To go all the way back the start, I am a mechanical engineer by education and have been fortunate enough to work for a number of amazing companies in product design, development and program management. I have worked for Vans Shoes, Haro Bikes, Oakley, Fox Racing, Incase Designs, Apple, and most recently I worked in the startup defense company Anduril Industries. Back in 2015, I was an Engineering Program Manager working for Apple making the custom and limited edition Beats by Dre headphones. I responded to a want ad for a well known rifle company looking for a mechanical designer and made it through the selection process. I went on to work with this company to develop half a dozen new rifles platforms, numerous accessories and more. I worked with their in house manufacturing team and their vendors. Their vendors ended up connecting me with other high end companies and I developed good relationships with a number of high end gun companies making some of the best products I have ever worked on.
(Drilling and tapping on the Brother T200A rotary.)
In late 2019, I purchased an older model Vertical Milling Center and when COVID broke out, I began running my own parts out of necessity. I began manufacturing smaller parts for my clients. After a very successful SHOT Show in 2021, I realized I needed to speed up production in a real way. I moved into a larger shop, and acquired brand new Brother Speedio vertical machining centers with a 4th axis, tool and part probes and all the other features for future expansion. This capability cut my cycles times by as much as 75% on some parts. I began taking on more and more manufacturing jobs for the products I had designed for my clients.
(Tight tolerance pocketing on a weapon light with an integrated M1913 clamp.)