True product engineering marries durability with ease of use. I designed and manufactured this custom flat-pack fire pit and accompanying wood rack to withstand heavy use while remaining entirely portable.
The Engineering Challenge:
Standard outdoor fire pits are often bulky, difficult to transport, and prone to structural failure at their weld points due to extreme thermal cycling. The goal was to design a heavy-gauge solution that required zero hardware or welding for assembly.
The Execution:
Utilizing Adobe Illustrator and Fusion 360, I engineered a three-piece interlocking triangular chassis with a custom geometric airflow grate. The entire assembly relies on precise slot-and-tab geometry. Cut from heavy-gauge mild steel on a Langmuir Crossfire Pro CNC plasma table, the tolerances were calculated to ensure a tight structural fit that still allows for natural thermal expansion when exposed to high heat.
The resulting fire pit features integrated carrying handles and can be broken down in seconds, making it ideal for transport, seasonal storage, or heavy-duty use at rental properties and campsites.
