The Teams Bringing CardMill to Life
10 months ago
– Thu, Oct 30, 2025 at 09:47:18 AM
We’ve officially teamed up with Beyond Design and DMC - two outstanding Chicago-based teams helping take CardMill from prototype to full-scale production.
This marks one of our biggest milestones yet. With their guidance, we’re moving from a promising prototype to a refined, production-ready product that’s built to last.
Beyond Design is a Chicago-based product development studio specializing in industrial design, mechanical engineering, and user experience. For more than three decades, they’ve helped bring ideas to life - transforming concepts into manufacturable products that perform beautifully and connect with real users.
Their work spans everything from consumer electronics to medical devices, always guided by research, collaboration, and a deep understanding of how people interact with technology.
"We’re delighted to partner with CardMill on developing their new card sorting machine. Our team brings over 32 years of expertise in industrial design, mechanical engineering, and UX design. We're committed to ensuring that the final TCG CardMill scanner and sorter will be delivered to you in 2026 and meet the performance and quality standards your backers expect. Thank you for this opportunity."
- The Beyond Design Team
DMC is a Chicago-based engineering and software company founded in 1996, specializing in embedded systems, automation, and hardware + software integration. They’ve helped global innovators like 3M, Ford, Bosch, and Abbott bring complex technologies to life through advanced engineering and precision testing.
With more than 10,000 projects completed across 40+ countries, DMC’s team knows how to take big, technical ideas and make them reliable, efficient, and ready for real-world use. Their engineers are now applying that same experience to CardMill - refining the brains and motion systems that power its high-speed scanning and sorting.
“DMC is dedicated to employing the latest technologies and industry best practices to ensure the long-term success of every project. Our broad expertise across industries allows us to deliver innovative solutions that exceed expectations - and we’re thrilled to bring that same approach to CardMill.”
- The DMC Team
Beyond Design and DMC have successfully collaborated on numerous products over the years - giving CardMill an experienced, synchronized team that is integrated into the project seamlessly to hit the ground running.
Together, they bring:
Industrial Design & User Experience from Beyond Design
Hardware, Firmware & Software Engineering from DMC
Decades of production expertise guiding every phase
We’re now deep in the engineering and system-refinement phase - focusing on the key mechanics that make CardMill powerful and reliable:
- Optimizing the motion system for smoother card movement
- Exploring an expanded tray and improved feeder for capacity and flow
- Evaluating cameras, motors, and processors for speed and reliability
- Strengthening alignment and durability for long-term performance
Our founder Jonathan and Sean from Beyond Design testing out the refined tray system, its smooth and fast guys! (this is a new prototype of the interior system and tray)
Together with Beyond Design and DMC, we’re vetting manufacturing partners who can take CardMill through tooling, pilot builds, and mass production. With over 60 years of combined experience, they’re guiding us toward a production process that’s smooth, scalable, and built right the first time.
Coming soon: we'll share what’s being refined in detail and outline the road to delivery.
CardMill has always been about accessibility - bringing real sorting power to the everyday collector. With Beyond Design and DMC leading the next phase, we’re more confident than ever that CardMill will deliver on its promise: an affordable, robust, all-in-one scanner and sorter built to last.
Thank you for believing in this project and continuing the journey with us.
- Jonathan & The CardMill Team
