Design & Source Lightweight Plastic Toppers

Digital Media Vending International (DMVI) is looking for a mechanical/product designer with practical plastics-manufacturing and sourcing experience to develop a branded topper for our M1 vending machine. We are based just north of San Francisco, we will work together to find a local source of materials and/or assembly. We need 32 finished vending machine toppers. We previously received a steel fabrication quote that was too expensive. Our preliminary calculations suggest plastic could offer a more economical, lighter alternative, and we need someone to validate that approach and turn it into a production-ready design. These will just be rectangular boxes that sit on top of the vending machine, with LEDs inside and a Vinyl wrap applied to the plastic, that we will do in-house. If simple enough, ,we may even be able to assemble in-house too... Depends on your design. This is not just a graphic-design or rendering project. We need a practical design, manufacturing files, a bill of materials, and credible supplier quotations. What we need you to do • Review our machine dimensions, photos, initial topper concept, and previous quote/drawings where available. • Recommend suitable materials and a manufacturing method for this small production run. Options could include fabricated or bent plastic sheet, thermoforming, or a hybrid construction if appropriate. • Design a lightweight, rigid topper with a professional finish and a straightforward, secure mounting system. • Account for transport, installation, stability, and access to the machine’s service areas. Confirm the operating environment and any lighting requirements with us before finalizing the design. • Plan for branded vinyl graphics that we can print and apply in-house, ideally with an easy way to replace the graphics later. • Source suitable materials and fabricators, obtain comparable quotes, and recommend the best-value route to production. Required deliverables 1. Material/process comparison with estimated weight, cost, tooling/setup charges, and key trade-offs. 2. CAD concept and assembly/mounting drawings for review. 3. Editable source CAD, STEP files, and fabrication-ready drawings/cut files appropriate to the chosen process. 4. Bill of materials, including fasteners, adhesives, and finishing requirements. 5. Dimensioned artwork templates for our graphics team. 6. Preferably two or three supplier quotes for a prototype and the 32-unit run, including lead times, packaging, and delivery to Sebastopol, California. 7. Support through one prototype review and any agreed revisions before production release. Our priorities Low total cost at a quantity of 32, low weight, durability, an attractive finish, and easy installation. Please avoid designs that look inexpensive per unit but require disproportionate tooling costs. Ideal experience • Plastic enclosures, retail displays, signage, machine housings, or similar products. • Design for manufacture and small-batch fabrication. • Supplier sourcing and quote evaluation. • Practical fastening and assembly design, not just visual modelling. Please include in your proposal • Two or three relevant examples that were actually manufactured. • Your initial material/process recommendation and why it suits 32 units. • Your CAD software and the editable file formats you will provide. • Your sourcing experience and likely supplier locations. • Proposed fee, timeline, and milestone breakdown. • Any supplier commissions or other sourcing fees. We suggest milestones for concept and costing → detailed design and supplier selection → prototype review and final production package. Prototype fabrication, production, and shipping will be quoted separately and require our approval. You will need immediate availability as I have to deliver 32 toppers in ~3 weeks. So I'm thinking a week (max) to design and source, 1 week to wait for materials to arrive and 1 week to assemble at DMVI (unless we find someone to assemble for us easily)