Kickstarter Partner?

[EssoAir]

Hi everyone, as man of you may know, I'm not 18 (17 - damn age minimums are stupid)

I have a great idea for a Kickstarter campeign. I already have a company setup (Zipp Media, LLC - Registered in the state of Tennessee - look it up if you want) and a domain registered www.zipp.im. The problem is, in order to make a kickstarter, you need to be 18. The idea is a piece of plastic that relates to the Xbox One. I figured 3D printing would be the easiest method. So, since I have the idea and some of the legal backend sorted out already, I need two things. 1) A US citizen that is at least 18 years of age (and preferably lives near me so we can meet in person) and 2) a 3D printer (this could in theory be purchased through Kickstarter funds (join the CraigX club) or, preferably, my partner already would own one in order to keep costs down. If they did already own one, this could be concidered their "contribution" to the project.

Obviously no one should feel the need to commit to anything, but if you are even SLIGHTLY interested, please PM me! I'd love to talk

Esso

 

[Doombox]

I'm just curious, why won't you just ask your parents to be your partner(s)?

 

[EssoAir]

They dont have a 3D printer, plus, I really want someone that is dedicated to the project like me. Its nice to have someone to work with and discuss ideas with. I have considered it, but if I can, I'd rather have a real partner than just a name on a document.

I'm just curious, why won't you just ask your parents to be your partner(s)?

 

[WizardStan]

3D printing is not the answer to mass production. It's a prototyping tool. You want to make one of something, want to see how certain things look, that's what 3D printing is good for. It takes way too long and costs way too much to make things en mass with a 3D printer. I have no idea what your idea is but even small items can take several hours to complete. If you're planning on producing more than a few hundred you seriously need to consider injection moulding.

 

[kingoddball]

I have a 3D - not in the US though.


Just spent the last 2 weeks upgrading it.


Nearly flawless now.


Do you have the STL files created?

 

[kingoddball]

WizardStan is absolutely correct. A mould is best for mass production. SMALL scale a 3D printer is fine. Have you ever seen a real printed object? It's line by line not smooth etc.

 

[Binky]

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Have you ever seen a real printed object? It's line by line not smooth etc.

This does depend on the printer - the very best 3D printers can produce pretty smooth edges.

 

[EssoAir]

My highschool has one and it looked as good as injection molded to me. But sadly I cant use it for non-school related things. So, how would I go about injection-molding something? And no, I dont have the STL files yet because I do not know the dimensions of the xbox 1.

 

[fusion_power]

Just wait untill you are 18, maybe?

 

[WizardStan]

This does depend on the printer - the very best 3D printers can produce pretty smooth edges

The very best printers also cost tens of thousands to start. Your hobbyist is going to spend a few thousand at most.

My highschool has one and it looked as good as injection molded to me. But sadly I cant use it for non-school related things. So, how would I go about injection-molding something? And no, I dont have the STL files yet because I do not know the dimensions of the xbox 1.

Find a company that does them and be prepared to spend a lot of money to start. Depending on the complexity of your parts it could cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to make the mould, but once done the actual production of each piece is fast and cheap. I believe the Pandora's mould cost $10'000 as an example.

 

[EssoAir]

I just found out that Knoxville has a Maker group. I might be able to mett up with some of them. And as for waiting till I'm 18, the Xbone (as I understand it) will be comming out before I'm 18. So, in order to get my idea out there when the time is right, sooner is better than later.


Thanks for the tips on molding everyone! I had no idea 3D printing waa so expensive

 

[DaMummy]

then maybe you should rethink your idea if you know nothing about plastics

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

This does depend on the printer - the very best 3D printers can produce pretty smooth edges

The very best printers also cost tens of thousands to start. Your hobbyist is going to spend a few thousand at most.

My highschool has one and it looked as good as injection molded to me. But sadly I cant use it for non-school related things. So, how would I go about injection-molding something? And no, I dont have the STL files yet because I do not know the dimensions of the xbox 1.

Find a company that does them and be prepared to spend a lot of money to start. Depending on the complexity of your parts it could cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to make the mould, but once done the actual production of each piece is fast and cheap. I believe the Pandora's mould cost $10'000 as an example.

For the entire case? That's not bad. Relatively affordable. Does it become more expensive to make the mold depending on the dimensions  of the case? as in  larger cases for computers etc.

 

[EssoAir]

Its not a case. Its a small piece of plastic, but not a case. As it is technically "intelectual property" I'd rather not state exactly what it is yet, but once and if I get the Kickstarter up I'll be happy to tell you all

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

didnt someone already make a piece of plastic to make the kinect sensor function in a smaller area, ie a smaller room.

 

[DaMummy]

you could make a fortune if you made a piece of plastic that covers up the kinect sensor with a command

 

[EssoAir]

Just met up at Starbucks with an injection molding manufacturer. He said he wants to go forward with a partnership (after thinking it over with his family). Im really happy this is playing out so well. Thanks to everyone for your comments.

 

[Link]

http://fab.cba.mit.edu/content/tools/

Find one of these close by.

 

[skeezix]

To summarize --

i) you want to do a KS for something you don't have made yet .. which is against KS rules; you need to have a protoype done.

ii) you can't make a prototype since you don't know the dimensions of XBone; the dimensions of the XBone won't be known until ___fill in date___

Sounds like ___date___ is the big one; you can't do a KS _at all_ right now.

Finding a partner now is wise, however

And yes, quite agree.. a 3d printer is cool for prototyping, and not at all useful for mass production (unless your prod run is very low count; like a couple hundred. Bu tif you want thousands of something. a 3d printer will actually cost more per unit, and will break down a lot, and take a lot longer; a complex item in a 3d printer might take hours or a full day to make, even .. and usually be not as strong, not as smooth, etc.)

jeff

quick edit: by all means, go for it I mean, prototype it out, work out the costs for mass prod so you know how much you'd have to charge, so you can work out if its feasible; work out how many you'd expect to sell, etc. Work out the licensing vosts (if any) -- how does it fit onto an xbone, and is MS going to sue you out of existance, or permit it? ... if you go through with the planning, it'll reflect well on you.. get your mind in shape, help you in the future And hey, if its worth doing, it might make you rich. So .. yeah, follow through for sure pal

 

[EssoAir]

Well the _fill date_ is November 2013 according to www.xbox.com


If Microsoft wants to sue me, they can go ahead. They won't win because I'm not doing anything that breaks their intellectual property. Im not developing a jailbreak or anything. And as far as production, I don't really know my target number yet. I think I will wait till I am funded before I make an order. For right now I'm working on research and design. I found the dimensions of the Xbone, so from there I've attempted to recreate that of the Kinect 2.0. I also know a guy who's father worked on the Xbone so hopefully I can get a blueprint from him before launch in November. I'd like to have my KS live in October so that I can get the Xbone immediately after and start testing and whatnot to ensure it works. If all looks good and the campaign was funded successfully, I should be able to order the mold and the quantity by Week 2 of November. I also met someone today that works for Walmart headquarters. If my campaign is successful, I think I might pitch the idea for Walmart to carry them in stores (probably in a small region for starters) So that's cool I guess.


I don't plan on making a bunch of money off this (but if that happens I have no plans of stopping it). I mostly want to have the pride in knowing that at 17 I ran a successful Kickstarter campaign.