PC Design Foundry is part of Product Design Foundry LTD. It was founded by Ex-Apple product design engineer Andy Lauder. We are based in Oxford in the UK.

"I have spent over twenty years of my career designing computers and many other consumer products. I really wanted to push the limits and expand my knowledge so I decided to try to write software to let the customer have control of the design layout.

I ended up building these enclosures myself because contract manufacturers could not understand that each computer would be different. They are only interested in building multiple identical enclosures. Whereas prototyping vendors were prohibitively expensive as they do not have a system for reducing the amount of design and setup time required and would start form scratch with each enclosure produced.

I have had to learn enough software that I could build my own application along side developing an architecture that if flexible enough that it can be produced from scratch in any size with any combination of components. This framework is based on existing PC standards for components and my experience designing many computers.

I see no reason that through software you can't connect a customer with the front end design process to the back end control systems of the machines making the product. This is my goal. To accomplish this I have built up my workshop and my capabilities to manufacture parts form Aluminium, acrylic and carbon fiber."

Equipment

Our workshop is equipped with the following machines and tools that we use to build custom enclosures.

Stoney JBEC Router

  • Bed size is 1200 mm x 900 mm wit a Vacuum table.
  • Z travel is 125 mm which allows me to machine the corner extrusions.
  • High Frequency Three Phase Spindle Motor up to 18000 RPM.
  • ER 20 Collet System (1 mm through to 13 mm shanks).
  • Coolant Spray that runs on compressed air.