Mid-build on a custom research vessel for a team of scientific divers, the customer requested an expansion of the backup battery system onboard. It was a reasonable ask, but it came with a problem: the additional battery bank took up the space originally allocated for an off-the-shelf hydraulic tank, and no suitable replacement existed on the market.
I was tasked with designing a custom 50-gallon hydraulic tank from scratch to fit the new spatial constraints without compromising the hydraulic system's performance.
Starting from hand sketches, I worked through the spatial constraints and consulted with our mechanic to ensure the design met the correct hydraulic specifications. From there I built out the full 3D model in Fusion 360. Once approved, I prepared production documentation, the actual files used to order materials and guide the welders through assembly.
Below are the documents I prepared for this project. The first is the vendor order sent to our sheet metal fabricator with flat patterns, bend deductions, material specifications, and surface area calculations for quoting. The second is the assembly drawing package given to our welders on the shop floor. These are the documents that took the design from a CAD model to a fabricated part.
Sheet Metal Vendor Order
Assembly Instructions for Welders