From Napkin Sketch
to Installation
LostMachine Design works at the intersection of art, design, engineering and fabrication.
Bring us a finished 3D model and we can build it. Bring us a difficult technical problem and we can help solve it. Bring us an idea or a sketch and we can develop it into a finished physical work.
Projects range from objects small enough to fit in your hand to multi-ton public artworks. LostMachine combines design, fabrication, mechanical systems, digital manufacturing and project management under one roof, allowing unusual projects to develop without being constrained by a single material or process.
Artist
Fabrication
Your artwork. Built with the same attention you gave to designing it.
LostMachine provides fabrication and technical development for artists and studios working in public art, sculpture, installations and unconventional objects.
We can work directly from finished drawings and 3D models or become involved earlier to resolve materials, connections, fabrication methods, structural requirements and installation strategy. The objective is not to redesign an artist's work around the limitations of a fabrication shop. It is to find practical ways to realize the work as intended.
Art & Design
Development
An idea does not need to arrive with fabrication drawings.
LostMachine can develop an initial concept, sketch or design brief into a physical artwork or object. Work may include concept development, 3D modeling, visualization, material exploration, mechanical design, prototyping and fabrication development.
This service is appropriate for original commissions, collaborations and projects where the physical solution is part of developing the artwork itself.
Technical Development
& Prototyping
Difficult physical problems are often where the project gets interesting.
An engineering background and decades of hands-on fabrication experience allow LostMachine to approach projects simultaneously as designs and as things that actually have to be built.
Capabilities include 3D CAD, design for fabrication and assembly, mechanical design, kinetic systems, pneumatic systems, custom drive systems, material and process selection, prototyping, testing, structural problem-solving, cost optimization and coordination with licensed engineers when stamped engineering is required.
Strength where it is needed. Material where it earns its keep.
During development of the Oregon Zoo towers, Andy recognized that the initial structural design was substantially more conservative than the project required. After recommending another engineering review, a revised design reduced the specified stainless-steel material cost from approximately $75/ft to $23/ft while maintaining an engineered structural solution.
Good technical development is not simply making something stronger. It is finding an appropriate solution for the actual project.
A mechanism developed inside the architecture.
Another fabrication studio brought LostMachine in to develop the mechanical system for a custom science-fiction-inspired pneumatic architectural door. LostMachine developed the motion, mechanism and fabrication-ready CAD, integrating pneumatic components and mechanical systems within the architectural envelope.
VIEW CASE STUDYCustom
Fabrication
Not a general-purpose job shop.
LostMachine specializes in unusual objects that require a combination of fabrication, technical development and problem-solving.
Work ranges from large-scale sculpture and architectural artwork to kinetic objects, custom art furniture, prototypes and small highly detailed pieces. Projects can combine steel, stainless steel, aluminum, wood, plastics, composites, fiberglass, concrete, glass systems, textiles, lighting, electronics and other materials as required.
The common denominator is not scale or material. It is work that benefits from thoughtful design, unusual processes, precision, craftsmanship or technical development.
Project Management,
Logistics & Installation
Fabrication is only part of delivering a successful project.
LostMachine can manage projects through procurement, subcontractors, fabrication scheduling, outside vendors, engineering coordination, transportation, site logistics and installation.
Experience includes installations in active public facilities, overnight installation schedules, operating institutional environments, remote sites and large-scale work requiring specialized lifting and transportation.
Design and fabrication happen in the same place.
Keeping critical processes in-house allows LostMachine to move rapidly between CAD, fabrication, testing and revision. Instead of waiting on an outside vendor for every prototype or custom component, parts and tooling can often be designed, made, tested and revised as part of the normal development process.
CNC Machining
Doosan DNM 400II vertical machining center with 30-tool automatic tool changer. Custom machined components, prototypes, tooling, fixtures and jigs can be produced in-house. Andy's background as a machinist makes machining part of the problem-solving process rather than simply another outsourced production operation.
Metal Fabrication
Steel, stainless steel and aluminum fabrication, welding, precision assembly, custom connections, structural components and large fabricated assemblies.
Digital Fabrication
CNC machining, CNC wood routing, CNC plasma cutting and CO₂ laser cutting, supported by in-house CAD/CAM.
Kinetic & Mechanical Systems
Motors, pneumatic systems, custom mechanisms, unusual drive systems, bearings, motion systems and purpose-built mechanical assemblies.
Lighting & Controls
Low-voltage lighting, LED systems, microcontrollers, programmed effects and integration of electrical systems into artwork.
Mixed Materials
Steel · Stainless · Aluminum · Wood · Plastics · Composites · Fiberglass · Glass · Concrete · Textiles · Electronics · Mixed-media assemblies
Have something difficult to build?
Whether the project begins with finished CAD, a sketch or simply an unusual idea, LostMachine can help determine what it will take to make it physical.
START A CONVERSATION