Thinking about kickstarting front panel manufacturing service.

[Anthon]

Hi there,

My DIY got pretty serious over the past years.
I already make speaker cabinets professionally in my workshop, but it's mostly tedious manual labor which I want to move away from eventually.
So, I was thinking about starting housing/front panel manufacturing service.
I guess some kind of crowd funding would not be a bad idea.
I already have pretty much everything I need (so it would be very low risk), but having a big group purchase would help get me going.


The tools at my disposal:

- Electrostatic powder coating kit.
This is the best way to coat metal parts, much better than wet paints. The final result is nice and even, and also very durable.

- 60x40 CNC machine.
It's a bit slow, but it can cut 3mm aluminum with great precision.

- 50x30 Co2 laser
It can cut and engrave a wide range of acrylic materials.
But my favorite application is engraving on powder coated metals.

- 90x60 flatbed UV printer (ordered, currently waiting on it)
This is what will really set me apart.
Basically, this machine can print anything directly to a flat surface using UV ink, which is very durable. It can even create 3D effects.


I figured with these tools I can manufacture some very nice front panels and housings.
I also have a VAT-number, so no need to start up a company.
I'm located in Belgium, so the shipment to the EU countries would be cheap.

Any input and suggestions would be appreciated.


Greetings,
Anthon

 

[jasonallenh]

Hi there,

My DIY got pretty serious over the past years.
I already make speaker cabinets professionally in my workshop, but it's mostly tedious manual labor which I want to move away from eventually.
So, I was thinking about starting housing/front panel manufacturing service.
I guess some kind of crowd funding would not be a bad idea.
I already have pretty much everything I need (so it would be very low risk), but having a big group purchase would help get me going.


The tools at my disposal:

- Electrostatic powder coating kit.
This is the best way to coat metal parts, much better than wet paints. The final result is nice and even, and also very durable.

- 60x40 CNC machine.
It's a bit slow, but it can cut 3mm aluminum with great precision.

- 50x30 Co2 laser
It can cut and engrave a wide range of acrylic materials.
But my favorite application is engraving on powder coated metals.

- 90x60 flatbed UV printer (ordered, currently waiting on it)
This is what will really set me apart.
Basically, this machine can print anything directly to a flat surface using UV ink, which is very durable. It can even create 3D effects.


I figured with these tools I can manufacture some very nice front panels and housings.
I also have a VAT-number, so no need to start up a company.
I'm located in Belgium, so the shipment to the EU countries would be cheap.

Any input and suggestions would be appreciated.


Greetings,
Anthon

Instead of crowdfunding, consider starting a cooperative manufacturing shop. You could potentially save tons of money partnering with like-minded people that already have access to some of the tools, $$$, or workshop space.

 

[Anthon]

Instead of crowdfunding, consider starting a cooperative manufacturing shop. You could potentially save tons of money partnering with like-minded people that already have access to some of the tools, $$$, or workshop space.

I actually already have a pretty large workspace and most of the tools I need, including a large UV printer.
What I could use, is a moderate sized order to get started.

 

[ruffrecords]

I actually already have a pretty large workspace and most of the tools I need, including a large UV printer.
What I could use, is a moderate sized order to get started.

What is your USP?

Cheers

Ian

 

[Anthon]

What is your USP?

Cheers

Ian

I work by myself, so I could probably offer much better price then elsewhere, especially for the early birds and if the order is large enough.

The flatbed UV printer is a lot more versatile then the traditional silk screen printing.
Custom prints should be no problem.
There are also different effects possible. I'm willing to try out different types of panels and prefab housings, as the part of the learning process.

The quality should be top notch as well.
I buy matetials from a German company, I can let them laser cut aluminium if large quatity of the same shape is required, but my CNC makes clean cuts as well for custom cuts.
I did some experimenting with powdercoating, and it was turned out very nice as well.

 

[mskeete]

Any plans to offer 1U 19" rack cases (with custom front and back panels)?

 

[beatnik]

Consider clinching fasteners into front panels.

I like to use concealed head studs and standoffs they allow parts to be attached on the inside of the panel without leaving a trace on the outside.

If you already have a cnc milling machine then all you need is a small press.

 

[PermO]

As a DIY guy I'm not dealing with large quantities, guess that goes for most of us here.

I am interested in high quality paint / screening work on small runs at an affordable price.

I send 5 predrilled diecast stompbox enclosures,... > RAL powdercoat color and single print on top, at the price of ??

 

[Anthon]

Any plans to offer 1U 19" rack cases (with custom front and back panels)

Yes, I want to have a range of pre-fab housing, including 19" rack cases.

If you have particular model in mind, let me know.

 

[Anthon]

As a DIY guy I'm not dealing with large quantities, guess that goes for most of us here.

I am interested in high quality paint / screening work on small runs at an affordable price.

I send 5 predrilled diecast stompbox enclosures,... > RAL powdercoat color and single print on top, at the price of ??

By large quantity, I mean a group purchase.

I already did some powder coating on hammond stomboxes, it turned out really nice.
Can't wait to try out printing on it. It should look great and be very durable as well.

About the price, I'm not sure atm. I want to offer affordable service, but it needs to be worth while also. The first run can be at a special price.
I guess I have to come up with some formula to calculate fair prices.
I'm open to suggestions.

 

[PermO]

It does not have to be cheap, as in, quality work has a price, but most companys that have the machines give you starting quote so high it's an instant no go.

I can get a really cheap powdercoat locally as long as I stick with the current color that the machines are running and the object is clean, he just puts it on the assembly line and charge me 10 euros, pickup next day.

Now I have a nice orange preamp.

 

[Tubetec]

Those aluminium DI box type enclosures are a useful size for many small audio projects ,
maybe a customisable front/back panel to fit the users needs might be a possability .

The standard hammond die cast enclosure is fine for stomp boxes , but the addition of a thin aluminium top panel with the artwork/graphics , control labels and graduations printed or engraved would be great .
Pretty much what you see in EHX stomps .

The idea of a co-opperative system where various people contribute their relevant skills to come up with a product in kit form makes so much sense ,
Airmail envelope or small packet and nominal value means stuff doesnt need to attract the attention of customs and excise .

 

[Anthon]

Those aluminium DI box type enclosures are a useful size for many small audio projects ,
maybe a customisable front/back panel to fit the users needs might be a possability .

The standard hammond die cast enclosure is fine for stomp boxes , but the addition of a thin aluminium top panel with the artwork/graphics , control labels and graduations printed or engraved would be great .
Pretty much what you see in EHX stomps .

The idea of a co-opperative system where various people contribute their relevant skills to come up with a product in kit form makes so much sense ,
Airmail envelope or small packet and nominal value means stuff doesnt need to attract the attention of customs and excise .

Yes, I wanted to do diecast aluminium enclosures as well.
The UV printer I have should be able to print directly on top of it, no need to fabricate separate front panel.

I'm open for cooperation.
If someone can come up with a prototype, design a PCB, I could do the fabrication, assemble kits and do the shipping.

 

[Anthon]

It does not have to be cheap, as in, quality work has a price, but most companys that have the machines give you starting quote so high it's an instant no go.

I can get a really cheap powdercoat locally as long as I stick with the current color that the machines are running and the object is clean, he just puts it on the assembly line and charge me 10 euros, pickup next day.

Now I have a nice orange preamp.

If the powder coating process is already set up for mass production, then it takes very little effort to add couple of extra parts, especially if prepare the workpiece and pick it up yourself.
However, it's a bit different if a single custom housing has to be made.

I could probably powdercoat more than a hundred of these stompboxes in a day in the same color, but if I have to switch color for every single one then I could do maybe 10.
So it's not a suprise when the manufacturing costs for custom housings go through the roof.

However, I want to find a solution where it's still possible for a reasonable price.

 

[PermO]

Yes in this case the money was allready made on the large order of orange warehouse supports.
For me, there's no paperwork involved at all.

If I would paint and label 5 stompboxes myself, degreaser, zincspray, paint, clearcoat, stencils that would cost me about 100,- euro and take me a full week incorporating drying time.

The result wil be something I can live with, but it's not a proffesional finnish.

It does not have to meet that pricepoint, as the result will be much nicer and more durable.



Just a thought.

 

[Anthon]

Yes in this case the money was allready made on the large order of orange warehouse supports.
For me, there's no paperwork involved at all.

If I would paint and label 5 stompboxes myself, degreaser, zincspray, paint, clearcoat, stencils that would cost me about 100,- euro and take me a full week incorporating drying time.

The result wil be something I can live with, but it's not a proffesional finnish.

It does not have to meet that pricepoint, as the result will be much nicer and more durable.



Just a thought.

I tried wet spray paint on housings. It's so much work and the result doesn't even look good.
With powdercoating just 1 layer is enough, and it only needs 20 minutes in the oven to fully cure. The result looks great.

I wonder what kind of quality did you get? If it would be coated in the same line as big construction parts, I suspect there would be some artifacts?
From my experiments I concluded I need to build a dust free booth, because even a tiny speck of dust can cause small defects in otherwise perfect coating.

 

[PermO]

10,- euro powdercoat;


DIY;

 

[thousandyards]

As a fairly experienced graphic designer I can offer design and layout skills for your faceplates. I have been keen to try my hand at this for a while now!

 

[PermO]

If you insist...





Be my guest...

 

[PermO]

Not bad...