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James M Drachenburg aka DragonMountainDesign
Engineer Designer Maker
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A Mechanical Engineer currently working on product development, James focuses on lamination adhesive application machines. He enjoys this type of work as he gets to see his designs in places such as Target.
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His most popular design is the 'Space Porter' designed by his 6yo nephew. The Space Porter has gained 270 downloads form 3571 views.
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Using MyMiniFactory for just over two years he has had a great experience with us out as opposed to other file-hosting services.
"MyMiniFactory does a great job getting involved in the 3D printing community through outreach and contests, and by showcasing a lot of new models and their designers."
He heard about 3D printing a decade ago, at an aerospace company he was interning at. He was fascinated by the items on a engineer's desk and by the tour of the SLA machine, prompting thoughts of the 'unlimited power of imagination'.
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The 'Drachenberry Pi' was his first upload and is his second most popular design with 3053 views and 147 downloads.
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What is your preferred software?
Using SolidWorks professionally, James uses it as a gold-standard when comparing home-use 3d Modelling software.
'I tried a few but most of my personal work was designed in Autodesk's Fusion 360. Like SolidWorks, it's parametric and has most of the same features, so it's fairly easy-to-pick-up. Unlike SolidWorks, you don't need a super-powerful state-of-the-art machine. I am also currently trying to teach myself Blender for sculpting capabilities but that is an entirely different animal.'
In James' opinion, the best thing about Fusion 360 is that it is affordable, meaning free for students startups and hobbyists.
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What is your favourite self-designed object?
'Has to be the Space Porter. This past Christmas, I gave my three nephews a few of the toys I had resigned earlier that year and I watched the middle one, who was six at the time, have a similar revelation that I did when finding out about 3D printing for the first time, I got not one but two thank-you notes from him and after a few conversations with my sister he jumped at the opportunity and drew me some concept sketches. I worked at the 3D modelling and we had a few Skype meetings where we reviewed the progress and told me what worked and what didn't. '
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The Space Porter has illustrated above and then 3D modelled and printed to show the views above. As you can see it is an easy assembly and fun for the family!
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You can see that Drachenberg's designs are toy related. Why you ask?
'Toys are a passion of mine, and play is so important for shaping children as they grow. I was raised on Lego and went into Mechanical Engineering because of them. Now that I'm grown and a father of two, I have so much fun creating things for and with my kids.'
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What is your inspiration for your designs?
'Right now, my kids are still pretty young, so most of my inspiration comes from a nostalgic desire to share some of the toys and concepts I loved when I was younger, but as they grow into their own personalities, they're learning more about themselves, and sharing their interests with me. That actually reminds me that I've got to start working on a recycling truck for my daughter. She's been asking me to design one for her.'
His designs are regularly tested to ensure that only the best and you can see the Space Princess Utility Belt in action, alongside the Bolide Blaster, and the Solar Sword.
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As well as kids related objects James has designed some useful everyday objects such as the Dyson Vac-bag adapter, Crystal Nightlight, the Strappy keys and the Pokemon Trainer Hat. He also designed Lego Style Lightsabers, which come equipped with full DIY Instructables, parts list and information you may find incredibly useful.
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In the future, James hopes that his work brings enjoyment to people and that it also inspires others to go out and create what they love.
Good Luck James and thank you for your wonderful designs!
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Give James follow on his social media, to see what he is up to!
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