I have started a company which has a contract to deploy a unique vending machine at a major urban university. What I am trying to figure out is how to get an enclosure for the machine designed.
I have posted a project on Guru.com and got a healthy response from lots of engineers and architects. But after careful review of the proposals, I saw that lots of technical issues were addressed bu no design issues were mentioned.
Engineering is an important part of this project. This enclosure has to be fabricated, the process for fabrication has to be time and cost effective, consideration has to be given to electromagnetic shielding and dissappating heat from plasma screen monitors and neon signage (it’s a very large vending machine and enclosure).
However, I think design is also important. I’ve been having this debate about form following function and vice-versa and I really don’t know what to do.
Should I look for an Industrial designer who understand fabrication etc.?
Should I get an industrial designer to work with an engineer on the project?
How can I do this cost effectively? I am a start-up with a limited design budget but with an understanding of the value of design (please no comments about paying designers what they’re worth. I have utmost respect for what you guys do, even if I’m not in a position to pay what you are worth). This enclosure is not going to go to production, although I will need several more enclosure with different forms in the near future.
How can I find a designer willing to work on a small project? Is there a way to find student designers or others in a similar position interested in filling in their portfolio?
I appreciate any help you can offer, or if interested in leraning more about the gig, email me at mehdiassad at aol dot com .
Depending on time, what might be fun, and free… would be to find a design school, and see if this project could line up with their projject timeline. Have it be like a contest where you give them a brief and each student design their own version. At the end of the timeline, pick the best one. When you’re in school, it’s enough of a reward to have your project move into production and it helps your portfolio. Of course a cash reward/scholarship for whatever amount would also be good.
Design is importand here but a vending machine is a very technical piece of machenery. If you can have a designer work with the engeneer.
One of the biggest issues with the coin-op industry is theft. Your cash box needs to be secure as well as your mechanize… even if they break the front panel, back panel etc… Also the machine itself needs to be secured. Yes people do try to steal the entire box.
Yes, that is a big problem. Our machine, however 1) does not have a coin box or accept any cash payment 2) sits in a library with 24 security guard monitoring 3)is six feet wide, three feet deep, seven feet tall, and weighs 1500 pounds. That’s not to say someone wouldn’t try to steal it, however.
These guys have experience in fabricating ruggedized digital signage kiosks, including touchscreen overlays for large-screen plasmas: http://www.touchcontrols.com/htdocs/tci/
many of us, myself included, are will take a percentage of our fees on a royalty basis. it depends on the project, market prospectus and our available resources.
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i am from beijing,china.i and other 4 classmates have a design group , we hope we can do sth. to help you or we can work together to solve some problems that trouble you.
