Playcraft Systems · Released playground product
Mini-Go-Round
The Mini-Go-Round was developed for a playground bid with cost and ease of manufacture as central constraints. The project progressed from an installed first iteration to a redesign focused on assembly and installation.
- My contribution
- Product design and engineering, design for assembly, structural analysis, and catalog release.
- Design challenge
- Develop a compact playground spinner around cost, fabrication, and installation.
- Outcome
- A released product with vertical bolting and a two-part frame architecture.
01 / Development
Starting with the constraints
Competitive references and early sketches informed a compact architecture that was practical to manufacture. Cost and ease of manufacture shaped the first design direction.
Early sketches
02 / Development
Learning from the first iteration
The first version combined PVC-dipped deck gussets, a bearing housing, a bench, a welded frame, and a top rail. The first field installation provided a physical view of how the components came together.
03 / Development
Redesigning for assembly
The redesign used vertical bolting and a frame divided into two parts. These changes established a more straightforward assembly sequence while retaining the product’s structural requirements.
SolidWorks finite element studies examined deflection and torsion as the bracket, bench, and frame arrangement developed.
Bracket and structural study
Bench and deflection / torsion study
04 / Development
Installing and releasing the product
The platform and bench were installed vertically in the revised sequence. The final design moved into product release and catalog presentation.