This is a project that I worked on during the summer of 2009. After a number of years working in the financial industry, I was eager to put some of my new-found engineering knowledge to work. This resulted in a video game joystick case manufacturing business which I ran from May 2009 through August 2009. During this time I built over 150 cases from scratch.
I began by studying numerous other designs, both wood and plastic, and I ultimately decided that wood cases would require the lowest start up costs and generate the greatest return on my investment. If I was to produce a second round of cases I would likely use plastic vacuum molding techniques because I have not tried the method before and they provide a chance to produce pieces much faster and with uniform precision.
The top of the case is made from MDF board and the sides are poplar. I chose poplar because it is a hardwood and will therefore take a stain well but it is still soft enough that it will not be overly taxing on my router. The holes for the buttons and joystick as well as the box joints were all cut using a router. The lid is laser cut acrylic. Because I was making so many cases, I did not complete each case before moving to another but completed specific sections of multiple cases concurrently. This cut down greatly on retooling time, and it helped ensure consistency in quality and dimensional accuracy.
Most of the cases were sold as blanks for the user to customize using their own buttons, joystick, artwork, etc, however I kept one to complete on my own. Above is an image of some preliminary testing of the electronics to make sure everything worked properly. Afterwards, the wiring as redone in a far more orderly fashion.
Here is a shot of a blank case with buttons and joystick added.
Above is a shot of a stained and waxed case detailing the box joints and front facing buttons.
Finally, here is a shot of a finished joystick. Overall this project was a tremendously beneficial learning experience. I learned a great deal about woodworking but also gained a lot of practical experience with regards to product manufacturing on a small scale, marketing and sales. If I choose to pursue a job in manufacturing the lessons learned from this project should prove to be quite valuable.
From a business aspect this project taught me a lot about the costs associated with production and sales. Tools wear out and/or require replacement or maintenance, pieces may be made incorrectly costing both time and materials. Finally at the end of it all it the product must be properly marketed to ensure that enough sales are produced at a high enough price to warrant their initial production.
With the exception of a few organizations the chief concern of most companies in the engineering field is profitability. Appreciation of this requirement is key to any successful design and the lessons learned here will be useful regardless of the manufacturing projects I find myself working on in the future.
From a business aspect this project taught me a lot about the costs associated with production and sales. Tools wear out and/or require replacement or maintenance, pieces may be made incorrectly costing both time and materials. Finally at the end of it all it the product must be properly marketed to ensure that enough sales are produced at a high enough price to warrant their initial production.
With the exception of a few organizations the chief concern of most companies in the engineering field is profitability. Appreciation of this requirement is key to any successful design and the lessons learned here will be useful regardless of the manufacturing projects I find myself working on in the future.