The Workshop
Rather than wait weeks for someone else to build stuff for us, we do as much as possible in-house. We have our own workshop — 4 × 16 metres in Crows Nest with roller-door drive-up access. A design change in the morning can be a physical part by the afternoon. Being able to tinker with our own prorotypes is crucial to judging ease of use and DFM (design for manufacture). To quote a new favorite expression, “we eat our own dog food.” If something we build is unexpectedly annoying, we’re the first to know.
Everything below is equipment we use on client projects every week. We often joke we prioritise accepting projects that allow us to add new capability.
Electronics assembly
We build prototype and small-batch PCBs in-house: pick-and-place assembly, reflow, and hand rework, with proper test equipment on the bench for bring-up and debugging. We also make custom cable assemblies and wiring harnesses — a surprisingly common need that’s surprisingly hard to buy in small quantities.
- NeoDen YY1 pick-and-place
- Reflow oven
- Hot-air and iron rework stations
- Oscilloscope and function generator
- Bench power supplies
- Precision analytical balance
- Wire and harness station
3D printing
FDM for functional parts and multi-material prints, and resin for fine detail — including large-format resin, which lets us print sizeable parts in one piece rather than gluing sections together.
- Bambu Lab P1S with AMS
- Elegoo Saturn resin printer
- Elegoo Jupiter 6K large-format resin
- Wash and cure station
- Filtered fume extraction
Casting, moulding and encapsulation
A stainless steel wet bench set up for silicone moulding and resin casting, with vacuum degassing and pressure casting for bubble-free parts. The same equipment handles potting and encapsulating electronics for harsh environments.
- Stainless steel wet bench
- Vacuum chamber
- Pressure pot
- Peristaltic pump
Metal fabrication
TIG welding including aluminium and titanium, plasma cutting, and a fixture table for accurate assembly. Enough to build enclosures, brackets, frames and jigs without leaving the building.
- TIG & MMA welder — Weld aluminium, stainless steel, mild steel & titanium
- Plasma cutter
- Welding fixture table
- Drill press, grinders, hand and power tools
Finishing
We do light anodising and engraving in-house — good for prototypes, one-offs and small runs. For industrial volumes or cosmetic-grade finishes we’ll tell you honestly and send it to a specialist.
Environmental testing
An environmental chamber for thermal and moisture experiments, so we can find out how a prototype behaves at temperature extremes, or to validate sensor values in IoT systems.
Technical textiles
An unusual one: heavy-duty sewing and TPU heat welding, for soft goods, covers, seals and inflatable structures. Not many egningeers can also weld fabric. One day we’ll finish our DIY Packrafts!
The workshop lives next door to Crows Nest Foundry, the coworking office suites we run alongside the consultancy. If your project needs a capability you don’t see here, ask — between the gear above and our network, the answer is usually yes.