Mechanical Equipment CAD Product Design

CAD Designer Needed for Modular Aquarium Equipment Mounting System

I’m looking for an experienced CAD designer to help develop a product system called ReefForm — a modular mounting and organization system for aquarium cabinets.

The goal is to create a clean, expandable ecosystem for mounting and organizing aquarium equipment such as controllers, power bricks, power strips, cables, sensors, dosing equipment, tubing, and other electronics.

The system would be manufactured primarily through FDM 3D printing, likely using PETG, so the designs need to be created with real-world printability and small-scale manufacturing in mind.

The general system concept is:

Cabinet → Mounting Rail → Standard Clip/Interface → Accessory/Mount → Equipment

The rail would mount directly to the aquarium cabinet using screws. Accessories would then attach to the rail through a standardized removable interface, allowing customers to reposition, add, or swap components without rebuilding the entire setup.

We have already explored a few concepts, including a standardized rail clip with a quarter-turn locking interface, but the mechanical design is not finalized. I am specifically looking for a designer who can help improve and engineer the system, not simply recreate an existing sketch.

If there is a better solution than the ideas we currently have — such as a dovetail, slide-lock, snap-fit, keyed mount, cam-style connection, captive fastener, or another mechanism — I am completely open to suggestions.

The most important requirement is creating a strong, repeatable, universal mounting interface that can be reused across many future ReefForm products.

Initial products we want to develop

1. Mounting Rail
A low-profile rail that can be mounted horizontally or vertically inside an aquarium cabinet. It should be strong, clean-looking, easy to print, and available in multiple lengths.

2. Standard Rail Clip / Adapter
A reusable clip or adapter that attaches to the rail and serves as the common connection point for accessories. This is likely the most important component in the entire system.

3. Controller Mounts
Aquarium controllers come in many shapes and sizes, so there may need to be multiple mounting solutions.

Some controllers have usable screw holes and may work with a simple X-shaped or flat mounting plate.

Others have no usable mounting holes and may require:

* snap-fit cradles
* edge clips
* slide-in mounts
* friction-fit holders
* adjustable brackets
* device-specific mounts

We do not expect one bracket to fit every controller.

4. Power Brick / Electronics Mount
An adjustable mount for rectangular power supplies and small electronics.

Approximate target range:

* Width: 30–70 mm
* Thickness: 15–35 mm
* Height: variable

The design should hold equipment securely while maintaining airflow and minimizing unnecessary material.

5. Cable Management
We want multiple cable-management products, including:

* single cable clips
* dual/multi-cable clips
* vertical and horizontal cable routing
* a larger “Cable Spine” style channel for routing multiple cables together

The Cable Spine would likely be a modular channel with openings that allow individual wires to branch out where needed.

Future products

The core mounting system should be designed with future expansion in mind.

Possible future accessories include:

* power strip mounts
* dosing pump mounts
* tubing holders
* sensor mounts
* small shelves
* equipment adapters
* lighting controller mounts
* additional cable-management products
* device-specific mounting brackets

Ideally, all of these products would connect to the same standardized ReefForm rail system.

Manufacturing requirements

These products are intended to be manufactured using 3D printers, not just prototyped.

Design considerations should include:

* FDM-friendly geometry
* minimal supports
* good print orientation
* strong layer orientation
* reasonable print times
* efficient material use
* repeatable tolerances
* appropriate wall thicknesses
* durable snap-fit or locking features
* commercially clean appearance

Using normal hardware is completely acceptable.

We are open to:

* screws
* nuts
* heat-set inserts
* captive hardware
* standard metric fasteners

The goal is not to make everything tool-free or screwless. Reliability and manufacturability are more important than creating an unnecessarily complicated mechanism.

What is already decided

* ReefForm will be a modular rail-based ecosystem.
* Products will be manufactured primarily with FDM 3D printing.
* PETG will likely be the main material initially.
* Accessories need to be removable and reconfigurable.
* The system needs a standardized mounting interface.
* Products need to look professionally designed and commercially viable.

What is still open to design input

Almost everything about the exact mechanical implementation is still flexible, including:

* rail profile
* clip geometry
* locking mechanism
* quarter-turn concept
* snap-fit design
* mounting methods
* controller retention
* power brick adjustment method
* cable channel design
* tolerances
* wall thicknesses
* hardware choices
* print orientation
* assembly methods

I would prefer to improve a concept now rather than force a design that could be stronger or simpler.

Initial development phase

The first goal is to develop and test the core mounting system before creating the entire product catalog.

A likely first phase would include:

1. Short rail test section
2. Rail clip/interface
3. Standard accessory connection
4. Basic test bracket
5. One real equipment mount

We would then:

Print → test → measure → revise → print again

Once the core interface is finalized, additional ReefForm products can be developed around that standard.

Deliverables

I would ideally like:

* editable parametric CAD files
* STEP files
* STL files
* clearly adjustable dimensions/parameters where practical

I am looking for someone comfortable with iterative mechanical product design, 3D-print manufacturing, tolerances, snap fits, fastening methods, and modular product systems.

This is not simply a one-off STL request. The goal is to create the foundation for an expandable product line.

If this sounds like a project you would be interested in, please send examples of relevant CAD/mechanical design work and let me know what CAD software you use.