Custom work - Hatch Tech index -> Custom Work -> Hatch

This was a concept marker (non-prototype) submitted to the 2009 FASOR design contest held on pbnation. In accordance with the contest, this marker was created to use an air-forward piston with a spring to return it. The unique features about this marker include the trapdoor-style poppet valve, and the body arrangement which converts the traditional stacked-tube arrangement into a variation that hides the upper bore behind the feedneck itself. This makes the body appear regular-sized from the side, but when viewed from the front or back it would appear to be a very slim single-bore marker.

Hatch marker
Hatch marker
Hatch marker
Hatch marker
Hatch marker rendering
Hatch marker rendering

Internals:
Make no mistake, this is only a concept marker at this time. I designed it in a CAD environment with much of the peripherals in place (air routing, frame features, light cosmetic milling, etc) but the firing valve is still very experimental.
The underlying theory is that a hatch-like trapdoor would separate the top from bottom bores and have a hinged pivot located behind it. When the ram piston moves forward, a solid face knocks against a lever attached to the hatch, pushing against the pivot and popping the valve open to deliver an air burst. When the ram retracts, a torsion spring (or similar) is used to collapse the hatch to the sealed position.

Hatch marker internals
Hatch marker internals
Hatch marker internals
Hatch marker internals
Hatch marker internals
Hatch marker internals

The rest of the marker is just a generic design I put forth to create a complete model. It includes amongst other things; reasonably ergonomic frame shape, rear-mounted operation buttons with display LED, internal hoses for air supply, miniature three-way normally-closed solenoid mounted in the frame, lateral circuit board located in back, concealed frame screws, standard 45-style grips, and a non-adjustable feedneck (sorry!). The air supply hoses use a milled manifold component to fork off for various destinations (solenoid; air chamber upper tube). Overall it's an interesting quickie design project and turned out pretty nice in the end.

Solid Media:
My original submission to the design contest can be downloaded here: Hatchmarker.zip
The file contains various SolidWorks files, including SLDPRT parts and SLDASM assemblies. A master "Hatch Assembly" SLDASM file will open the entire marker for viewing, however you will need to temporarily delete the hoses in order to execute a section view (the hose models interfere with the section view).
The models were created in Inventor then converted to be useable with SolidWorks; hence the imported geometry.