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Mechanical Product Design – Brunson Machinery Tools
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Written by Ralph Hill, Mechanical & electrical systems, 3D manufacturing
Prototyping Engineer
Published August 10, 2026
Construction equipment design lives or dies on load cases: an excavator attachment that does not respect the machine's hydraulic limits and structural loads is scrap metal. Brunson Machinery Tools asked us for a full attachment line built on one versatile coupler platform.
We turned hand sketches into accurate 3D CAD with load and material analysis, designed the Versa ear coupler as the platform for every attachment, and produced a blended live-footage/3D animation that let Brunson approach investors and customers before the full line existed physically.
Project at a glance
- Client
- Brunson Machinery Tools
- Industry
- Construction and heavy equipment
- Starting point
- Hand sketches for a line of excavator attachments
- What we delivered
- 3D CAD models of the Versa ear coupler and attachment line, plus a 3D animation blending live footage and CAD
- Engineering focus
- Load cases, material strength and compatibility with most excavators on the market
- Outcome
- A physical prototype of the bulldozer blade and coupler, and animation used to approach investors and customers
The client
The challenge
Our solution
The result
Equipment design project at a glance
| Scope | Mechanical design of industrial tooling and machinery |
|---|---|
| Engineering | Load cases, material selection, tolerance stack-ups, weldment design |
| Deliverables | CAD assemblies, fabrication drawings, BOM, assembly instructions |
| Typical timeline | 6-16 weeks depending on assembly size |
Designing for the shop floor, not the screen
Industrial equipment is judged by the people who fabricate, operate and repair it. Every design decision gets checked against how it will be welded, how a technician reaches a fastener, and what happens when a part is abused in the field. Drawings that a machine shop can quote without a phone call are the actual deliverable.
How we work
- Requirements gathered on site, including duty cycle and failure history
- Concept layouts reviewed with operators and fabricators
- Detailed CAD with analysis on the load paths that matter
- Fabrication drawings, weld callouts and a quotable BOM
- Build support through first article and field trial
Frequently asked questions
What does industrial equipment design cost?
Single tools and fixtures typically run $5,000-$20,000; full machine assemblies generally run $40,000-$150,000.
Can you redesign existing equipment that keeps failing?
Yes. We reverse-engineer the current design, find the actual failure mode and re-engineer the affected sections.
Do you supply fabrication drawings?
Yes - dimensioned drawings, weldment details and BOMs suitable for direct quoting.
Capabilities used on this project
Prototype design and engineering
Design for the prototype itself: CAD, tolerance stacks, material choices and assembly detail before anything is built.
Rapid prototyping services
3D printing, CNC machining, urethane casting and functional prototype builds with published materials, tolerances and lead times.
The heavy equipment design playbook
Platform first, attachments second
The Versa ear coupler was designed before any attachment, as the common interface. Every subsequent attachment inherits compatibility with the excavators already on the market — that is what turns one machine into a multi-functional tool.
Loads and materials, not just geometry
Attachment CAD that ignores load paths fails in the field. Our engineers modeled the forces each attachment would see, selected materials to suit, and designed for simple, fabricable construction.
Physical where it counts, animated where it sells
The bulldozer blade and Versa coupler went to physical prototypes. The rest of the line was showcased in a 3D animation blending real footage with CAD — investors and customers could see the whole range without building it all.
The animation is a sales tool, not decoration
The video was engineered to answer the buyer's actual question: how does this attachment raise my excavator's ROI? Productivity, savings, and payback framed every scene.
| Element | Approach | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Coupler | Versa ear coupler as universal platform | One interface, every attachment, broad excavator compatibility |
| CAD | Load cases, material strength, fabrication simplicity | Attachments that survive real use and are affordable to build |
| Prototyping | Physical blade and coupler only | Spend prototype budget where failure risk is highest |
| Marketing | Live footage blended with 3D CAD animation | Sell the full line before it fully exists |
Questions about this project
Straight answers from the engineers who ran the build. Have a different question? Ask us directly.
Talk to an engineerWhat does construction equipment design cost?
Industrial attachment design typically runs $10,000 to $40,000 per attachment family depending on load analysis depth and prototype scope. This class of equipment work usually spans 6 to 16 weeks.
Can attachments be shown to investors before they are built?
Yes — Brunson approached investors and customers using a blended live-footage and CAD animation, with only the highest-risk components built physically.
What makes an excavator attachment versatile?
The coupler. Designing a universal coupler platform first means each new attachment multiplies the machine's functions instead of requiring a new interface.
Who designs custom heavy equipment attachments?
A product engineering team with load analysis and weldment design experience. The work spans CAD, fabrication drawings, BOM, and assembly documentation.
Industries this project belongs to
See how we approach development in each of these categories, and the other products we have taken from sketch to production there.
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