Cryptocurrency technology designer’s praise for YLF

The inventor of a cabinet which harnesses the power of cryptocurrency has given the company which turned his design into reality a resounding thumbs-up.

Matt Waters, Engineer and Director of Inventable Technologies Ltd in Guildford, contacted Yorkshire Laser Fabrications (YLF) while designing a case to house mining rigs, the devices used to process the transactions on some cryptocurrency networks.

He was looking for a company that could turn his design into a physical product in a responsive, cost effective way.

“There are now more than 1,300 cryptocurrencies of varying sizes and is a booming area of technology. Anyone can join the network to help process transactions in cryptocurrency and it is a fast-growing market rising from around $18 billion to $600 billion in just 12 months last year,” explained Matt.

“Supporting networks like Ethereum and Zcash is achieved through devices incorporating numerous graphic cards known as mining rigs. I wanted to design a case to enclose these that was both aesthetically pleasing so that it passes ‘the wife test’ as well as allowing enough airflow to enable them to operate effectively.”

In West Yorkshire based YLF he found a company that responded quickly to his requirements both in providing quotes and, once the order was placed, in making and delivering the cases.

“I don’t have a vast experience of sheet metal working but YLF has an automatic quote facility which enabled me to work on my design and tweak it according to how much it was going to cost to produce,” said Matt.

“I was able to modify the design and get a new quote within an hour which was incredible. This was a tremendous benefit for me and I couldn’t find anywhere else that could do this.”

He added: “I’m operating in a fast-moving market so while cost was one consideration, making sure we were going to deliver on time was also very important. YLF provided a one stop shop – they took the design, laser cut and folded to order, sent the components for coating and then delivered the product. They make the external shell of the case plus an inside chassis which the devices are mounted on.”

A side benefit of the rigs is that while they use a lot of electricity to process transactions, they also generate a significant amount of heat. “This heat is usually wasted in large scale commercial concerns. By designing a device that people can live with in their homes, they make use of this waste product, heating the rooms in which they are located and helping to reduce household heating costs,” said Matt.

So far YLF have delivered the first batch of five cases with another 10 on order. “The cases are already proving popular with customers. They are quite a convincing investment for people and are selling as fast as they can be made,” commented Matt.

“It is an interesting niche product that will probably evolve over the next year or two and I look forward to working with YLF in future on modifying it to meet customer needs and demand.”