From Napkin Sketch
to Installation
LostMachine Design works at the intersection of art, design, engineering and fabrication.
Bring us a finished 3D model and we can build it. Bring us a difficult technical problem and we can help solve it. Bring us an idea or a sketch and we can develop it into a finished physical work.
Projects range from objects small enough to fit in your hand to multi-ton public artworks. LostMachine combines design, fabrication, mechanical systems, digital manufacturing and project management under one roof, allowing unusual projects to develop without being constrained by a single material or process.
Artist
Fabrication
Your artwork. Built with the same attention you gave to designing it.
LostMachine provides fabrication and technical development for artists and studios working in public art, sculpture, installations and unconventional objects.
We can work directly from finished drawings and 3D models or become involved earlier to resolve materials, connections, fabrication methods, structural requirements and installation strategy. The objective is not to redesign an artist's work around the limitations of a fabrication shop. It is to find practical ways to realize the work as intended.
Art & Design
Development
An idea does not need to arrive with fabrication drawings.
LostMachine can develop an initial concept, sketch or design brief into a physical artwork or object. Work may include concept development, 3D modeling, visualization, material exploration, mechanical design, prototyping and fabrication development.
This service is appropriate for original commissions, collaborations and projects where the physical solution is part of developing the artwork itself.
Technical Development
& Problem Solving
Difficult physical problems are often where the project gets interesting.
Large-scale artwork often presents problems that are not purely artistic or purely fabrication problems. LostMachine works through the space between the two, developing practical ways to build, move, assemble, operate and install unusual work.
This can include mechanical systems, kinetic components, pneumatic and hydraulic systems, specialized connections and fixtures, material selection, fabrication strategy, installation planning and coordination with licensed engineers when required.
The goal is not simply to make a design buildable, but to find a solution that preserves the artist's intent while improving reliability, fabrication efficiency and cost.
Technical review that produced meaningful material savings.
During development of Forest Lights, LostMachine identified an expensive structural specification as worth revisiting. Working with the project team and licensed engineers, a revised engineered solution reduced stainless-steel material costs by more than $20,000 while retaining a professionally engineered structural design.
VIEW FOREST LIGHTSA mechanism developed inside the architecture.
A fabrication shop approached LostMachine with an unusually open-ended request: they needed a door for a private technology-company lounge that opened with a “really cool sci-fi feel.” They did not arrive with a developed mechanism or a predetermined idea of how the door should move.
LostMachine developed the concept from that brief, exploring what kind of motion would create the desired effect and how that motion could be achieved mechanically. The resulting design used a custom pneumatic system and was developed as a complete 3D CAD model with fabrication-ready geometry for the commissioning shop to manufacture and install.
The project is an example of LostMachine's role when a client knows the experience or result they want, but the physical solution has yet to be invented.
VIEW PNEUMATIC DOORCustom
Fabrication
Not a general-purpose job shop.
LostMachine specializes in unusual objects that require a combination of fabrication, technical development and problem-solving.
Work ranges from large-scale sculpture and architectural artwork to kinetic objects, custom art furniture, prototypes and small highly detailed pieces. Projects can combine steel, stainless steel, aluminum, wood, plastics, composites, fiberglass, concrete, glass systems, textiles, lighting, electronics and other materials as required.
The common denominator is not scale or material. It is work that benefits from thoughtful design, unusual processes, precision, craftsmanship or technical development.
Project Management,
Logistics & Installation
Fabrication is only part of delivering a successful project.
LostMachine can manage projects through procurement, subcontractors, fabrication scheduling, outside vendors, engineering coordination, transportation, site logistics and installation.
Experience includes installations in active public facilities, overnight installation schedules, operating institutional environments, remote sites and large-scale work requiring specialized lifting and transportation.
The shop is part of the design process.
LostMachine's in-house capabilities are not intended to make the shop a one-stop contract manufacturer. They allow design and fabrication to remain connected. Parts can be modeled, prototyped, machined, fitted, revised and assembled in the same workflow, which is particularly valuable for one-off artwork and technically unusual projects.
That connection also changes the pace of development. When machining, cutting or another fabrication process has to be sent to an outside vendor, even a relatively simple part can take days or weeks to come back. That makes experimentation expensive and discourages iteration. A small problem that could otherwise be corrected immediately can instead interrupt an entire fabrication sequence.
Keeping key processes in-house allows an idea to be modeled, made, tested and revised while the problem is still being worked through. Dimensions can change after a test fit. A fixture can be modified after the first weldment. A prototype can reveal a better solution and another version can be produced without waiting weeks for a new production cycle.
For one-off artwork, this ability to iterate quickly is a significant advantage. It allows the fabrication process to inform the design rather than forcing the design to conform to decisions made weeks earlier. The result is better problem solving, fewer compromises and a stronger finished piece.
Metal Fabrication & Precision Assembly
Precise cutting and machining of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper and other metals are the first steps toward accurate fabrication. Combined with purpose-built fixtures and careful control of welding sequence and distortion, these processes allow complex weldments to hold critical dimensions through fabrication and final assembly.
LostMachine's metalworking capabilities support everything from small precision components and custom mechanisms to large structural assemblies.
CNC Machining & Digital Fabrication
CNC machining, routing, plasma cutting and laser cutting allow digital models to move directly into physical production. LostMachine uses these tools not only to make finished components, but also to produce templates, patterns, molds, fixtures and assembly tooling that improve accuracy throughout a build.
Keeping these processes closely connected to the CAD work makes it possible to test ideas, revise components and move from prototype to production without repeatedly translating the design between separate shops. In-house machining includes a Doosan DNM 400II vertical machining center with a 30-tool automatic tool changer.
3D CAD, Modeling & Production Development
3D modeling is integrated directly into the fabrication process. LostMachine can work from an artist's completed digital model, develop geometry from drawings and physical references, or build a detailed model as part of developing a new piece.
Models are used to resolve connections, clearances, moving components, assembly sequence and fabrication strategy before material is cut. They can then become the basis for shop drawings, CNC programming, fixtures and installation planning.
Mechanical, Kinetic & Pneumatic Systems
Moving artwork requires more than adding a motor to a sculpture. LostMachine develops mechanical systems around the particular behavior of the piece, including custom drive systems, linkages, bearings, gearing, pneumatics, hydraulics, and control interfaces.
These systems are developed with fabrication, maintenance and real-world operation in mind, allowing the mechanism to become an integrated part of the artwork rather than an accessory added afterward.
Pneumatic Sci-Fi Door and The Clock Ship Teresita show two very different applications of this work.
Lighting, Controls & Integrated Systems
Low-voltage lighting, electronic controls and custom control systems can be incorporated during the design and fabrication process rather than treated as separate systems at the end of a build. Planning for wiring paths, service access, mounting, power distribution and controls early helps produce cleaner installations and more maintainable finished work.
LostMachine can also develop custom control solutions when an artwork requires behavior that cannot be achieved with an off-the-shelf controller.
Mixed Materials & Unusual Fabrication
Public art rarely stays within a single material or trade. LostMachine regularly works across metals, wood, plastics, composites, fiberglass, glass mounting systems, concrete, textiles and other materials, selecting processes according to what the artwork requires.
This broad fabrication background is particularly useful when a project involves interfaces between materials, unconventional assemblies or components that do not fit neatly within the capabilities of a conventional metal, machine or woodworking shop.
Have something difficult to build?
Whether the project begins with finished CAD, a sketch or simply an unusual idea, LostMachine can help determine what it will take to make it physical.
START A CONVERSATION