Montie Design Blog http://blog.montie.com Mechanical Design & Product Development Services Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:29:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Montie Design Expands Product Realization Toolset with Addition of Rotational Molding http://blog.montie.com/2012/01/30/montie-design-expands-product-realization-toolset-with-addition-of-rotational-molding/ http://blog.montie.com/2012/01/30/montie-design-expands-product-realization-toolset-with-addition-of-rotational-molding/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:29:36 +0000 dave http://blog.montie.com/?p=580 (Morrisville, N.C.) Montie Design, an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm, has expanded its product realization toolset with the purchase of a rotational molder. The new equipment allows the firm to produce prototypes of small rotationally molded parts and follow up with limited production runs of client parts.

“We’re known for our experience in product design and prototyping of metal-based products across a multitude of industries, and these additions to our in-house workshop will enable us serve our clients in a new and valuable way,” said Montie Roland, company president.

Providing design flexibility, rotomolding allows for the creation of prototypes with consistent wall thickness, strength and durability, stress-free parts, and low initial tooling costs. Rotationally molded products are highly sought-after in a wide range of industries such as agricultural and industrial; material-handling; and recreational and sporting goods.

Montie Design has just completed its first rotationally molded prototype for an anti-fog device used in snowmobile helmets. The parts were recently sent off for client testing and evaluation.

“The ability to quickly and inexpensively create prototypes using the rotomolding process opens up new design directions for client projects; there are very few companies in the U.S. that offer rotomolding on a prototype basis. Initially, we embarked on this addition to our services as a way to serve one client, but the lack of vendors that are capable of using the rotomolding process to prototype parts indicates an under-served market,” Roland explained.

The Montie Design toolset offers core competencies in mechanical engineering, industrial design, prototyping and product commercialization. The firm is active in numerous design and engineering groups and organizations throughout North Carolina as well as the North Carolina Defense Business Association.

Additionally, Montie Design is hosting a Winter 2012 Student Design Contest for aspiring product designers in community colleges, four-year colleges, or high schools from North Carolina and Virginia. Contest participants will be tasked with developing outdoor, shooting, hunting, archery, and camping products.

For more information on Montie Design, visit www.montie.com.

About Montie Design
Montie Design is an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm with core competencies in mechanical engineering and industrial design. Implementing a collaborative approach to partnering with clients, Montie Design balances vision with usability in realizing products that are economical to manufacture, elegant and robust. The firm operates out of the Southeast’s innovation hub, the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, with its wealth of industry-leading technology, resources and customers. For more information, visit www.montie.com.

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2012/01/30/montie-design-expands-product-realization-toolset-with-addition-of-rotational-molding/feed/ 0 Montie Design Announces Winter 2012 Student Design Contest http://blog.montie.com/2012/01/30/montie-design-announces-winter-2012-student-design-contest/ http://blog.montie.com/2012/01/30/montie-design-announces-winter-2012-student-design-contest/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:28:35 +0000 dave http://blog.montie.com/?p=578 (Spring Creek & Morrisville, N.C.) Montie Design, an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm, today announced it will be holding a Winter 2012 Student Design Contest for aspiring product designers in community colleges, four-year colleges, or high schools from North Carolina and Virginia. Initial submissions are due on Feb 1, 2012 with final submissions due on Feb 29, with full details available online at www.montie.com/contest.

“We’ve had tremendous interns at Montie Design through the years, with several coming on board after participating in previous student design contests,” Montie Roland, president of Montie Design, said.

The firm hosted its first design contest in 2011, helping students to build their portfolio and gain invaluable real-world experience working with professional product design engineers.

Contest participants will be tasked with developing products that fit the mold of existing ones in the Montie Gear line of outdoor, shooting, hunting, archery, and camping products. This year’s focus is on gear related to camp cooking, washing or equipment storage and organization. Montie Gear products share the traits of being extremely high quality, high performance, long life and very portable.

In addition to cash prizes of $500 and $250, winning designers will be considered for a summer internship in Spring Creek, N.C., during which time they will help move their design to production and train the local workforce to manufacture their product. Winners will receive a two-year commission on any products that go to market within two years of the submission date, even if they are not a first- or second-place winner.

“One of the unique things we are doing with this particular contest is laying the groundwork for developing manufacturing in the greater Spring Creek area,” Roland said, explaining that Montie Gear products are tested at the nearby Troublesome Gap location, an area he is familiar with.

“I grew up around Asheville, and met fantastic people from Marshall, Mars Hill and Hot Springs. There is a workforce-in-waiting there that we’d like to help bring some business to,” he said.

Roland, who recently participated in a manufacturing roundtable sponsored by Capital Area Workforce Development Board, has continually hosted educational Lunch and Learns at Montie Design to share best practices in product design and engineering and regularly speaks at product design events throughout North Carolina. He is also an officer in the Carolinas Chapter of the IDSA.

For information on the Winter 2012 Student Design Contest, visit www.montie.com/contest or email montie@montie.com. To learn more about Montie Gear visit www.montiegear.com.

About Montie Design
Montie Design is an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm with core competencies in mechanical engineering and industrial design. Implementing a collaborative approach to partnering with clients, Montie Design balances vision with usability in realizing products that are economical to manufacture, elegant and robust. The firm operates out of the Southeast’s innovation hub, the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, with its wealth of industry-leading technology, resources and customers. For more information, visit www.montie.com.

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2012/01/30/montie-design-announces-winter-2012-student-design-contest/feed/ 0 Merry Christmas and Innovation vs. Invention http://blog.montie.com/2011/12/14/merry-christmas-and-innovation-vs-invention/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/12/14/merry-christmas-and-innovation-vs-invention/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:52:39 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=555

Merry Christmas from all of us at Montie Design!  I hope you have a joyous Christmas and enjoy the holiday season.

Innovation vs. Invention – Case In Point

“Innovation” is an often misused term.  Simply put, innovation is where you combine existing intellectual property (or know how) in a new and creative way.  Invention is where you create new intellectual property.

There is an awesome video of a new product that has achieved viral status on YouTube.  You can watch the video here.  This device (called a Fly Board) allows the user to fly like Iron Man for a few feet into the air.

Water is pumped from an impeller (same as impeller on a Jet Ski) through a hose and then ejected from four nozzles to propel the user through the air.

Is this an example of invention or innovation?  There are many examples of using nozzles to eject water in a high velocity stream (think fire hose).  Water is often piped through flexible hoses (think fire hose again).  This product is an example of innovation because existing technologies from fire hoses were combined with using a personal watercraft as a remote power source.  This is a great example of cross pollination because technologies from different industries were innovatively combined to create a new product.  On a personal note, I want to try this new product.  But, I’m pretty sure I won’t be thinking about product development terminology as I’m flying through the air.

Want to talk product development or need help with a project?  Don’t hesitate to contact me at 919-481-1845 x107 or montie@montie.com.

Merry Christmas,
Montie

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/12/14/merry-christmas-and-innovation-vs-invention/feed/ 0 Montie Gear Adds Sturdy, Lightweight Slingshot to Hunting and Camping Online Catalog, Amazon.com http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/25/montie-gear-adds-sturdy-lightweight-slingshot-to-hunting-and-camping-online-catalog-amazon-com/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/25/montie-gear-adds-sturdy-lightweight-slingshot-to-hunting-and-camping-online-catalog-amazon-com/#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:18:24 +0000 dave http://blog.montie.com/?p=550 (Morrisville, N.C.) Montie Design, an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm, has added to its ever-expanding line of popular Montie Gear hunting and camping equipment with a fun new lightweight slingshot for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. The high-tech slingshot features a sturdy aluminum frame for unrivaled strength, a tapered flat band and leather pouch assembly. Like all of the products available at www.montiegear.com or via the Montie Gear store on Amazon.com, the Montie Gear slingshot is made in the USA.

Available in silver and black, the slingshot has a 16 pound pull weight at approximately a 28″ draw. The band has a tapered shape and is made from a Thera-Band Gold material for a fast shot and long life. The handle is wrapped with 550 test weight paracord for comfort which can be used for other purposes should a very strong cord be needed in the field. The Montie Gear slingshot is easy to use for men, women, and teens with proper adult supervision.

The lightweight slingshot joins other products in the Montie Gear outdoor catalog including a multi-purpose tree hook archery rest for sturdy support of a bow, crossbow, or rifle with a sling; a camp rack designed to hold pots, lids, serving bowls and utensils off the ground to dry after cleaning; and the popular X-Rest and AR-Rest shooting supports for hunters and recreational shooters.

All equipment in the Montie Gear line is heirloom quality, Troublesome Gap tough. Located near the peak of Hap Mountain overlooking Spring Creek, North Carolina, Troublesome Gap is a rugged mountain area where Montie Gear prototypes are tested and evaluated.

To order Montie Gear products online, visit www.montiegear.com or look for the Montie Gear store on Amazon.com.

About Montie Design
Montie Design is an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm with core competencies in mechanical engineering and industrial design. Implementing a collaborative approach to partnering with clients, Montie Design balances vision with usability in realizing products that are economical to manufacture, elegant and robust. The firm operates out of the Southeast’s innovation hub, the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, with its wealth of industry-leading technology, resources and customers. For more information, visit www.montie.com.

About Montie Gear
Our philosophy for Montie Gear products is pretty straight forward.  We provide Heirloom Quality Products That are Troublesome Gap Tough. Many products in today’s world are meant to have a limited life time. A good example is that cell phone that you need to replace every two years. It works great, but over time technology changes and the fragile electronics have a limited lifetime. We want to design and sell products that have a very long lifetime and may actually get passed along to your kids or grandchildren. Many rifles get passed along from parent to children, sometimes marking a rite of passage. Granted a shooting rest isn’t as special as your Grandfather’s rifle; however, we work to design and sell products that are simple, elegant and high enough quality that you will want to pass them along to your kids or grandchildren. For more information, visit www.montiegear.com.

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/25/montie-gear-adds-sturdy-lightweight-slingshot-to-hunting-and-camping-online-catalog-amazon-com/feed/ 0 Recent Learning and Networking Events http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/22/recent-learning-and-networking-events/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/22/recent-learning-and-networking-events/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:33:03 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=531 Flex Circuits Seminar, and Networking Events

Paul Tome with EPEC Technologies  joined us for a lunch and learn event on Tuesday, Nov 15th.  He lead a discussion called the “Secrets of Flex Circuit Design”.  Paul has 15 years of experience designing flex circuits.  Paul is the Flex Circuit Product Manager for Epec Engineered Technologies (www.epectec.com).

 

IDSA Southern Regional Portfolio Review at VT

Last weekend was a lot of fun.  The industrial design students in our region have an amazing amount of energy and talent.  It was an honor to serve as a professional reviewer at the event.

 

PCB Carolina Show in Raleigh

The PCB Carolina show was held on Tuesday at the Raleigh Convention Center.  The convention center is an awesome venue for this type of event.  Shows like this are a great way to meet new clients and catch up with existing clients and friends.  You may be wondering why a mechanical design firm would exhibit at a show focused on PCB design and manufacturing.  All those printed circuit boards have to end up in some sort of enclosure (hint – think Montie Design).

 

DEFNET Event in Raleigh

Last night the folks at Wake County Economic Development put on the 3rd DEFNET event.  These events are designed to enable networking between the local companies that do work in the defense market space.  This event included a short speech by David Price.  Sign up for the event announcements by emailing Wayne Watkins.

Congressman Price speaking at the Wake County Economic Development DEFNET Event.

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/22/recent-learning-and-networking-events/feed/ 0 Luncheon Continues String of Educational Outreach Events to Manufacturing Sector http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/14/luncheon-continues-string-of-educational-outreach-events-to-manufacturing-sector/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/14/luncheon-continues-string-of-educational-outreach-events-to-manufacturing-sector/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:31:31 +0000 dave http://blog.montie.com/?p=526 (Morrisville, N.C.) Montie Design, an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm, is continuing a string of educational outreach events by hosting a November 15 Lunch and Learn featuring Paul Tome with EPEC Technologies. Tome will be leading a discussion called the “Secrets of Flex Circuit Design” at the Montie Design studios located just off Aviation Parkway in Morrisville. The event is free but requires advance registration online at https://www.eventbrite.com/event/2434228844.

With 15 years of experience design flex circuits, Tome is the Flex Circuit Product Manager for Epec Engineered Technologies (www.epectec.com). Epec is one of North America’s leading PCB and built-to-print product companies and has built one of the industry’s leading global supply chain and engineering platforms.

This Tuesday’s Lunch and Learn continues a series which kicked-off in January with a well-attended event featuring a presentation by Barry Cox of Wyle Labs called “Alphabet Soup: The Acronyms and Steps of Military Contracting.” Cox shared important insights related to the military marketspace.

More recently, Montie Design participated in the North Carolina Defense Business Association (NCDBA) Breakfast with a Prime event as one of the presenting companies and published a free podcast, “Designing Within Aesthetics” which is available by emailing podcast@montie.com.

Earlier in 2011 Montie Design sponsored a student design contest, with participant Nick Pennington submitting a winning slingshot design. The firm liked his design so much that he was invited to serve as a summer intern at Montie Design and commercialize his design, with Pennington managing to successfully complete two versions of his design. The first version is available for sale on the Montie Gear website at www.montiegear.com.

For more information on Montie Design, visit www.montie.com.

About Montie Design
Montie Design is an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm with core competencies in mechanical engineering and industrial design. Implementing a collaborative approach to partnering with clients, Montie Design balances vision with usability in realizing products that are economical to manufacture, elegant and robust. The firm operates out of the Southeast’s innovation hub, the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, with its wealth of industry-leading technology, resources and customers. For more information, visit www.montie.com.

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/11/14/luncheon-continues-string-of-educational-outreach-events-to-manufacturing-sector/feed/ 0 Montie Design’s Summer of Design Comes to An End – Part 2 http://blog.montie.com/2011/10/08/montie-designs-summer-of-design-comes-to-an-end-part-2/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/10/08/montie-designs-summer-of-design-comes-to-an-end-part-2/#comments Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:14:40 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=516 Earlier in the year we sponsored a student design contest for students in NC and Virginia. Josh Little was the first place winner. Josh is an Industrial Design student at NCSU. It worked out that Josh was able to spend the first part of the summer commercializing his entry, a locking rack for assault rifles. His design allows owners to safetly exhibit their rifles while keeping them secure and out of the hands of unauthorized users.

autolever_450px wide

We don’t have a prototype to show you yet but the document below helps explain where we are headed with the design.

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/10/08/montie-designs-summer-of-design-comes-to-an-end-part-2/feed/ 0 Montie Design’s Summer of Design Comes to An End – Part 1 http://blog.montie.com/2011/10/08/montie-designs-summer-of-design-comes-to-an-end-part-1/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/10/08/montie-designs-summer-of-design-comes-to-an-end-part-1/#comments Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:32:01 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=508 Earlier in the year we sponsored a student design contest for students in NC and Virginia.  Nick Pennington submitted a contest winning slingshot design.  We liked his design so much that we invited him to serve as a summer intern at Montie Design and commercialize his design.  Nick managed to successfully complete two versions of his design.  Look to see both versions in the Montie Gear catalog in time for Christmas.

"Y" fork Version

"Y" fork Version

 

Gloveshot Version

Gloveshot Version

 

Al Ely (ADR Hydrocut) teaching Nick the finer points of designing for waterjet cutting

 

"Y" fork frame as it comes off the waterjet

"Y" fork frame as it comes off the waterjet

 

Rob, our machinist, putting the finishing touches on the gloveshot cross member

Rob, our machinist, putting the finishing touches on the gloveshot cross member

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/10/08/montie-designs-summer-of-design-comes-to-an-end-part-1/feed/ 0 Mason’s High Tech Conference Table Test Build http://blog.montie.com/2011/09/03/masons-high-tech-conference-table-test-build/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/09/03/masons-high-tech-conference-table-test-build/#comments Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:06:15 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=491 All the parts were finished this week, so Mason could start assembling his new table this week. He was one of our interns this summer. If you are looking for an entry level Industry Designer, then check out his LinkedIn profile.

<

Mason Assembling the New Conference Table that He Designed

Mason Assembling the New Conference Table that He Designed

 

Bottom Section Assembled, Upper Truss is Next

Bottom Section Assembled, Upper Truss is Next

Closeup of the Joinery
Closeup of the Joinery
Table is Made of Aluminum Plates for a High Tech Look
Table is Made of Aluminum Plates for a High Tech Look

 

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/09/03/masons-high-tech-conference-table-test-build/feed/ 0 Montie Design Participates in Defense Business Event http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/30/montie-design-participates-in-defense-business-event/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/30/montie-design-participates-in-defense-business-event/#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:39:35 +0000 dave http://blog.montie.com/?p=489 (Morrisville, N.C.) Montie Design, an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm, recently participated in the North Carolina Defense Business Association (NCDBA) Breakfast with a Prime event August 25th as one of the presenting companies. Held at the Research Triangle Park Archie K. Davis Conference Center, Breakfast with a Prime featured a main presentation by renowned government contracting group IEM and was well-attended by representatives of private businesses, local government and universities.

“It was great to have an NCDBA event in RTP and see such a large turnout. Most of the organization’s events in the Fayetteville area have 30 to 50 percent of the attendees drive to the event from Raleigh,” said Montie Roland, president of Montie Design, adding, “It really goes to show how active the defense industry is in the Research Triangle area.”

The NCDBA is a state association comprised of members from locations such as Greensboro, Wilmington, Cary, Raleigh, Sanford, Fayetteville, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Durham, and Matthews with interests in military contracting, government affairs, and supporting the state’s military installations.

During his presentation, Roland gave an overview of Montie Design and its core competencies in mechanical engineering, industrial design, prototyping, and product commercialization, and explained why his job is so interesting, giving an example of driving to the rifle range to test a rifle accessory while at the same time scheduling testing of a baby stroller concept that his company built for a client.

Montie Design is active in the NCDBA, from presenting at Breakfast with a Prime events to exhibiting at the organization’s inaugural Symposium and Exposition this past April in Pinehurst.

Roland said his firm has plans to keep the regional networking going, both within the defense business industry as well as in other market sectors, via an upcoming Final Friday event at the Montie Design headquarters in Morrisville. These annual end-of-quarter events draw C-level executives as well as engineers and industrial designers to share best practices and chat with peers over refreshments in a relaxed atmosphere.

The Q3 2011 Final Friday event is scheduled for 4-6:30 p.m. on September 30th at 100 Dominion Drive, Suite 101, just off Aviation Parkway. To register, visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1735503939 or email montie@montie.com.

For more information on Montie Design, visit www.montie.com.

About Montie Design
Montie Design is an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm with core competencies in mechanical engineering and industrial design. Implementing a collaborative approach to partnering with clients, Montie Design balances vision with usability in realizing products that are economical to manufacture, elegant and robust. The firm operates out of the Southeast’s innovation hub, the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, with its wealth of industry-leading technology, resources and customers. For more information, visit www.montie.com.

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/30/montie-design-participates-in-defense-business-event/feed/ 0 Cutting the New Montie Gear Conference Table with a Water Jet http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/26/cutting-the-new-montie-gear-conference-table-with-a-water-jet/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/26/cutting-the-new-montie-gear-conference-table-with-a-water-jet/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:07:11 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=484

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/26/cutting-the-new-montie-gear-conference-table-with-a-water-jet/feed/ 0 Slingshots Coming – Sound Fun? http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/26/slingshots-coming-sound-fun/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/26/slingshots-coming-sound-fun/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:44:32 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=462 Rob and Nick are putting the finishing touches on the new Montie Gear Slingshots. These slingshots were the winning entries of Nick Pennington in the 2011 Montie Gear Student Design Contest. Nick worked with us all summer to commercialize his entry, resulting in 4 different slingshot models.

Cutting the Y-shaped Slingshot Body the Water Jet at ADR Hydrocut

Cutting the Y-shaped Slingshot Body on the Water Jet at ADR Hydrocut

Nick and Al Ely (ADR Hydrocut) Looking at the Slingshot Body

Nick and Al Ely (ADR Hydrocut) Looking at the Slingshot Body

Y-shaped Slingshot Body Just Off the Water Jet at ADR Hydrocut

Y-shaped Slingshot Body Just Off the Water Jet at ADR Hydrocut

Rob (Montie Design Machinist) Prototyping a Montie Gear Slingshot

Test Fitting the Collapsible Montie Gear Slingshot Parts

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/26/slingshots-coming-sound-fun/feed/ 0 Getting Feedback from Customers http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/25/getting-feedback-from-customers/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/25/getting-feedback-from-customers/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:27:12 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=455 The landscape of the average person is a very connected one.  As consumers, we are constantly bombarded with requests for our time and attention.  Surveys and focus groups only capture a sliver of the wealth of ideas and opinion that your customers already have.  Customers have amazingly valuable opinions and ideas for improving your product and customer service.  Maybe customer A has an idea for your next ground breaking, earth shattering product.  The dilemma is how do you engage your customers in a cost-effective manner.

Napkin Labs has risen to the challenge.  They are offering a service that provides a collaborative framework for customer engagement.  It even rewards participants using a point system.  Why not give your customers the opportunity to become super customers in the eyes of their fellow customers.  I like the idea.  Here are a couple of videos that describe the Napkin Labs approach.

Introduction to the Napkin Labs Way

 

Tour of the Napkin Labs User Interface and Overview of the Workflow

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/25/getting-feedback-from-customers/feed/ 0 More Troublesome Gap Goodness http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/05/more-troublesome-gap-goodness/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/05/more-troublesome-gap-goodness/#comments Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:09:40 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=432 Last weekend, we packed up again to Troublesome Gap to do more product testing.  This time we were testing a bracket system for a company called Ronin Metal Masters.  They have a really cool technology that allows you to ship a sheet metal part flat and bend it by hand when you need it.  They have turned this into a product line called BendAShed.  This is a big advance in metal folding technology in an industry where large press brakes are normally needed, because you can now do it by hand.  Al Ely of ADR Hydrocut in Morrisville, used their waterjet to cut out the stainless steel brackets that we use.

Al Ely (ADR Hydrocut) and Mike Binion (Ronin Metal Masters) Installing the Hand Folded Bracket

Al Ely (ADR Hydrocut) and Mike Binion (Ronin Metal Masters) Installing the Hand Folded Bracket

After some hardwork and a bunch of those really cool brackets we ended up with a picnic shelter.   The purpose of the picnic shelter is to use the challenging weather conditions at Troublesome Gap to test just how robust the Ronin Metal Masters design really is.

Completed Shelter at Troublesome Gap

Completed Shelter at Troublesome Gap

We also had the opportunity to test an assault rifle accessory that we are working on.  Seems like we also consume a lot of ammo on trips to Troublesome Gap.

 

Looking for How People Misuse Your Product

Some of the best product enhancements come from how users put make use of your products in creative ways.  This picture is a good example.

 

Montie Gear Tree Hook Strap Used Creatively to Keep a Diet Pepsi Bottle Out of the Dirt

Montie Gear Tree Hook Strap Used Creatively to Keep a Diet Pepsi Bottle Out of the Dirt

I also noticed how the cutting board grip (handle) didn’t fit into the Montie Gear Camp Rack slot, so a short length of 550 cord fixed that problem.  Similar situation for the black plastic ladel.  Future products and products enhancement goodness in this picture for sure.  By the third evening, Al had decided that the loft in the structure would be a great place to sleep, so after using enough clamps he gave it a try.  Thankfully he remembered that the first step off the cot is a big one.  I think that Mike was already rethinking some of his structure design when he saw Al’s creative use.

Al Ely Putting the Structure Above the Picnic Table to a Creative Use

I will admit it was hard to come back to Raleigh after 4 wonderful days on Troublesome Gap.  Here are some pictures of why it is so hard to come back.

1860s Cabin Near Troublesome Gap

1860s Cabin Near Troublesome Gap

 

View from hill above Troublesome Gap

View from hill above Troublesome Gap

 

Our Swedish Intern enjoying the benefits of the Second Amendment

Our Swedish Intern enjoying the benefits of the Second Amendment. Something he doesn't get to do in Sweden!

 

We had a steady stream of visitors. Great folks pass through Troublesome Gap!

We had a steady stream of visitors. Great folks pass through Troublesome Gap!

Now the only question is “Are you Troublesome Gap Tough?“  Come with us next time and find out!

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/08/05/more-troublesome-gap-goodness/feed/ 0 Calling Entrepreneurs – Free Office Space during the Durham Stampede http://blog.montie.com/2011/07/23/calling-entrepreneurs-free-office-space-during-the-durham-stampede/ http://blog.montie.com/2011/07/23/calling-entrepreneurs-free-office-space-during-the-durham-stampede/#comments Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:43:06 +0000 Montie Roland http://blog.montie.com/?p=426 Durham Stampede

Office Space

The Stampede space will host about twelve startups and is in the middle of everything. Parking is free, along with the area’s fastest wi-fi, office furniture, and meeting space. You’re job is to bring a laptop, cell phone, and a good idea. We’ll take care of the rest.

Free Advice

Durham has lots of successful entrepreneurs who are committed to supporting future all-stars. The Bull City also has plenty of service providers who have worked extensively with startups. You’ll have access to all of this during your 60 days.

The Culture

You’ll be joined by over a dozen other startups so the culture is yours to create. The one guarantee is that you’ll have great coffee shops, nice bars, and tasty restaurants close by to fuel you along the way.

Sign Up at: http://startupstampede.com/#sec1

]]> http://blog.montie.com/2011/07/23/calling-entrepreneurs-free-office-space-during-the-durham-stampede/feed/ 0