I needed a way to efficiently carry tools on my dirtbike. The Revolver Multi-Tool was born.

Requirements are:

Small and light.
Practical - it must really work, I should be able to use it to fix my motorcycle out in the wild.
Flexible - Can use it for many things, can be expanded as required.

Step 1: Get an Idea

I wanted a better toolkit to carry tool on my motorcycle. Something that would do everything I need in a small light package. Fire up the CAD software and get to work!

Starting to look after many hours of playing around, so lets render a pretty picture of the first CAD prototype. Modeled a slick looking case for it as well.

Step 2: Get Some Parts 3D Printed

The design looks good enough to get some SLA parts made to get a feel for the how the tool will work a feel in the real world.

Painted up one ABS model to simulate what the investment cast final part would look like. I choose investment cast in stainless steel to allow for thin and light but strong part. A real tool for real work.

Step 3: Back to the Drawing Board (Umm, I Mean Computer)

The original design was to be investment cast in Stainless Steel. Very nice, but tooling costs killed the project. Why not redesign the part to be CNC machines out of aluminum? Minimum tooling costs, it might work.

I draw something up for Version 2 and do some fancy FEA work to see if the 7075 aluminum will be strong enough. So far so good, how about another sweet CAD rendering before we cut metal.

Step 4: Get Some Metal Cut

Feeling confident on the second design, I decided to go straight to metal. I did have the orange inserts 3D printed in ABS and finished with spray paint.

Version 2 is a much better design, with more practical features. It works really well, looks and feels great.