Unlike traditional manufacturers, who decide what they want to make, collect marketing data that helps make sales projections, design a product, then make a large number of them to sell, we have developed a different business model. In our case, we receive input from the prospective customer by means of a form at the end of this section. From that form, and often phone calls and emails, we create a design that meets the needs of this customer for this particular camera or instrument, for this set of uses. Sometimes, we can re-use parts of prior designs, but most of the design work is unique to this application. 

In the form, we collect the usual name, address, phone, and email information. We then ask for details of the camera or instrument to be housed, what depth is needed, and what environmental conditions are of concern to the customer. 

Then we get to the important parts - what are the characteristics that this customer needs in this housing? What functions of the camera or instrument need to be controlled from outside the housing, what connectors are needed, what handles are needed, etc. There are places on the form for free-form input, because some aspects of this housing defy being described by check boxes.

We bring the form information into a spreadsheet that is used for several tasks: the spreadsheet is an estimating tool, in that it is a reminder to ask all of the questions that relate to time and materials, and it does the math correctly. It is also a design aid, in that it performs many design calculations and lookups from tables. Knowing the size of the camera, it suggests how much extra room to leave around it for controls and connectors, then calculates the inside dimensions of the box. From those numbers and the depth desired, it suggests the wall thickness, rounding up to the next commercially available thickness for the material selected. With the thickness selected, it calculates the outside dimensions of the box. From the latter numbers, it calculates the cut size and finished size of all of the pieces, and their cost. 

By knowing the weight of the camera, it calculates the weight and volume of the housing, hence its weight out of water and its buoyancy and suggests how much lead to add to make it neutrally buoyant, if that is the requirement. Every step of the way, the spreadsheet makes suggestions based on experience, and has places to manually override its calculations. It is, in effect, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, developed over many years of refinement based on experience of which design techniques produce the best housings.

Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to draw individual parts, and design assemblies of these parts. The spreadsheet data are referenced by the CAD program to make the dimensions of the parts correspond to the values calculated by the spreadsheet. This process is called parametric modeling. The general size of the part is made to conform interactively to the dimensions from the spreadsheet. If a dimension is changed in the spreadsheet, the CAD model updates itself to that same dimension.

While many simple rectangular parts are cut to size on a table saw, certain parts are cut with a CNC Router. In this case, the part designed in the CAD system is read by the Edgecam Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software. The CAM model then allows the operator to select features to cut, and cutting tools to make the cuts. The CAM program creates the toolpaths by following the geometry from the CAD model. After some verification and error-checking steps, the CAM software generates the CNC code that will run the CNC Router and make the part. The CAM model is associative to the CAD model, in that it will adjust itself to match changes made in the CAD system.

The CNC Router consists of stepper motors that move the cutter in the X, Y, and Z axes. A controller is fed the NC code by the computer, and in turn, controls the location of the cutter head. The controller also starts and stops such functions as the spindle, cooling air, and dust collection.

While it is an over-simplification, it is almost like putting the design ideas in one end and getting parts out the other.

Another key part of the design and construction process is the need to have the camera or equipment to be housed in hand. The designer must be able to make measurements that are not typically available from the manufacturer's web site. The reason for this is to enable the designer to build a CAD model of the camera or instrument, so that the housing may be designed around its size and features. In addition to the usual length, width, and height, other measurements are needed, such as the centerline of the lens from the base plate of the camera and from the right side.

In the case of a wide-angle lens, we need to measure the angle of view and the location along its axis of its optical center. We have developed a measuring tool to determine this location by actually making images with the camera mounted on a swinging scale. For that reason, we need a complete working camera with all batteries, charger, and media in hand at the start of the construction. We can sometimes guess at these numbers for quoting, but need to refine the model before we can start cutting parts. It is very important to place the camera within the housing so that the optical center of the lens is at the optical center of the dome, for best results.

Finally, we need to have the camera or instrument during the construction process for fitting into the housing as it is being built. In many cases, the camera is held into the housing by a combination of hard and soft blocks, which need to be carefully fitted into place. We also need to verify that the lens is centered on the dome.

For these reasons, it is necessary to have the camera or instrument in hand during the entire construction period. These items are carefully tracked during the construction time, and are returned when the housing is shipped. Both your equipment and the housing are insured for the shipment.

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