3 ms·

It would be nice to know what material/process is used to make the plastic(?) enclosure. Given that the funding goal is $1400 / $1600, I'm assuming it's 3d prin

by ohazi 7y ago

It would be nice to know what material/process is used to make the plastic(?) enclosure. Given that the funding goal is $1400 / $1600, I'm assuming it's 3d printed rather than injection molded, but maybe they were able to get a standard part? Otherwise, this appears to be a (rare) good example of a well-planned crowdfunding campaign. The actual design is either completely or almost completely de-risked via one or more prototypes. Both the funding goal and anticipated timeline appear reasonable, and make it clear that the funds are being used for production rather than for development. Number of reward items in each category is capped so that sudden unexpected popularity doesn't doom the project.

culturestate 7y ago
I don't think it's a commercial part - if you look closely at the photo of the first prototype, the left side of the sled shows some distinct lines that look like FDM layers. It also seems like the maker is producing these in small batches in his home lab, so 3D printing makes sense. That said, the CAD model of v2 seems to show some kind of ejector or retention mechanism (in green, again on the left) which could be tricky to print reliably.
- JorgeGT 7y ago
  A lot of people are integrating FDM or other AM techniques into their production, so it doesn't meant it will be home-produced. You can order small batches from Stratasys, 3D Systems or any of the other big manufacturers and you get reliable parts with good tolerances and post-treatment etc., without committing to with injection molding.
  - culturestate 7y ago
    That's true! I think next-gen manufacturing is actually one of the most interesting areas of research going right now. In this case, though, I meant commercial part more like "generic component that you could buy from fifty random aliexpress suppliers" rather than simply "part produced commercially."
    - JorgeGT 7y ago
      I agree! It's a very interesting new world. And now I get what you meant. I think the best term for that is COTS (commercial off-the-shelf).
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  Seems like it could be CNC’d from a solid block. The ejection mechanism looks off-the-shelf.
- yttriumtyclief 7y ago
  Yes, the very first prototype was a fairly poorly-produced FDM. The actual 3d model was high quality, but my brother just got it printed at his college's maker space, by someone who didn't really care to make it look good. It was just meant to be a functional sled. I will be fine-tuning the final part to look and feel a lot better. Until recently I was planning to just order them from 3dhubs, since it has decent per-unit pricing for bulk orders, but now I'm going to be buying a printer and doing them myself. This will allow me to print whatever chassis is needed, make revisions whenever needed, and also make it far easier to prototype future mods.
yttriumtyclief 7y ago
It will be 3d printed, but I'll be using a higher quality ABS filament, and finishing each one nicely. If you know what to look for, you'll be able to tell it was 3d printed, but nobody will notice it sitting inside your machine. >make it clear that the funds are being used for production rather than for development Well, that was true until now! The catch is that all "profits" will go towards development of future mods. The existing Expresscard adapter is pretty much fully thought-out. The perk limits were set for a 100-unit production run. I'm okay exceeding that, and will be increasing the first run to 200 units, but that's probably going to be my cutoff in terms of the campaign. After the campaign I'll be selling them perpetually at the ThinkMods store.

by ohazi 7y ago

culturestate 7y ago

I don't think it's a commercial part - if you look closely at the photo of the first prototype, the left side of the sled shows some distinct lines that look like FDM layers. It also seems like the maker is producing these in small batches in his home lab, so 3D printing makes sense. That said, the CAD model of v2 seems to show some kind of ejector or retention mechanism (in green, again on the left) which could be tricky to print reliably.

JorgeGT 7y ago
A lot of people are integrating FDM or other AM techniques into their production, so it doesn't meant it will be home-produced. You can order small batches from Stratasys, 3D Systems or any of the other big manufacturers and you get reliable parts with good tolerances and post-treatment etc., without committing to with injection molding.
- culturestate 7y ago
  That's true! I think next-gen manufacturing is actually one of the most interesting areas of research going right now. In this case, though, I meant commercial part more like "generic component that you could buy from fifty random aliexpress suppliers" rather than simply "part produced commercially."
  - JorgeGT 7y ago
    I agree! It's a very interesting new world. And now I get what you meant. I think the best term for that is COTS (commercial off-the-shelf).
Scoundreller 7y ago
Seems like it could be CNC’d from a solid block. The ejection mechanism looks off-the-shelf.
yttriumtyclief 7y ago
Yes, the very first prototype was a fairly poorly-produced FDM. The actual 3d model was high quality, but my brother just got it printed at his college's maker space, by someone who didn't really care to make it look good. It was just meant to be a functional sled. I will be fine-tuning the final part to look and feel a lot better. Until recently I was planning to just order them from 3dhubs, since it has decent per-unit pricing for bulk orders, but now I'm going to be buying a printer and doing them myself. This will allow me to print whatever chassis is needed, make revisions whenever needed, and also make it far easier to prototype future mods.

yttriumtyclief 7y ago

It will be 3d printed, but I'll be using a higher quality ABS filament, and finishing each one nicely. If you know what to look for, you'll be able to tell it was 3d printed, but nobody will notice it sitting inside your machine. >make it clear that the funds are being used for production rather than for development Well, that was true until now! The catch is that all "profits" will go towards development of future mods. The existing Expresscard adapter is pretty much fully thought-out. The perk limits were set for a 100-unit production run. I'm okay exceeding that, and will be increasing the first run to 200 units, but that's probably going to be my cutoff in terms of the campaign. After the campaign I'll be selling them perpetually at the ThinkMods store.