Benchmark Vehicles

Mercedes Sprinter Camper van Design and Engineering

I leveraged my experience creating the HiAce camper to land a role at Benchmark Vehicles as a Design Engineer. They take a blank Mercedes Sprinter Van and transform it to high-end off-road camper van.

Type : Camper van, Overland vehicles

Manufacturing Method : CNC router, 3D printer, Sheet metal, Cabinetry methods

Scale : 18+ units produced per year

Skills used: Fusion 360 (sheet metal, manufacturing) prototyping, sketching, CNC main operator.

Other Skills: Design assembly instructions and manuals, Vendor management, Ordering and stock management

A gray off-road vehicle driving through water, with its lights on during overcast weather, trees in the background.

Design Engineer Role

A white camper van with black wheels, a ladder on the side, and a roof rack, on a plain light gray background.

As the lead designer in a new role for this company, I was given a lot of freedom to help transition traditional manufacturing techniques into a more efficient CAD based system.

Some of the job functions:

  • Transition 2D design based company(Adobe Illustrator) into the use of CAD/CAM(Fusion 360)

  • Translate previously manually produced parts and techniques into CAD models for CNC production

  • Create complex CAD models including all original parts to layout interior and exterior of vans

  • Create drawings and design files to communicate with external manufacturers

  • Main operator of 5×10 CNC, 3D printer

  • Sheet metal design, prototyping, outsourcing

A compact camper kitchen with white cabinets, a black sink with a chrome faucet, a black electric stovetop, and a wooden countertop, leading to a sleeping area with a bed and black privacy curtain.
Hand drawn arrow

Renderings

Starting from a blank shell, I grew the deliverables from 2D illustrator drawings into 3D renderings of the final product. This was most useful in our higher end clients and to visualize things before they were even built.

I started with a blank Sprinter surface model, edited and made parts functional using Blender. I then modeled each of the exterior components using pictures and dimensions found online using Fusion 360 and combined the van’s surface model and the parts into the rendered assembly.

A white van with black details, roof storage, spare tire, and equipment attached to the back, isolated on a plain background.
Front view of a black utility van equipped with off-road accessories, including a roof-mounted LED light bar, a snorkel on the right side, and yellow tow hooks on the front bumper, with the Benchmark Vehicles logo on the bottom right corner.
Top-down view of a recreational vehicle with black and gray exterior and solar panels on the roof.
Baja designs front light rendering
A beige camper van with black accents, roof-mounted equipment, and off-road tires, set against a plain gray background.
A white camper van with black accents, featuring windows, a roof rack, and rugged tires, positioned against a plain white background.
Plus sign sketch

Prototyping

I developed new parts like this that would either speed up the build process or increase functionality. This “A-pillar speaker” created speakers in a zones that would usually be dead space. My initial prompt was to just create a bump on the surface, but I think a seamless solution that looks built-in and factory would be the better move.

I took scribes of the difference surfaces and created a 3D surface model of the area. I offset the faces and created the initial surface modeled design, then further honed that design to a 3D prototype. I then printed and tested a few versions before sending it off to be printed in scale. To install, it took minor blending and gluing, then was wrapped and installed. Pretty happy with the outcome, these are now an add on option in Benchmark’s audio system for clients to purchase.

Technical drawing of a speaker with measurements in inches, including height, width, and diameter of speaker holes.
Scan of a scribe
A modern speaker with a blue and gold design, featuring two speaker components on a gray background.
Technical drawing of a speaker with detailed measurements and dimensions.
A white, modern speaker with three circular openings, standing on a small base against a plain background.
A 3D printer with a printing bed and an extruder nozzle. The printer is branded 'Ender' with a dragon logo, and the setup includes various wires and mechanical components.
Speaker prototyping
speaker prototyping
speaker prototyping parts
Close-up of a black car interior showing a Focal speaker with two smaller speakers above it, mounted on the A-pillar.
Close-up of a Mercedes-Benz steering wheel with digital dashboard visible in the background, parked outdoors.
Diagram showing a process with labeled steps: 'Step 1,' 'Step 2,' and 'Step 3,' connected by arrows indicating flow.

Sheet Metal Parts

I created sheet metal parts and fittings as needed in many different projects. Could be a one off propane tank holder, infrastructure for the van to beef up sheet metal attachment points, adjustments to existing hardware or anything that helps speed up install at scale.

The main brackets pictured are apart of the Scopema seat base attachment points, they give the seat crash-tested support reinforcement. These were produced in scale and 200+ brackets were ordered from a local manufacturer, that process I also managed including assembly instructions and packaging.

Sprinter undercarriage brackets
Underbelly of a vehicle showing a large metal exhaust pipe (or similar component), some black brackets, and part of the vehicle's frame with bolts and metal parts.
Plus sign
Work table in a workshop with various tools and materials, including metal parts, a heat gun, black gloves, and cardboard models, with a workbench in the background.
Plus sign
Technical drawing of a galvanized steel component with measurements and angles, shown from multiple perspectives.
Technical drawing of elongated metal tracks with measurements and angle diagrams, showing assembly details and installation angles.
Isometric drawing of metal brackets and clips for assembly.
plus sign

Cabinetry

Before I arrived at Benchmark, all the cabinetry was built manually. Scribes were done on each van, and everything was done one off as things were custom and highly specific. I worked to streamline this by building each cabinet and parts in CAD, then having a “scribe library” for final adjustments to be made in the vehicle. This allowed for a seamless end product that took in manufacturing variance that occurred both in the factory and within our operations.

A kitchen interior with wood cabinetry, a sink, and a stove, partially enclosed by a curved white counter and a dark vertical post, set against a plain gray background.
A close-up view of the lower part of a modern kitchen truck with a grey body, black tires, and a lifted hatch revealing a kitchen interior with a sink, a small cabinet with an orange drawer, a wooden countertop, and a textured wallpapered wall.
A compact kitchen unit with a built-in oven, small sink, and storage cabinets, featuring a dark red countertop and modern hardware.
Close-up of a modern van kitchen with a sink, wooden countertops, and a patterned wall behind
Cross-section of a modern van with a kitchenette, overhead cabinets, and a small seating area.
Interior view of a camper van with a compact kitchen area featuring a stove, sink, and storage cabinets, with part of the van's wall and window visible.