The day after shipping: Cases (2010-09-30)

[Wintersdark]

from the plastic injection mold ive done, a color change doesnt take more then 15min especially on small products like pandora case. basicially let the hoppers run low/out, add different color, have a few bad cases spit out due to no material or 2 colors mixed, and after like 10 molds AT MOST it would start spitting out same product but different color

Cool


Definitely a faster process then. With extrusion, you can't break the stream of plastic (letting a hopper run out, for example) as getting it running again is an enormously time consuming - 30 minutes for a simple product, potentially hours for difficult ones. So, you shut off the colour, wait for the old colour to work it's way out, then add the new colour. However, the middle part takes a long, long time to happen - plastic flows much faster through the center of the die than the outsides, so residual coloured plastic remains in the outer edges of die and leaves a trail of whichever the old colour was along the corresponding edges of the product.


And that's everyone's entirely irrelevant piece of plastics manufacturing information for the day. Apologies for wandering enormously off topic!

 

[emcee]

from the plastic injection mold ive done, a color change doesnt take more then 15min especially on small products like pandora case. basicially let the hoppers run low/out, add different color, have a few bad cases spit out due to no material or 2 colors mixed, and after like 10 molds AT MOST it would start spitting out same product but different color

But then you still have to paint them a different color. I assume there's change over time involved in that. Not to mention they would need to buy two separate colors of plastic and paint in the first place. It just seems like a lot of time and money for a few hundred people who will buy a Pandora regardless of the color anyway.

 

[EvilDragon]

from the plastic injection mold ive done, a color change doesnt take more then 15min especially on small products like pandora case. basicially let the hoppers run low/out, add different color, have a few bad cases spit out due to no material or 2 colors mixed, and after like 10 molds AT MOST it would start spitting out same product but different color

Problem is: They order the plastic when we need it.


So for each color we'd need to order a different colored plastic.

 

[Wintersdark]

Problem is: They order the plastic when we need it.


So for each color we'd need to order a different colored plastic.

Interesting.


They are made of ABS plastic, right? Could well be the case there. I work with PVC, which is clear in it's "natural" state, so we simply add coloured plastic to die the mix. I'm sure we quote things like that, but the actual fact is that because the coloured plastic is only needed in very small quantities (typically 1-2% of the total mass of plastic) it's virtually a non-issue in regards to manufacturing cost.

 

[Lynceus Glaciermaw]

I personally wouldn't mind a nice rice azure blue case for my Pandora, but honestly I feel it's too much to ask of the dev team to even really be thinking about different case colors at this point in the Pandora's life. The handheld is very young, practically in its infancy, so really, resources and time would probably be better spent dealing with things like the nub and solder joint issues. Once the production process has been streamlined a bit more and the team brings in a bit more income - not to mention the input of the end users that receive their Pandoras - they'll be closer to being able to let their guard down enough to think about cosmetic things like case color. For now, though, it's my opinion that they're smart to set things like case color aside.


Besides....black looks good for the Pandora

 

[Grench]

I think I've said it before...


I would like to see Open Pandora use a random blend of whatever colors are available - mixed together before melting & injection. Pushed into the mold they should swirl and blend a bit.


Every Piece of every Pandora would be unique. They would look like they were cobbled together from chunks carved out of 1970's era bowling balls.


Now that's retro.


Oh - and no painting necessary.

 

[froggyman]

I think I've said it before...


I would like to see Open Pandora use a random blend of whatever colors are available - mixed together before melting & injection. Pushed into the mold they should swirl and blend a bit.


Every Piece of every Pandora would be unique. They would look like they were cobbled together from chunks carved out of 1970's era bowling balls.

Personally, I feel that that would look rather ugly and I would not want to be seen in public with that. Black is often associated with being formal and business-like, vs. the tye-dye kinda thing looking more like a hippy device. People are going to take the black more seriously and its more of a neutral color.

 

[Coldbird]

Well the reason I was interested in the pink one in the first place was because it would make a good present for my girl (someday).


As for me I'm fine with black.

 

[dreamer]

"All we need is nubs! tatadadada!"

 

[levi]

"All we need is nubs! tatadadada!"

 

[Tickles]

"All we need is nubs! tatadadada!"

"All we need is nubs, nubs, nubs is all we need!"


This could be the official Pandora theme tune. That whole song is just begging for a Pandora themed rewrite, anyone got five minutes?

 

[Perry Cox]

Oh god, I swore i'd never do one of these dorky things, but here goes...


Nubs, nubs, nubs,


Nubs, nubs, nubs,


Nubs, nubs, nubs.


There's new silicon on the way to the factory.


Nothing but the best stuff just wait and see.


Gonna be way better than test batch #3.


It's easy.


The factory's trying to fix the failing parts.


They'll manufacture, box them and set them on carts.


The last piece needed before production starts - It's easy.


All you need is nubs, all you need is nubs,


All you need is nubs, nubs, nubs is all you need.


nubs, nubs, nubs, nubs, nubs, nubs, nubs, nubs, nubs.


All you need is nubs, all you need is nubs,


All you need is nubs, nubs, nubs is all you need.


They'll soon be packing them and sending them 'cross the sea.


To be soldered into pandoras just for you and me.


Pretty soon we'll be using them to set our retro games free (from wires)


All you need is nubs, all you need is nubs,


All you need is nubs, nubs, nubs is all you need.


All you need is nubs (all together now)


All you need is nubs (everybody)


All you need is nubs, nubs, nubs is all you need.


...and no i'm not recording it and putting it on youtube.

 

[Tickles]

Good job

...and no i'm not recording it and putting it on youtube.

Don't worry, somebody will

 

[dapoangel]

Wow! this is a nice song for the pandora! Bravo!

 

[Silent-Hunter]

from the plastic injection mold ive done, a color change doesnt take more then 15min especially on small products like pandora case. basicially let the hoppers run low/out, add different color, have a few bad cases spit out due to no material or 2 colors mixed, and after like 10 molds AT MOST it would start spitting out same product but different color

Does that mean I can have a green one, or a completely transparent one?

I think I've said it before...


I would like to see Open Pandora use a random blend of whatever colors are available - mixed together before melting & injection. Pushed into the mold they should swirl and blend a bit.


Every Piece of every Pandora would be unique. They would look like they were cobbled together from chunks carved out of 1970's era bowling balls.


Now that's retro.


Oh - and no painting necessary.

This would be really cool!

 

[Wintersdark]

Does that mean I can have a green one, or a completely transparent one?


This would be really cool!

No, even with a quicker turnover, there will be a minimum quantity run for any given colour, and it'll be fairly large in relation to Pandora production numbers anyways. They'd need to buy hundreds (at least, likely thousands) of each particular colour in order to get an even half-way reasonable price. So, which colours? Would they risk getting stuck with hundreds of, say, green cases that only 2 people wanted? Where would they store all the extra cases that they were having trouble selling?

As a rule of thumb, you want to keep excess on-hand inventory as low as possible, particularly when it cannot readily be sold. For Pandora cases - the aftermarket demand would be low, as anyone able to switch the case is also able to simply repaint the case they already have.


So, if you want a colourful Pandy, grab some paint

 

[Lynceus Glaciermaw]

That being established, the next logical question is which kind(s) of paint would be best for the job of painting a slick plastic Pandora case, as well as which application method would be best and safest for the precious electronics inside. Because I'm quite sure that no one here would be willing to put their Pandora that they waited so long to get through any process that might damage it!

 

[Ratfink]

You can get a Pandora in any color you want, as long as that color is black.

 

[emcee]

That being established, the next logical question is which kind(s) of paint would be best for the job of painting a slick plastic Pandora case, as well as which application method would be best and safest for the precious electronics inside. Because I'm quite sure that no one here would be willing to put their Pandora that they waited so long to get through any process that might damage it!

You definitely want to remove the precious electronics before painting.

 

[Gerix]

I just want a wood grain sticker on the front of mine, a la Pantari/Pintellivision.