food automation work.
Aluminum-Extrusion Workbench
Our shop workbench, designed in SolidWorks around 4040 T-slot aluminum extrusion with a birch plywood top, an upper shelf, and leveling casters.
Assista CNC Utility Knife
Our utility knife body, with the Assista CNC logo cut through the grip, modeled in SolidWorks and 3D printed. We also make personalized versions for customers.
Parametric Rugged Box
A parametric storage box with a hinged lid, latches, and a seal, driven by a few key dimensions so it can be resized for whatever it needs to hold.
Under-Desk Heater Mount
A printed cradle that bolts to the aluminum-extrusion frame under our desk and holds a small space heater, designed around the heater's footprint.
Prusa Mini Spool Holder
A bearing-mounted filament spool holder for our Prusa Mini, with printed rods, brackets, and spacers riding on 608 bearings.
Nozzle Rack for Our Bambu Lab H2
A wall-mounted rack that organizes spare hotend nozzles for our Bambu Lab H2 printer in two rows of hex pockets and slots.
Clamp-On Desk Bin
A desk-side bin with a screw clamp and ball joint, so it clamps to a table edge and angles where you need it.
Bottle Holder
A snap-in bottle holder with a bolt-on base, printed in PLA on our Prusa Mini as a fit test.
Snap-In Cable Clip
A 45 × 15 mm snap-in clip for 11 mm cable runs, designed in SolidWorks and 3D printed.