Tripod Stool
- Concept
- Portable seating for workshop use
- Materials
- White oak, brass hardware
- Manufacturing
- CNC joinery, hand-finished
- Challenge
- Three-legged stability on uneven floors
Result: 18" height, 250 lb capacity, flat-packs to 2" thick.
A hands-on school for industrial design, prototyping, and sustainable manufacturing in Detroit.
Explore the WorkshopWe believe the best designers understand materials by handling them. At Foundry Motion, students spend their first week in the workshop—not at a screen. You'll learn to read grain in hardwood, judge wall thickness in injection-molded parts, and know when a weld is sound by the color of the puddle.
Our approach combines traditional craft knowledge with modern digital fabrication. Every student completes a full product development cycle: research, sketching, CAD, physical prototyping, and small-batch production.
Each program builds on the last. Most students complete all four over six months.
Form development, ergonomics, and design history. Learn to sketch fluently and build physical mockups from foam and clay.
6 weeks3D printing, CNC routing, laser cutting, and hand fabrication. Translate digital models into testable physical objects.
6 weeksStudy metals, polymers, ceramics, and sustainable alternatives. Test strength, durability, and environmental impact.
4 weeksDesign for disassembly, circular economy principles, and low-volume production techniques. Build a final project for real users.
8 weeksExplore a student desk lamp project. Toggle exploded view to see component relationships.
A fully adjustable task lamp designed for workshop benches. Click components to see material specifications.
The manufacturing timeline for a typical student project—a cast aluminum bottle opener.
User interviews, ergonomic studies, and iterative sketching. Students produce 50+ concepts before selecting a direction.
SolidWorks and Fusion 360 CAD development. Tolerance analysis and draft angle verification for casting.
CNC machining of master patterns from renshape. Surface finishing and sealing for mold release.
Green sand mold preparation, pouring A356 aluminum at 1350°F, shakeout, and initial inspection.
Gate removal, belt sanding to 400 grit, glass bead blasting, and protective wax coating.
Hand to 20 users for feedback. Document wear patterns and iterate for next batch.
Six projects from our most recent cohort. Each represents a complete design cycle.
Result: 18" height, 250 lb capacity, flat-packs to 2" thick.
Result: ±0.005" accuracy, magnetic base, $12 material cost.
Result: 45° cutoff angle, 8W LED, 50,000 hr lifespan.
Result: 3:30 brew time, fits standard filters, dishwasher-safe.
Result: 0.001" repeatability, brass wear surfaces.
Result: 100 lb per shelf, 2" incremental adjustment.
Selected work from past cohorts. Click any project to view technical details.
We're located in Detroit's Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, a historic manufacturing district now home to makers, artists, and small-batch manufacturers.
Address 1420 Washington Blvd