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Old 08-05-2014, 05:16 PM   #795
Sithspawn
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tl;dr manufacturing is a tough gig. This product is worth waiting for.

R&D takes much longer than people think. Hell, I drove around with my pre-production prototypes for about 4 months before I finally was able to dial in the manufacturing process to actually produce them.

Fiberglass is a PITA to get just right: temperature, humidity and mixture ratios in the resin play a huge role in how consistent the parts come out. Those three factors dictate how much it shrinks, how quickly it cures and how stiff the final part is. People expect a fiberglass part to fit perfectly every time and throw a fit if it is even the slightest bit off. It takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what temperature, humidity level and mixture ratio will produce the correct geometry. Then, you have to ensure that those variables are 100% in your control in the production setting to get that same quality every single time. That is a big PITA in of itself and requires a huge investment in air quality control throughout the year to keep all those variables in check. For example a part made in summer may be more warped than a part made in winter if you don't have climate control inside the facility. Furthermore, a mixture ratio that works in summer may not cure well enough in the winter.

For a small company just starting out with a new part, it is a steep learning curve and regardless of whether or not your design is solid, getting it manufactured is a whole different animal...especially when dealing with an exothermic polymerization reaction. Even if a small company decides to sub contract out the actual production, it takes a small fortune to get that going and you still have to work with the contractor to ensure that the quality is up to your standards. Also, considering that you aren't the subcontractor's only customer, you are somewhat at their mercy and the demands of their long term customers as to how quickly your project gets done. If you are too demanding, the initial quantity is low, and this is the first time you are working with them, they might just throw your project on the back burner and give you the dog and pony show until they feel like working on it again. Sometimes you get lucky and your supplier is looking to establish another long term customer and other times, they just want to make a quick buck between big jobs with their bigger customers. You just never know.

As for the people suggesting that someone rip off their design. Go drop $10k-100k on R&D and see how you feel when someone else rips off your blood, sweat, tears, and hard earned money that you've invested in something you are passionate about. I know, its too much to ask for someone to feel empathy for anyone else these days.

For me, this particular wing is by far the most gorgeous piece of art I've seen come out for this platform and I am happy to wait as long as it takes for it to be released and will be proud to rock it on my ride because I know what it takes to get something like this off the ground. Go Seidoworks!
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