Playcraft Systems · Released playground product

Inclusive Merry-Go-Round

I developed seating, handles, and a supporting structure that broadened participation in a shared spinning playground. A full-scale wood prototype exposed an assembly problem, leading me to compare revised bracket designs, select bracket 02, and validate the assembled structure before release.

My contribution: Led seat and handle design, full-scale prototyping, bracket selection, tolerance analysis, and structural validation
Design challenge: Broaden participation while resolving the seating geometry, mounting interface, and assembly sequence
Outcome: Bracket 02 carried into structural validation; final rotomolded product released and sold worldwide

01 / Development

Designing for shared play

Competitive research informed the seating and interaction direction. The goal was to broaden participation while preserving the open-ended play of a spinning platform.

02 / Development

Developing the seat

Sketches explored the seat opening, backrest, and support geometry before the design moved into a full-scale physical prototype.

Exploring the seat geometry

Seat sketch — curved backrest and raised sides

Seat sketch — side profile and backrest transition

The full-scale wood prototype

The seat prototype was CNC-machined from wood at 1:1 scale. These unpainted views show the seating surfaces, backrest, and entry opening in a physical form.

1:1 CNC-machined wood prototype before painting — seat depth and backrest

1:1 CNC-machined wood prototype before painting — seating surfaces and entry opening

The painted prototype and mounting interface

The silver-painted wood prototype made the seat geometry and mounting interface available for physical evaluation and assembly.

1:1 scale prototype CNC-machined from wood and painted silver — seat geometry

1:1 scale prototype CNC-machined from wood and painted silver — underside and mounting interface

03 / Development

Refining the handles

Two CAD renders show the handle development before the final rotomolded handle. The work developed the contact surfaces and their relationship to the central assembly.

04 / Development

Validating the structure

01 / Prototype finding
Assembly drove the redesign

The full-scale build exposed the difficulty of the original horizontal bolt arrangement.
02 / Compare & select
Bracket 02 carried forward

I compared three revised profiles, keeping each geometry beside its corresponding FEA study.
03 / Validate
Check the assembled product

Tolerance analysis and weighted-load tests connected the selected design to physical validation.

The 1:1 prototype showed that the original horizontal bolt arrangement complicated assembly. I developed three revised bracket profiles and used finite element analysis to examine the loaded mounting connections.

I selected bracket 02 for the next stage of development. The tolerance analysis checked the bracket and bearing assembly, and physical weighted-load tests evaluated the bracket and complete product. The studies below connect that choice to the geometry, analysis, and validation work.

Original bracket design with horizontal bolt alignment

Bracket 01

Bracket profile · 01

Bracket 02Selected design

Selected bracket profile · 02

Bracket 03

Bracket profile · 03

Each simulation retains its original stress legend. The plots support the design comparison; physical load testing is shown separately below the tolerance study.