Veteran-Owned Small Business•Ohio

I design it. I build it.
I prove it.
Then I help you scale it.

Mechanical design, tooling and fixtures, inspection, and the software that ties them together. I am a USAF veteran with 15 years on production floors and in engineering offices. I consult, I contract, and I build products of my own.

USAFVeteran, 2010 to 2016
Concept to launchDesign, tooling, first article, production
Veteran-OwnedOhio LLC, SAM.gov registered
15+ yrsMaintenance, manufacturing, engineering
Featured build // Club racing

Race subframe in. Everything else needed a home.

Tail extension, rectifier bracket and ECU tray for my ASRA club race R1 on a Moto Holders race subframe. Modeled in Inventor, test fit with printed parts, then cut, formed and bolted on. If you are building a race bike and need brackets that fit the first time, this is the work I do.

Featured build // Design for metal AM

Quoted it in billet. Then redesigned it for printed metal.

Passenger peg extension brackets for a riding school's Yamaha MT-10 fleet. Same bolt pattern and mating faces, topology optimized, checked in FEA, about 30% lighter than the billet part and quoted for production in printed aluminum.

Featured build // Aero and cooling

Air to the caliper. Hung off two bolts.

A brake cooling cowl for my Panigale V4 that clamps under the caliper mount bolts. Modeled in Inventor around the real rotor and mount, printed, test fit on the bike, then run through CFD to see where the air goes.

The whole loop, one engineer

What I do

Very few independent engineers have done all four. I have, and you work with me directly from the first call to the final drawing.

Design

01
  • Production parts and assemblies in Inventor and SolidWorks
  • Die cast and sheet metal housings, released to production
  • Jigs, fixtures, gauges, press dies
  • Drawing packages to ASME Y14.5, iLogic-automated

Build

02
  • CNC programming and machining background
  • Robot cells and automation layout
  • Rapid prototypes in-house
  • Local shop network I manage for you

Prove

03
  • First Article Inspection plans and reports
  • CMM and probe metrology experience
  • Scan-to-CAD and deviation maps
  • Materials and failure testing background

Scale

04
  • Work instructions and standard work
  • CAD templates and automation
  • Shop-floor software and dashboards
  • Product IP taken from prototype to production
Mechanical design & custom CAD

CAD that a vendor can build from.

I model parts for the way they get made. Cast, machined, formed, molded or printed, one-off or production. I have built the dies, run the machines, inspected the parts and taken products from first sketch through tooling and launch, so the CAD comes out ready to quote, build and check.

  • Parametric part and assembly modeling
  • Die cast, sheet metal, molded, and machined DFM
  • Drawing packages with GD&T to ASME Y14.5
  • Reverse engineering from scans and samples
  • CAD automation: iLogic, templates and scripts
  • Vendor tooling reviews and first article approval
Yamaha R1 tail bracket set render on a phantom race subframe
R1 tail brackets, 0.125" aluminum
Ducati V4 brake cooling cowl render
Ducati cowl, rotor and caliper mount
TIG torch handle core and grip sleeve render
TIG handle core and grip sleeve
Supra GT door pull installed
Supra GT door pull: scan to carbon and titanium
Real parts, real photos

Selected work

All case studies →
Yamaha R1 Tail Bracket Set
Motorsport // Sheet Metal
Personal race program

Yamaha R1 Tail Bracket Set

Tail extension, rectifier bracket and ECU tray for my ASRA club race R1 on a Moto Holders race subframe. Modeled in Inventor, test fit with printed parts, then cut, formed and bolted on. Render shows the parts from the production CAD on a phantom frame built from photos.

Click to Inspect →0.125″ aluminum sheet
MT-10 Peg Extension Bracket, Redesigned for Metal AM
Design for Metal AM // Topology Optimization
Client: motorcycle riding school

MT-10 Peg Extension Bracket, Redesigned for Metal AM

A billet passenger peg extension bracket for a riding school's MT-10 fleet, redesigned for 3D printed metal. Same bolt pattern, topology optimized on three load cases, checked in FEA, about 30% lighter, and quoted for production next to the CNC version.

Click to Inspect →Topology optimized, FEA checked
Modular TIG Torch Handle, Prototype P1
Product Design & DFAM
Kind of a Big Dill product

Modular TIG Torch Handle, Prototype P1

A 3D-printed modular handle for WP17 and WP26 TIG torches: 5.00 in long, 1.500 in over a diamond knurl, with internal air ducts that pull cooling air from windows at the head to the tail. Two sleeve builds, print pack and assembly instructions released.

Click to Inspect →WP17 and WP26 variants
MKV Toyota Supra GT Door Pull
Reverse Engineering
Client: Driveway Labs

MKV Toyota Supra GT Door Pull

Reverse engineered the factory MKV Supra door pull from a 3D scan, then designed a new 3D printed frame and pull mechanism with a carbon fiber face plate, titanium hardware and five strap colors.

Click to Inspect →3D scan of the OEM part
DSPro Wash Bucket & Detailing Accessories System
Sheet Metal & Detailing
Client: DSPro / RevAuto Detailing

DSPro Wash Bucket & Detailing Accessories System

Sheet metal detailing accessories for DSPro: a bottle rack that hangs on a 5-gallon bucket rim, a laser-cut Mk2 grit guard, and a wall bottle rack.

Click to Inspect →Stainless sheet, brake formed
Dillon Smith, owner of Kind of a Big Dill
About

Engineer, veteran, racer.

I started in the Air Force maintaining weapons and aircraft. Since then I have worked almost every step of how a part gets made and proven: CNC machining, CMM inspection, composites testing, press dies, robot cells, and metrology systems built into the machine.

Today I take LED lighting products through the full commercial lifecycle as a Senior Product Engineer, and I write my own software to do it faster: AI agents, custom documents, data dashboards and process programs. I race, and a lot of my own projects start at the track. Kind of a Big Dill is my own shop, where all of that goes to work on your idea.

And yes, the name is a joke. The work is not.

Read my story →
How it works

Simple and direct.

01

Send it over

Drawings, STEP files, photos, or just a description of the problem.

02

I review it

I read every request myself and reply within 2 business days.

03

Fixed quote

A clear scope and price before any work starts. No surprises.

04

Work and handoff

Native CAD, drawings, reports, and a short note on anything your vendor will ask about.

Taking new projects for November 2026
Replies within 2 business days
Start a Project

Tell me what you are working on

A drawing, a problem, or a rough idea is enough to start. I read every request myself and reply within 2 business days.

Part Details (Optional)Skip if not a part

Your details stay private. Happy to sign your NDA before you send files.