This project was a suggestion from an old high school classmate. I was preparing for the Certified SolidWorks Professional Exam at the time and he suggested if I could make him an improved sight for his paintball gun. He wanted something with a lower profile that didn't interfere with his helmet. What followed were several iterations and a final, 3D printed design ready to use on his paintball gun.

Completing this project taught me much about sight picture theory, design for picatinny rails, and design for 3D printing. 

In the first iteration, I focused my efforts on developing the attachment system with the picatinny rail and the sight.

After tracing out the rail profile, and searching for viable hardware, I landed on using a two piece sight design held together with two M4 shoulder screws. Optic wise, I left it as an O-ring and lofted it with the base to create a smooth transition.

The model follows the 3-2-1 fixturing rule I learned from my manufacturing engineering class. The side profiles limit movement to strictly sliding on the rail, while the screws stop sliding altogether.

After showing the first iteration to my friend, and receiving his feedback, I got to work on the second sight. The optic was updated to be open as per my friend's request. Additionally, a windage adjustment mechanism was added. 

The sight piece is a rack resting on a small rail. It meshes with a larger pinion gear. In turn, the larger pinion meshes with a smaller input pinion, creating a speed reduction mechanism for fine adjustments.

This iteration built off the second one slightly. The optic piece was modified further and nuts were added to cap off the gears. The position of the gears was also modified slightly.

To print this, I contacted a friend I met in University and he agreed to print it with his Prusa FDM printer. However, when finished, the print came out poorly. It was due to the shear complexisty of the main body and small scale of the parts. Additionally, he commented on the effectiveness of the sight, saying that two separate pieces should be created for proper target acquisition. 

Work on a fourth, printer friendly version began shortly after.

In the fourth iteration, I focused on developing a rigid, printable design that worked. In doing so, I removed the windage adjustment and split it into two separate components. 

To make up for some lost features and for added stability, dovetail inserts were added for both components. This made attachement easier and avoided alignment issues. 

This iteration was successfuly printed shortly after.

Pictured here is the final 3D printed outcome. It was 3D printed on a colleague's Prusa with a gyroid infill pattern. The dovetails provide sufficient friction to hold it in place. The M4 screws ensure full connection and provides extra compressive force to hold it. Performance wise, it was tested by a friend during an airsoft match. It managed to score two kills before he switch to his standard optics.

From his feedback, he suggested I make the sight features thinner and bring the rear sights closer to the rail. The addition of windage adjustment was also recommended. Additionally, for future designs, he suggested I make the tip a ring optic to be better suited for airsoft rifles. 

Overall, this was very fun side project. In the future, I plan to further improve the design and commercialize it for casual use.