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Product design & engineering · Northeast Kansas

Finally, an affordable route from idea to reality, from invention to product.

3D models, engineering drawings, sheet metal, prototypes and a clear path to production, drawn by someone who has spent years designing, fabricating, and welding. Priced for inventors, entrepreneurs and small manufacturers.

Tell me about your product See services

Built on nearly 30 years of designing, fabricating, and welding.

  • CADAutodesk Fusion
  • FocusMechanical · Consumer · Sheet metal
  • Service areaKC · Midwest · Nationwide

First call free

+1 (785) 288-1333 [email protected]

Who I work with

Serious capabilities, without big‑agency overhead

Established design firms are built for corporate budgets. Praus Design is a lean, owner-operated studio, so the hourly rate fits people who are funding a product themselves.

Inventors

Have a sketch, prototype, or product idea?

I take a working idea and turn it into production-ready models and drawings, and flag what will drive cost before you spend money on setup or tooling.

Entrepreneurs & startups

Have early sales or backers?

Redesign for manufacturing, document the product properly, and find suppliers who can deliver your first production run on schedule.

Small manufacturers

Need engineering help without a hire?

Drawing packages, redesigns of existing parts, sheet metal development and fractional engineering support when the work comes in waves.

Services

From idea to production run and everything in between

Product Development

Concept through manufacturable design, with each decision weighed against how the part will be made and what it will cost.

  • Concept development
  • Design for manufacture review
  • Redesign of existing products
  • Patent and freedom-to-operate research

3D Modeling

Parametric solid models and assemblies in Autodesk Fusion, built clean so they can be changed and reused as the product evolves.

  • Parts & assemblies
  • Renderings for presentations
  • STEP / STL for vendors

Complex Sheet Metal

Flat patterns, bend allowances and formed assemblies designed around real laser and press-brake capabilities, so parts fit the first time.

  • Enclosures & brackets
  • Weldments
  • Flat patterns & DXFs

Drafting & Documentation

Engineering drawings with proper dimensioning and tolerances, bills of materials, assembly instructions and manuals.

  • Fabrication drawings
  • BOMs & revisions
  • Assembly & user manuals

Prototyping

Functional prototypes coordinated with trusted local shops for laser cutting, CNC forming, machining, laser welding and 3D printing.

  • Proof-of-concept builds
  • Fit & function testing
  • Iteration with real parts

Manufacturing Sourcing

On-shore and off-shore. I prepare the quote package, find and vet suppliers, and review first articles so production matches the design.

  • RFQ packages
  • Supplier selection
  • First-article review

How a project runs

The four flexible stages of product development

Our priority is transparent communication. You are in control to start or stop the process at any stage.

  1. STAGE 1

    Discovery & Research

    We’ll start with talks about your product, goals and budget. I will scope the project and tell you my thoughts on feasibility and what it will take to make it.

  2. STAGE 2

    Design & Modeling

    Design calcs, 3D models and drawings developed with a particular RFQ or process in mind, reviewed with you as the design takes shape.

  3. STAGE 3

    Prototype & Quoting

    We 3D print if we can and get quotes and sample parts coming from partner shops and suppliers. We can do all of the fitment and assembly testing or work with you on it.

  4. STAGE 4

    Part Release & Production

    A complete documentation package, sourced suppliers and support through your first production run or as long as you need it.

Early beginnings... almost 30 years ago

Aerial photo of the Carl Wenger farm, pond and shop in Walnut Hill, Florida, 1998
Hand-drawn dimensioned frame sketch on ruled paper
Vortex Aeration Systems Dual Power Series brochure cover Wenger Steel Productions business card
Vortex brochure inside spread: main frame, flotation, rotor, drive system and paint system
Vortex brochure back: Gates Poly Chain drive, auxiliary power unit on a tractor, warranty and service guarantee

My Dad's farm and shop in Northwest Florida, he taught me what he knew and gave me a corner of the shop to start out in.

Pre-3D CAD days... and also often sketched out on the shop floor in chalk.

My first manufacturing business and product...

Over-thought and over-designed... and a lucky home run on the design.

The Poly Chain belt, one of Gates' best inventions... and the back of my Dad's John Deere 4020.

About

Bryan J. Wenger, founder

I grew up on my Dad’s farm in Northwest Florida. His innovations and mechanical abilities were legendary and diesel mechanics, welding and fabrication were everyday work. When I was 19 he let me clear out a corner of his shop and start my first business designing and building floating aerators for commercial catfish farms.

Since then I have worked on both sides of the drawing: as a production welder and fabricator, as the designer who redesigned an industrial welder/generator/compressor line that is still sold today, and as CAD Administrator for a manufacturer of pneumatic conveying equipment.

Praus Design brings that hands-on experience and the mechanical ability my Dad gave me to inventors and small companies. Knowing how parts are cut, bent, welded and assembled is valuable but almost nothing can equal the thrill of feeling the pulse of a machine or a product that is doing exactly what it is meant to do.

Praus (πραΰς): Gentle and controlled strength.The meaning behind the name
How to say it
  1. 1997 – 2001Aeration equipment manufacturer

    Started welding and fabricating and founded a business designing and building electric-drive floating aerators for commercial catfish operations.

  2. 2001 – 2005Production welder, Mac Equipment

    Built pneumatic food-conveying equipment in Sabetha, Kansas, including multi-process welding and assembly.

  3. 2006 – 2008Product designer, Air-N-Arc Mfg.

    Redesigned and expanded a line of combination welder, generator and air-compressor units, from SolidWorks models through prototyping, testing and manuals. The line is still on the market today.

  4. 2008 – 2010Mission and humanitarian work, Guatemala

    Designed and had fabricated in Guatemala City a line of steel prefab mini-houses for a flood-displaced community. Rebuilt a diesel engine powered well in a remote community in northern Guatemala.

  5. 2010 – 2016CAD administrator, Schenck Process

    Drafting, then implementation and training of Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk Vault, visited the parent company in Germany twice.

  6. 2016 – 2024Food production equipment, construction

    Designed food-production equipment including a mechanical dough press, and worked in commercial construction including fabrication and design.

  7. 2024 – 2026Production Manager, Leaf Creek

    Led design and startup operations for a commercial, cutting-edge hydroponic greens growing facility.

  8. 2026Founded Praus Design

    Product design and engineering for inventors, startups and small manufacturers.

Start a project

Tell me what you're building

A short description is enough to start. I'll reply soon and there’s no charge for the first call.

Email[email protected]
Phone / WhatsApp+1 (785) 288-1333
Based inHiawatha, Kansas, USA
ServingKansas City, the Midwest and clients nationwide

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