UNDERWATER

CAMERA

UNDERWATER

CAMERA

Mandate

Development of an underwater camera for commercial fishing.

Description

PRECICAD’s mandate was to redraw the elements of an underwater camera and light. The first phase involved optimizing the machining and tolerances of the cylindrical version of the product, provided by the client in prototype form. In the second phase, a housing integrating all of the camera and light components as well as an adjustable mounting plate was developed. PRECICAD’s involvement in this mandate was design, technical development, 3D modeling of components, and file optimization according to the manufacturing process, all while ensuring a distinctive aesthetic.

Sector

Optic

Departments

  • Industrial Design
  • Mechanical Engineering

Client

Ocean-Cam

Reverse Engineering

For the first phase of the mandate, our mechanical design team fully redrawn the components of an underwater camera and light using the prototype provided by the client. One of the main challenges was to use the same aluminum tube for the integration of both modules components.

 

The stages of this phase were as follows :

Modeling of parts to be integrated (camera, batteries, connector)

Modeling of parts to be manufactured (tube, 2 washers, lens, battery holder, plug)

Tolerancing study

Manufacturing drawings

Assembly drawings

Poly-Solid Camera

The project is handed over to the industrial design team for the second phase of the mandate. Using the information acquired during the development of the Poly-Slim model, our goal is to design and develop a product integrating the entirety of the components.

 

The presentation of several potential solutions allows the client to focus on a direction that meets all of his initial needs. The concept is then adjusted based on his feedbacks, allowing us to jump to the detailed design.

The concept initially selected was to keep the cylinders as is and to assemble them in a more robust housing.

Development quickly shifted to a monohull concept allowing the integration of components in two chambers machined directly into the housing. Several reasons guided this choice:

Simplify assembly

Fewer parts to manufacture

Less tolerance management between parts

Greater stability of camera and light

Increased robustness

Lighter

PRECICAD then took care of the management and follow-up with the various suppliers for the manufacture of a functional aluminum prototype. It quickly confirmed that this was the right solution.

The addition of touch-sensor controls to the case itself, using built-in magnets, as well as multiple adjustment holes on the mounting plate, makes the use and commissioning even easier.

 

Ocean-Cam won a pass to be part of the Government of Québec’s SXSW mission thanks to a provincial product presentation competition whose final took place in Montreal during Expo-Entrepreneur 2019. During this event, the company was also able to perceive the great potential of its product which could also be useful in other sectors of activity.