Screw Gauge
Background
The screw gauge is a product I developed on my own out of personal interest. I saw the difficulty of organizing and sorting the loose screws I had lying around, so I started developing a product that would solve the problem.
Approach
I had just purchased a hobby level laser cutter so I was eager to test it out. I gained inspiration from various 3D printed screw gauges I saw, and went on to adopt and improve these designs for laser cutting. I recognized that one big shorcoming of all other screw gauges I saw was that they were not designed for countersink screws. So I incorporated the ability to measure countersink screws as a main feature.
Result
I succeeded in creating a screw gauge that can measure the diameter and length of screws of all screw head types. I continued to develop packaging and optimize cut settings in an effort to make the product viable for market. However, after careful market analysis and cost analysis, I decided against the idea due to low profitability and limited production capacity.
Future Work
After months of reflecting on the design, I have realized that a more specialized screw gauge may have a better chance of finding a niche market. I can change the design to better fit the needs of electronics makers and DIYers. I would do this by catering the measurements to screw sizes more commonly found in such applications typically in the range of M2-M3, and no more than 20mm in length. I can also market the product as a novelty business card.