I run a CNC machine shop in Ontario, Canada, and I’m launching a small consumer product line under a new brand. The first product is a machined metal case for BMW’s current key fob, the one on the 2023+ X3, X5 and 5 Series. The concept: a skeleton, not a box. Most cases on the market are silicone, leather or cheap zinc shells. I want something that looks like an exoskeleton of the key: It follows the key’s tapered shape and chrome swoop, not a rectangle. Each button sits in its own window in the metal, and you press it through the window. The sides stay open, so the key’s chrome band and M stripes still show. It’s built as two cages, top and bottom, screwed together. Hard constraints (we’ll walk you through them): It has to be machinable here: 3-axis mill, 2 ops per part in soft jaws. Inside corner radii and wall thickness will come from our tooling, and I’ll give you the numbers. Radio signal: metal blocks the key’s signal, so the design has to avoid closed metal loops around the key (slits, polymer posts). I’ll share the rules; you design within them. The real key gets measured and scanned on our side, and you design to that reference model. What you deliver: 2–3 concept directions (sketches or renders) and one round of feedback. Final CAD (STEP plus your native Fusion 360 or SolidWorks file) that we can program from. One revision round after our first 3D-printed and machined prototypes. Optional: renders we can use on the product page. Who I’m looking for: An industrial or product designer whose portfolio includes physical products, ideally machined metal: EDC, knives, watches, bike or car parts. A render-only portfolio isn’t enough. Comfortable in Fusion 360 or SolidWorks, and able to design for manufacturing. Bonus: you’re into cars, or you’re in Ontario and can visit the shop. Terms: Budget: 500 CAD Timeline: [concepts in __ weeks, final CAD by ____] An NDA before the concept details are shared. The design and CAD files are assigned to the brand in writing. Paid by milestone: concepts, final CAD, prototype revision. To apply, DM me: A portfolio link showing physical products you’ve designed. One or two lines on what you’d change about the concept. Your rate or a quote, and your availability.   submitted by   /u/Odd_Force_4627 [link]   [comments]