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The future of RP and small Resin Manufacturers?
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Brian,
I do not think rapid prototyping dramatically changes the cost of resin kit production. Instead, I imagine it makes "creating masters" more accessible to those of us without all of the skills to do it. Or it makes it possible to create more masters, faster, for people who really know what they're doing. Technology often amounts to a trade off of time for money. Besides, good masters is only half the battle -- casting is where the rubber meets the road! Tim O. |
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Brian Chapman <cornbeltroute@...>
Tim,
Is that supposed to make me feel better? lol. Actually, going on instinct, I'm thinking RP will make a huge difference, I just don't know how quickly and in what ways: Which production methods existing today will it kill (if any)? So often, "things" don't develop in ways that we predict. It'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out, won't it? rapid prototyping . . . makes "creating masters" more accessible tothose of us without all of the skills to do it. < This kinda flies in the face of what Jim and/or Tom have said in this thread, though, doesn't it? IIRC, they have pointed out that, as it is now, a steep learning curve is involved along the entire route to production with this process. Equally troublesome, the few companies that possess this process at the moment likely will want little to do with we small customer / manufacturer types with shallow pockets. But, if you mean eventually it will come to pass that we everyday modeler types will be able to create masters, certainly, you're right on the mark. (Listen to me talk, as if I have a clue how this whole thing will look in the future. Just talking in order to attempt to understand it on some elementary level, I guess.) casting is where the rubber meets the road! <Unless and until the RP process is so powerful and efficient that we can feed a prepared design into a machine and 20 seconds later it pops out a complete replica (like ordering dinner aboard the Star Ship Enterprise, push a button and your food appears, "magically"). Maybe RP will move from a "slow" process good enough only to produce masters for casting to a point where it is the manufacturing process itself, obsoleting resin casting alltogether. Just one point of view, and no doubt it's way off course. <g -Brian Brian Chapman Evansdale, Iowa --- |
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NO. That is not what I mean Brian. This thread began by talking... if you mean eventually it will come to pass that we about compensation for making masters, and it arose that there are pattern makers out there who can do custom work. The problem with this is that the TRANSLATION from a modeler's head to a pattern maker's head to a resin caster's head is going to be a risky, error prone path. But IF the modeler can specify what he wants with drawings and specs, and if the pattern maker can do a set of CAD drawings from that and the modeler can see they are good, and then the pattern maker can turn on his SL equipment to produce the masters Voila! Then the last step is the casting... This type of thing can be done now, by custom pattern makers, but without the CAD drawings as verification and without the inherent reliability of the SL process, for Joe Modeler commissioning the custom patterns is risky not only in terms of sales, but it also is risky in terms of technical success. So this RP/SL process is a way of assuring technical success. But like I said I don't think it alters the cost structure significantly. I think your investment in time & equipment is safe for now, and I hope you go ahead with your venture. Tim O'Connor |
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Brian Chapman <cornbeltroute@...>
everyday modeler types will be able to create masters... <<<... if you mean eventually it will come to pass that we NO. That is not what I mean Brian. This thread began by talkingAhh, OK, I do see what you're saying now, I believe. Generally, I read this list via daily Digests, and I do believe I missed the compensation discussion at the thread's beginning. Even now, though, the cost of using the .002" resolution system for proof of concept is darn expensive. However, if a modeler is well-to-do or intends to cast a number of copies to amortize costs of a production run, it makes more sense. I think others were saying this earlier, but I seemed to have gone off in another direction. <g Thanks for clarifying what you meant so that I could finally "get it." -Brian Brian Chapman Evansdale, Iowa --- |
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James Eckman
From: "Brian Chapman" <cornbeltroute@...>I would be worried more about the collapse of the model railroad freight car market myself. RP isn't going to happen overnight, it will take a while before the service bureaus even can do things with the level of detail required. Note Jim's? post where the salespeople didn't even know what their machine could do along with a silly pricing policy. Sitting near me is a test CNC cut negative mold of one side of aIf it looks good, why not? The end purchaser will only care that it looks right and can be put together into a working model. I'd look at Westerfield kits for pointers on that! I wonder if RP, eventually, will not be a greater threat to injectionIf you have a mass market, injection is the way to go, making molds is easier and cheapier as well nowadays. Today, small resin manufacturers are seen, I believe, as the futureAs long as the hobby. Egads, I do believe I have developed a stomach-ache while writing thisI hope you will derive pleasure from your business, model freight cars are probably not the road to riches. Of course there's my secret method for making a million at model railroading, if you send me $1,000,000 I will be glad to share it with you ;). Jim Eckman |
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Brian Chapman <cornbeltroute@...>
Jim,
I much enjoyed your note. Riches are not my goal (good thing, eh?) In fact, I had hoped to develop this small business to keep bread on the table while I pursue a few writing projects I've hankered to get after for a number of years. These days, it's just myself and my roommate (a big, ol' Tomcat who -- sometimes . . . once in awhile -- answers to the name, "Bogart"). So, I have low overhead, love this hobby, have a keen interest in the prototype (1920s through the 1960s mainly, I guess), plenty or room for shop and office, so. . . . Maybe I can fund my writing, make one or two modelers happy with railroad items they otherwise would not have had, and be ready to move on to something else if RP should kill all people like me. I'll keep at it until death comes knocking at my door, though. lol Jim, thank you for your insights and suggestions, -Brian Brian Chapman Evansdale, Iowa |
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Marcelo Lordeiro <mrcustom@...>
IF the pattern maker is a model railroader , is also the resin caster and was the freight car design mananger for a car builder , I'm sure you will get something outstanding.
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Marcelo Lordeiro ----- Original Message -----
From: Brian Chapman To: STMFC@... Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2005 12:09 AM Subject: [STMFC] Re: The future of RP and small Resin Manufacturers? >>> ... if you mean eventually it will come to pass that we everyday modeler types will be able to create masters... <<< > NO. That is not what I mean Brian. This thread began by talking > about compensation for making masters, and it arose that there > are pattern makers out there who can do custom work. The problem > with this is that the TRANSLATION from a modeler's head to a > pattern maker's head to a resin caster's head is going to be a > risky, error prone path. Ahh, OK, I do see what you're saying now, I believe. Generally, I read this list via daily Digests, and I do believe I missed the compensation discussion at the thread's beginning. Even now, though, the cost of using the .002" resolution system for proof of concept is darn expensive. However, if a modeler is well-to-do or intends to cast a number of copies to amortize costs of a production run, it makes more sense. I think others were saying this earlier, but I seemed to have gone off in another direction. <g Thanks for clarifying what you meant so that I could finally "get it." -Brian Brian Chapman Evansdale, Iowa --- SPONSORED LINKS Worldwide travel insurance Travel trailer insurance International travel insurance Travel insurance usa Travel medical insurance Csa travel insurance ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS a.. Visit your group "STMFC" on the web. b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: STMFC-unsubscribe@... c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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