Anvil
Foundry's own small-batch product — the flagship this page's DFM review sheet, cut-list-equivalent bill of materials and test report are all drawn from.
Industrial designer · Pittsburgh, PA
The dimension frozen in CAD is not the dimension the tool holds.
Consumer hardware and small-electronics enclosures, designed for injection-molded manufacture — kitchen tools, power accessories, measurement devices. Every fit that matters gets a DFM review sheet before a tool is quoted: resin shrink rate, per-face draft and a real tolerance stack, not a render with a promise attached.
Client work and Foundry's own IP
Selected work
Client work below is NDA-bound — named by role, not by client name, consistent with real consultancy practice. Anvil is Foundry's own IP: small-batch manufactured and sold directly, and the demonstration object the DFM review sheet below is drawn against. Overall dimensions, project by project:
- Anvil
- 220 × 160 × 22 mm
- Handheld Diagnostic Reader
- 148 × 62 × 32 mm
- Modular Charging Dock
- 96 × 96 × 28 mm
- Cordless Drill-Driver Housing
- 210 × 68 × 195 mm
- Handheld Torque Gauge
- 175 × 58 × 40 mm
- Countertop Water-Filtration Housing
- 220 × 140 × 340 mm
Handheld Diagnostic Reader
A battery-powered reader enclosure designed around a rigid internal PCB stack, IP54-rated for a clinic countertop, molded in polycarbonate for drop resistance.
Product lead, point-of-care diagnostics
Modular Charging Dock
A stackable charging-dock shell with concealed cable routing, DFM-reviewed for a single-cavity tool across three color variants.
Hardware director, connected-home startup
Cordless Drill-Driver Housing
A two-shot overmolded grip housing for a cordless driver, tooled for a 250,000-unit annual run — the tooling program this page’s cavity photo is drawn from.
Manufacturing engineering lead, portable-power division
Handheld Torque Gauge
A calibration-grade instrument housing machined as a bridge tool ahead of the production mold, holding tolerances a standard DFM pass wouldn’t catch.
R&D manager, precision-instruments manufacturer
Countertop Water-Filtration Housing
A CMF-led housing program for a countertop filtration unit, specifying finish and color across five SKUs from one shared tool.
Design director, kitchen-appliance brand
The document a moldmaker actually signs
The DFM review sheet
Before a tool is quoted, Marek runs the fit that matters most through a review sheet — nominal dimension, shrink-corrected cavity, per-face draft and both tolerance-stack methods, side by side. This is the actual sheet for Anvil Digital Kitchen Scale's battery-door snap-fit, the flagship demonstration this whole page is built around.
Two corrections, keyed to resin and finish
Shrink & draft reference
A moldmaker doesn't cut the cavity to the part's nominal size — they cut it to
nominal ÷ (1 − shrink rate). The same 60.0 mm CAD dimension becomes a
60.24 mm cavity in ABS and a 61.3 mm cavity in POM: different tools, different numbers, same drawing.
Resin shrinkage reference
| Resin | Family | Shrink range | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABS | Amorphous | 0.4–1.6% | General enclosures, snap-fit shells — the Anvil body and battery door |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | Amorphous | 0.5–0.8% | Impact-critical or optically clear parts — display lenses, drop-test-rated shells |
| Polypropylene (PP) | Semi-crystalline | 1.5–2.2% | Living hinges, chemically resistant housings |
| Acetal (POM) | Semi-crystalline | 1.8–2.5% | Low-friction snaps and gears — the least predictable stack of the six |
| Nylon (PA6) | Semi-crystalline | 0.7–2.2% | Load-bearing brackets and clips — range depends heavily on moisture uptake |
| Nylon, 30% glass-filled (PA6-GF30) | Glass-filled semi-crystalline | 0.3–0.8% | Structural chassis parts — glass fill suppresses and directionalizes the shrink |
Draft angle by finish
The base rule of thumb is 1° of draft per inch of draw depth; a textured surface needs more on top of that, roughly 1–1.5° of additional draft per 0.001 in (0.025 mm) of texture depth.
| Grade | Description | Draft range |
|---|---|---|
| SPI-A2 | High-gloss, diamond-buffed | 0.5–1° |
| SPI-B1 | Satin, 600-grit stone | 1–1.5° |
| VDI 18 | Light grain texture | 1.5–2° |
| VDI 27 | Medium grain, slip-resistant | 2–3° |
| VDI 45 | Coarse leather grain | 3–10°+ |
Per-face draft, Anvil — a finer finish (SPI-A2) needs the least draft; the textured grip (VDI 27) needs the most, exactly as the reference table predicts.
Shrink-compensation, worked
Run against Anvil Digital Kitchen Scale's battery-door lip engagement — ABS, 1% shrink used (midpoint of 0.4–1.6%).
- Nominal CAD dimension The battery-door lip engagement width as drawn, before any correction.
- Resin shrink-rate lookup ABS’s published shrink range, from the reference table above — midpoint used for the cavity cut.
- Cavity dimension computed nominal ÷ (1 − shrink rate) — the number the moldmaker actually cuts steel to.
- First-article verification T1 sample measured against the cavity dimension, not the original nominal, to confirm the tool is cutting true.
Two guarantees, not one arithmetic fact
Tolerance stack
Worst-case stacking sums every part tolerance in the chain and guarantees the fit works even if every part lands at the extreme of its tolerance simultaneously — safe, but tighter than necessary. Root-sum-square (RSS) stacking assumes the variations are independent and roughly normal, and for this four-component fit it cuts the required stack to about half. Foundry specifies RSS for this fit — the battery door is a low-consequence, high-cycle-count snap, and the statistical risk is worth the looser individual tolerances it buys each supplier.
Worst-case vs RSS, for this fit
| Component | Tolerance |
|---|---|
| Battery-door lip engagement | ± 0.1 mm |
| Mating boss on shell | ± 0.08 mm |
| Snap-arm deflection clearance | ± 0.05 mm |
| Gasket compression allowance | ± 0.07 mm |
| Worst-case sum | 0.3 mm |
| RSS (root-sum-square) | 0.15 mm |
The finish a CMF board specifies isn't free
CMF
Color, material and finish for Anvil Digital Kitchen Scale, plus the resin glossary behind every material callout on this page.
CMF spec card
- Color
- Graphite-grey body with a signal-yellow tare-button accent.
- Material
- ABS, UL94 HB flame rating, injection molded.
- Finish / texture
- SPI-B1 satin on the body, VDI 27 medium grain on the bottom-shell grip sides.
- Reference
- Pantone Cool Gray 11 C (body) · RAL 1021 (tare-button accent).
Material glossary
- ABS
- Amorphous, impact-tough, predictable low shrink (0.4–1.6%) — specified for Anvil’s shells and battery door because the snap-fit tolerance depends on that predictability.
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- Amorphous, higher impact strength and optical clarity than ABS — specified where a lens or a drop-test-critical shell needs more toughness than ABS alone gives.
- Acetal (POM)
- Semi-crystalline, low-friction and wear-resistant, but the least predictable shrink of the resins here (1.8–2.5%) — specified only where a snap or gear needs the slip, never for a dimension-critical shell.
- Nylon (PA6)
- Semi-crystalline, strong and impact-resistant, but its shrink rate swings with moisture uptake (0.7–2.2%) — specified for load-bearing brackets, not enclosures with tight fits.
- Nylon, glass-filled (PA6-GF30)
- 30% glass fill suppresses and directionalizes shrink (0.3–0.8%) — specified for structural chassis parts that need dimensional stability more than surface finish.
What ships, what it costs, what it survived
Manufacturing record
Anvil Digital Kitchen Scale's bill of materials, its test & reliability report, and the compliance marks it ships under.
Bill of materials
| Component | Material | Supplier role | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top shell | ABS, SPI-A2 lens / SPI-B1 body | Tier-1 molder (Pittsburgh region) | $1.85 |
| Bottom shell | ABS, VDI 27 grip texture | Tier-1 molder (Pittsburgh region) | $1.65 |
| Battery door | ABS, SPI-B1 satin | Tier-1 molder (Pittsburgh region) | $0.42 |
| Load cell, 5 kg strain-gauge | Aluminum alloy, sourced | Component distributor | $3.10 |
| PCB assembly (MCU, ADC, BLE) | FR-4, SMT-populated | Contract electronics manufacturer | $6.75 |
| Battery-door gasket | Molded silicone | Gasket molder | $0.28 |
| Feet, set of 4 | TPE overmold | Tier-1 molder (Pittsburgh region) | $0.18 |
| Total unit cost, at volume | $14.23 | ||
Test & reliability
| Test | Method | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Drop test, 6-face | 1.0 m onto concrete, IEC 60068-2-32 | Pass |
| Drop test, corner | 1.5 m onto concrete, single corner | Pass |
| Ingress protection | IP54 — dust and splash, IEC 60529 | Pass |
| Calibration accuracy | ±1 g at 1 kg reference load (0.1% FS) | Pass |
| Battery-door cycle test | 5,000 open/close cycles | Pass |
Compliance
- UL 62368-1
- The safety standard covering audio/video, IT and communications equipment — the battery, PCB and enclosure all sit under it for Anvil.
- IP54
- Ingress-protection rating: dust-protected (not dust-tight) and protected against splashing water from any direction — the level a kitchen countertop appliance actually needs.
- RoHS
- Restriction of Hazardous Substances — caps lead, mercury, cadmium and other substances in the resin, solder and finish.
- FCC Part 15B
- Unintentional-radiator emissions limits for the PCB — the BLE radio itself is certified separately under Part 15C.
Stage-gate, not a single deliverable
Process
Six stages, concept to production — the DFM review above sits in the middle, not bolted on at the end.
- Concept sketch Hand and digital sketches exploring form, ergonomics and mechanism options against the brief.
- CMF direction Color, material and finish narrowed to one direction, documented as a spec card like Anvil’s below.
- DFM review Nominal dimensions checked against resin shrink, draft and tolerance stack — the review sheet below, run for every fit that matters before a tool is quoted.
- Tooling Mold design, then T1 through T3 sample rounds — see the tooling timeline below for real lead-time bands.
- First-article inspection Production-intent parts measured against the DFM sheet’s cavity dimensions, not the original nominal.
- Production PPAP sign-off, then the tool runs — Foundry stays the single point of contact through the first production run.
Tooling timeline
Real lead-time bands per stage, from mold design through production release.
- Mold design · 2–3 weeks Cavity layout, gate and cooling-line design against the DFM-reviewed dimensions.
- T1 samples · 4–6 weeks First-trial shots off the cut steel — measured against the sheet’s cavity dimensions, not the nominal.
- T2 samples · 2–3 weeks Corrected shots after T1 steel-safe adjustments.
- T3 samples · 2–3 weeks Production-intent shots, used for the first-article inspection report.
- PPAP submission · 1–2 weeks Production Part Approval Process package assembled from the T3 measurement data.
- Production release · On PPAP sign-off The tool runs at volume once the client approves the PPAP package.
Foundry's own IP, self-funded and sold directly
Anvil — buy the scale
Small-batch manufactured in Pittsburgh, 220 × 160 × 22 mm, ABS shell — the same product this entire page's DFM sheet, bill of materials and test report are drawn from.
$89
Ships direct from Pittsburgh, PA. Distinct from the client work above — this one is already costed and priced today, not withheld pending a scope-varying engagement.
Message on LinkedIn to orderAssembly sequence
- Bottom shell Seated in the assembly fixture, grip-side texture facing down.
- PCB assembly Lowered onto the shell’s standoffs and screwed down; BLE antenna keep-out checked.
- Load cell Fastened to the shell’s mounting bosses and wired to the PCB’s strain-gauge input.
- Top shell Snapped onto the bottom shell around the full perimeter, load cell now sandwiched between the two.
- Battery door Snapped onto the assembled shell at the engagement width verified on the DFM review sheet.
- Gasket and feet Gasket seated in the battery-door channel, then the four TPE feet pressed into the bottom shell.
Pittsburgh, on purpose
About Marek Dziedzic
Marek Dziedzic runs Foundry Product Design as a solo practice out of Pittsburgh, PA — Carnegie Mellon's School of Design, founded 1934, is one of the oldest industrial-design programs in the US, and the region's tooling and metal-manufacturing base means a moldmaker is never far from the studio. That's not incidental to where Foundry is — it's most of why it's here.
Training & background
Trained in industrial design with a focus on manufacturability, Marek spent years inside a consumer-electronics DFM team before opening Foundry — the review-sheet habit on this page is that job's discipline, not a marketing device.
“Marek’s DFM sheet caught a draft problem on our grip texture two weeks before we cut steel — that alone paid for the whole review.” — Hardware engineering manager, consumer-electronics client
FAQ
Questions
Why can’t you quote a fixed project fee up front?
Because scope varies more than a single number could honestly cover — a concept-only sprint and a concept-through-tooling engagement are different jobs with different risk, and quoting one price for both would misstate the least certain fact on this page as the most certain one. Scope and fee are set together once the brief is clear.
Do you also handle tooling sourcing?
Yes — Foundry manages the moldmaker relationship end to end: DFM review sign-off, the T1–T3 sample rounds and the PPAP package, all on the timeline in the tooling section above. One point of contact from concept through the first production run.
Start a conversation
Contact
LinkedIn is fastest — email works too. A scope-varying consulting engagement doesn't collect an inquiry the way a fixed-price commission does, so there's no form here: just say what you're building.