[meteorite-list] Comments re: membrane boxes from Ron Hartman

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Feb 11 23:49:26 2006
Message-ID: <37ftu1lgvsoeok53qseg4ttj99lj0pa52a_at_4ax.com>

On Sat, 11 Feb 2006 20:10:37 -0800, you wrote:

>REPLY: In fact, it is. There is a great deal of hand assembly in this
>process. The membrane is attached by a process almost identical to putting
>a new screen on a screen door and trimming it to size. The stretch has to
>be just right for the box to have its shock proof characteristics and for
>the membrane to return to a flat plane when the piece is removed. It
>requires special tooling and semi-automated machinery, and a skilled person
>to do the job. We do this ourselves, and it required sending Jim to the
>factory in Europe for a week of special training plus the purchase and
>importing of the equipment. If we did not do part of the manufacturing, we
>could not keep our prices lower than everyone elses.

I didn't know that this step wasn't done at the plastics plant, but still, the
point is that it could be-- especially if the machinery is "semi-autimated". My
point was never about being able to make them from scratch at home. Just what
kiind of compexity and production costs they would have for a professional,
fully equiped plastics molding plant. I can understand added costs if you are
basicly putting them together yourself at home. At the plastics plant where I
used to work, many of the parts there also involved extra steps after removal
from the mold, including using sorts of "ultrasonic drills" to insert metal
fittings into pieces. What I'm getting at is that the shape of the parts are
very simple, not requiring any fancy multi-part molds or pins for holes or
overhangs, just the two steel plates that are pressed together. The plastic
used doesn't look to be anything exoctic. The problem that you seemed to have
was with poor concern for quality control at the plant. If anyone found a market
for constant production of significant numbers of these, then they could make
them for pennies per piece, especially concidering how little labor costs they
would have to pay in China or where-ever. And quality control? When someone
knows that they can be fired at the drop of a hat for the smallest mistake and
that there are a hundred people waiting in line behind him to take the job, I
think that they'll be a bit careful.
Received on Sat 11 Feb 2006 11:57:49 PM PST