From Concept to Production using CustomPartNet:
With services including CAD modeling, design review, and rapid prototyping

Introduction

Many users of CustomPartNet are not professional engineers, but rather students, inventors, or hobbyists that wish to design a new product. One such user, named Dick Gregg, found the CustomPartNet website and began reading the process overviews and design guidelines to learn how to properly design a part to be injection molded. However, like many amateur inventors, Dick lacked the technical expertise to implement what he had learned into creating professional CAD models and drawings. Such drawings would be needed for the prototyping and eventual production of his product. So, Dick decided to contact the staff at CustomPartNet for assistance.

The Product

Dick described his product, the "Bungee Block", as a "bungee cord tie-down device that utilizes a patent pending locking wheel system". The device was designed as a 3-piece assembly, through which a bungee cord would be fed, plus a separate cylindrical piece for the end of the cord. Dick wanted the Bungee Block to be available in 4 different sizes, to accommodate 1/8", 3/16", 1/4", and 3/8" diameter bungee cords. Therefore, a total of 16 separate components needed to be designed. Having some machining experience, Dick created a conceptual prototype from wood for each of the product sizes.

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