[GTA04] When is the next and more powerful openmoko releasing

Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller hns at goldelico.com
Mon Oct 25 21:09:55 CEST 2010


Am 25.10.2010 um 13:09 schrieb W. B. Kranendonk:

> 
> --- On Sat, 10/23/10, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller <hns at goldelico.com> wrote:
>> Well, an alternative approach could be to open a funds for
>> a new injection mould. I.e.
>> a "Openmoko Case Production Foundation" (or German e.V.).
>> Everyone who gives
>> some money for the funds can buy cases at a reduced rate.
>> And everyone can buy a case.
> It sounds as a viable alternative.
> 
>> An injection mould costs somewhere around 20-100 k EUR. So
>> if we get
>> 300 community members to donate 100 EUR into the funds...
> A friend of mine used to be in the injection mould business; he designed and produced the moulds in Vietnam.
> I asked if he got some advice or an idea what the cost would be. I showed him my freerunner as example of where we come from. His input:
> - nice design (@freerunner)
> - moulds at 0.2 mm precision are not a problem, 0.1 mm requires more effort
> - depending on design, moulds start at some 6000 euro (or dollar, slipped my mind)

Yes, that is the same range what Protomold did quote for the middle part (i.e. one piece
out of 10 of a complete case). The mould for the Power button is less expensive: approx. 1500 EUR.

I.e. 10 buttons @ 150 EUR each :)

But - the case is not even produceable by the Protomold process because it has undercuts which
needs insets and quite complex mechanical constructions for a mould and drives cost extremely.

> - one case needs more than one mould

Yes. Some parts could be combined in a single mould and then broken apart. Like in toys
where you do it yourself. But this does not reduce mould construction cost.

> - besides Vietnam, Czech is another country that can provide moulds at competitive prices
> 
> Cases like that of the Freerunner, with more than one plastic, need more than one mould per piece. To say more of the price, it is necessary to have the design available. The

Maybe you can ask your friend if he has some contacts to Czech companies (which would be EU
and simplify import/export). You can contact me by private mail about that. And, we
have the CAD files of the original Freerunner.

> most affordable option he says, would be to reuse Openmoko's mould if it is available.

Yes, I discussed that approach with Sean for quite a while and his team worked
heavily on it (TNX :). But they don't own or have the moulds in their hands.

> All in all nothing conclusive or very new I guess, but I liked to give the input anyway.

Yes, it is an independent view which is very important to hear.

BR,
Nikolaus


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