This is a surface air shut-off valve for the diving apparatus that we designed in conjunction with our client.

The valve is designed to be attached to the divers belt strap so it is always within easy reach to allow switch over of air supply in an emergency.

The valve also features a safety catch that is thumb operated to prevent the valve accidentally being operated if the handle gets snagged or knocked.

The valve is a prototype design that can be made without expensive tooling.

This is a jig (or fixture) for locating the main board PCB in the correct position for manual assembly. 

In this particular application the PCB needs to be accurately positioned so that the OLED screen lines up perfectly with the top casing. The simple fixture holds the PCB in place while the assembly operative locates and fastens the screws in position.

Speed and ease of use of the fixture is important to ensure assembly is done as fast as possible.

This is an RFID enabled cabinet to be used as a secure store for unmanned dispensing of a wide range of goods and clothing.

Stock levels contained in the cabinets are constantly monitored and access is controlled using swipe card or PIN. Users can be given a credit limit which limits access.

The cabinets are designed to be used by hospitals, schools, hotels and anywhere where staff need to access clean garments.

These cabinets eliminate the need for storerooms and storeroom staff. Their modular design means that a number of cabinets can be linked together provide more storage as needed.

A special version of the cabinet is available for returned soiled garments.

For further information can be obtained from http://www.autovaletsystems.com

This is a prototype balanced regulator for use with the diving apparatus we designed in conjunction with our client.

A balanced regulator is designed to maintain a similar effort to draw air from no matter what depth you are diving at. Unbalanced regulators will increase the breathing resistance as the depth gets greater. A balanced regulator becomes more advantageous when diving at greater depths.

As we were designing a prototype, our design did not need any tooling and was able to be made purely by machined and fabricated parts.

A robust mobile antenna for use in battlefield communications. This is carried in the back of a vehicle and deployed quickly when required.

Design criteria.

EMC shielded.

Strong and robust. – Must be able to withstand being thrown in the back of a Landrover.

Weather and dust proof.  – Deployed in many different environments.

High range of operating temperatures. – Used in all climates.

Easy to manufacture and assemble.

Must not degrade from sun exposure.

Must have good chemical resistance.

Photo Credit: Cpl Paul Morrison/MOD

We were approached by 2 entrepreneurs, namely Michael Singleton and Neil Symmonds. They arrived with a very rough working model of a unique 3 wheeled cycle.

You would have thought that every conceivable form of cycle would have already been thought of. Cycle design has been a favourite of design students, inventors and cycling enthusiasts for many years.

BUT! This idea was totally different and brilliant.
A cycle that has 3 wheels but can still lean into corners.
A cycle that has a feet first riding style for comfort and less wind resistance.
A cycle that can be folded up and transported in the back of a compact hatchback.
A cycle that has beautiful aesthetics and classic lines.

We simple HAD to get involved with this project. The concept was truly unique but we could see the attraction of this unique cycle.

Fortunately Mike and Neil chose Alphatech to help develop the cycle into a workable product.

There was a lot to do. The original ‘proof of concept’ cycle had a lot of issues. It was just about rideable but needed some drastic re-design.  The cycle also didn’t have a lot of the desired features and had substantial problems to overcome.

On examination of the steering geometry, it became evident that the ‘trail’ was altering on each front wheel as the cycle leant over. The trail was going from positive to negative making the wheel want to turn 180 degrees. So the first job was to introduce a ‘parallelogram’ effect mechanism to the front forks to maintain a constant head angle. This was manufactured and tested and proved successful.

The frame was far too weak and had to be completely redesigned. With the help of computer simulation our re-designed frame was 4 times stronger but only slightly heavier.

A seat was needed that was capable of being adjusted to suit a small youth right through to the tallest adult. The seat needed to have a very strong backrest that was also foldable.

The mechanism that allowed the front forks to fold away needed to be designed from scratch, along with a device to lock the forks from tilting when starting from a standstill or climbing a steep hill. This lock would also need to be engaged when folding the cycle, along with a device for keeping the steering straight.

The rear forks were also too weak and needed re-designing stronger.

A braking system was developed along with the gearing and the chain run.

Handlebars, steering and many other aspects of the cycle where designed and simulated.

Around 6 months later we were ready to manufacture the first prototypes. Mike and Neil along with their team decided to build the prototypes themselves in their small workshop. Most of the machined parts were made on their own CNC machine.

Three prototype cycles were made just in time for the cycle show at the NEC , where the cycles were a huge hit among the visitors, and the Sail GB stand was enormously popular.

The cycles drew some attention from the London’s design museum and they asked SailGB if they could loan one of the cycles for their contemporary cycle exhibit named Cycle Revolution.

The prototypes performed well enough for Mike and Neil to head off with one of the cycles to a major cycle manufacturer in Taiwan where the cycles will be manufactured.

We can’t wait to see the finished product!

This project was very secretive. We still can’t reveal what exactly we were working on and for which team but all we can say is that the design was for one of the top F1 teams through an existing client, and it involved an alternative propulsion system for the car. The brief was to design an interface to the car’s existing gearbox to an alternative method of power.

I’m not sure if the car has been used for its ultimate purpose yet, but I had heard that it had been tested and was working successfully.

Project Brief:

Alphatech designed all the parts for the backpack in conjunction with our client. We also sourced the manufacture of a great deal of the parts needed for the prototype build.

Notes:

Our client for this project was an ex-professional diver and an expert in diving at extreme depths. He has invented divers breathing apparatus that reduces the effort exerted by the diver while breathing at depths.

Project Brief:

Design a test jig for a handheld device with a curved keyboard.

The client had requested that we designed a manually operated test jig that depressed all the keys in turn. Each key had to be depressed individually with a given force. Keys could not be depressed at the same time. The equipment would need to be capable of very rapidly cycling though the entire keyboard very rapidly (in the region of 2 seconds). The tested devices also needed to be rapidly exchanged to allow for a large quantity of devices to be tested quickly and efficiently.

Result:

The jigs were manufactured to Alphatech’s design and worked flawlessly without modification.

Project Brief:

Design a simple gluing press for holding the case halves of a tracking device together while the adhesive sets

Results: