Quote:
Originally Posted by B Schein
I am estimating an Hour and Half Cycle time on all parts this just a guess. This doesn’t include time for design/programming as well as any fixtures that might need to be built. You all so need to take a few more things into account like tooling, material, paying for you a Machines, Maintenance, Power and many other things lets not for get the most important thing a profit that’s Why people own business in the first place.
All I am saying is see no reason why these couldn’t be produced within in the $250-350 range this also depends on any special hard wear that might be need and the struts. I think $800-1000 is just a crazy.
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I'd say 1.5-2 hours of machine time is reasonable as well. Don't forget the bench labor though to assemble the linkages and bolt the things together, and as you mentioned raw materials, off the shelf piece parts (spherical rod ends, gas cylinders, bushings/bearings, hardware), design/programming costs, setup/fixturing, and tooling. I think with an efficient process and a large enough volume to spread out NRE and fixturing costs ~$350/pair is a reasonable target, more if special finishes or additional processing is required (polish, powder coat, anodizing, etc.) However, I don't see that much margin at a $350/pair price point once you figure in overhead costs and packaging. Also remember these parts are going to be purchased mainly for cosmetic reasons so you can't rush the machining *too* much; you'll still need to factor in time for a slower skim pass after the initial hogging to produce a cosmetically "pretty" surface finish; however this could be partially alleviated by an acid etch (which would smooth the parts) followed by clear anodizing.
Troy