So you are going to have to bond each one by hand? that’ll get old quick. Maybe try to get them made all as one piece, then swap over the louvers or make your own
You’re going to need to refine the product a bit more IMO.
I see that you have done a good job thus far, my only suggestion is to modify the hazard button to not look so gappy.
And, carbon fiber.
Yes sir we’re on it, the next one that I’m getting Thursday will have the hazard set in a bit more with very little, almost no gap on the sides. Thanks for the compliments I appreciate it.
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Because of the vents, nobody will make me a cast with vents that move. And because of the total size, the price for a cast will double.
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Because we already made one and refined another, from here on out they will be easy to pump out. The first one always takes the longest to make.
Cast? Like a rubber mold? If you are going to make more than a hundred I’d really invest in getting this injected molded. Protomold could handle what you have (one piece, with provisions for vents) I’m telling you fiddle-fucking with bondo on a part you have to make a bunch of will really eat the shit out of your profits and patience. I’ve done just about every type of prototyping out there in some fashion or another (see the portfolio tab on my website in my sig) and the best kind is one where you don’t have to do custom work on each one when doing volume. I mean if you are doing one or two a week then sure, it’s a hobby, but if you are trying to do a lot and you have a full time job and pushy customers I’d really rethink your decision to go 3/4 on the project.
But if you are going to go that route I’d do a core charge so the person buying your vent has to send in their own one so you aren’t left looking for vents and probably paying too much. Be sure to stipulate no broken tabs or vents
Injection molding is what I’m talking about and bondo was only used on the first piece I made from wood and a core is necessary, they will have to send me theirs so I always have one on hand and ready to go. I now have mine done and an extra vent that I’m cutting tonight so when Tim prints the refined version I can take it to him, he’ll bond it to the vent and all I have to do is scuff it, prime and paint. That’s it. The hard part is already done. Injection molding is really expensive, like I said $2,500 for the cast itself then a few bucks for each part. Instead of going all out and getting these injection molded I’m going to make the first bunch this way, then move on to injection if we decide to go farther with it.
I’m really not trying to bust your balls, honest.
I don’t see you cutting out the old bits and putting in a new piece without a lot of work. So much to the point where it won’t be worth it for you. Unless you make a jig then have a precise hole cut out on a mill/cnc so it’s a perfect fit. Doing it by hand will not yield parts that you can just stick into the OEM piece without some sort of tedious finishing work.
You’d almost be better off making the right side totally separate from the left with an intentional seam between the two. then you can just pump out parts and send them to who ever and they can trim their stock part to match yours (maybe provide a template?) or they can choose to have you cut/send one already done.
No ball busting at all I appreciate the ideas and comments. That’s something I’m going to consider. I’m cutting out my second vent now and I’m trying to find quicker and easier ways to go about it. I definitely want to provide a complete bolt in ready part because that’s where the most $ is, I don’t want the customer to have to do any work.
The lines on the stock vent are really bold so using a dremmel to cut, then sanding to perfection really doesn’t take much time at all. Trust me any and all ideas like yours are being considered.
Crazy interest in it so far, my Pm box on EvoM is being filled, one is currently being made for a guy and 3 others are “back-ordered” LOL. The next model will set the hazard down a bit so it’s more flush and nearly no gap around the edges and the switch housing will be less angled. I’ll be updating here very soon on the revised model either tomorrow or the following day.
I have to laugh at all of travisn’s posts talking about how much of a bitch it is making something like this by hand multiple times, because I have made and sold over 100 gauge pods myself…that I made/make out of stock dash cluster surrounds to hold two gauges for the 00-04 focus. I tend to sell at least 2 a month and have for the past 5+ yrs.
Doing 2 a month is easy, but imagine doing 2 a day, or even more?
That’s a good idea/point
exactly. I tend to have a waiting list. I looked into injection molding and it would have been over $10k to get it set up and then I’d have to buy 100 of them up front for another $10/ea and I couldn’t come up with that kind of capital to do it. I tried making a buck and built a vacuum form and have been experimenting making just the pod shape out of styrene to just bond it and paint it but still haven’t ironed out the process for that just yet
Lol I tried to spin it as if solid works were open.