Design Portfolio
Drafttrak
About the project
DraftTrak is a company that I created the summer going into my sophomore year of college. I started this company, because my dad and I, designed a product that we wanted to manufacture and sell.
Goal: Design a drafting table that is space efficient to fit in small rooms or cubicles. The reason we want to make drafting tables space efficient, is due to their robust size and weight.
Constraints: Minimal budget, which means that their needs to be very few parts, and a simple mechanism that is easy to manufacture.
Consumer
Consumers: Design/Architect students, Artist, Construction companies
Originally, we designed the table for myself, but once we created a working model, it was easy to see that this could be a useful product for other people. The consumers listed here potentially have small working spaces, and they do not have enough room for a table/drafting table. The intent for our product is a table that can fold up onto the wall to save space.
Design A Drafting Table That is...
Space saving - durable - easy to use - easy to install
Inspiration
Ideation
These sketches were exploring the different possibilities for the hinge system that would be necessary to fold the table onto the wall.
Prototypes
The first prototype looked exactly how we designed it, but the board did not side up and down the track easily. The tracks were also separated too far, which resulted in the MDF board to sag in the middle.
The second prototype had a plywood board instead of an MDF board, which eliminated the sag in the middle of the board. The track system worked much better on this model, but it still needed improvement.
Sizing
(Industry Standard Sizes)
Branding
From this new product, my father and I created a new business called DraftTrak
The name DraftTrak was inspired by the aluminum track that is used to adjust the angle of the drafting table.
These business cards and brochures were printed out and displayed at the Boston architectural show.
Final Models
This final model features a plywood table top, aluminum tracks, and plastic knobs.
The final model had the tracks milled at a machine shop, which improved the adjustability of the table.
This table is mounted to the studs in the wall, which allows the table to support about 180 pounds.
We took this model to the Boston architectural show, and we sold 15 units of the 18 that we had produced.
Boston Architectual Trade Show
