We are really, really close!
over 11 years ago – Tue, Dec 02, 2014 at 12:05:25 PM

 Yes, really, REALLY close!  As you can see above, we have been testing the product to ensure fit and function.  Everything seems to be running quite smoothly and after our mold comes back from another fine-tuning adjustment, we should be in plastic production.

 So, going forward, we should have in-stock and begin shipment of the plastic rail products before the end of the month.  As there were only a few people in the situation of having BOTH plastic and metal, we will be happy to ship them in separate packages (your plastic will come first).

Looking ahead, we still have to get the mold for the narrow gauge connectors.  That will be coming and those products will ship separately in the future (probably not until January based upon our current timetable).  On the metal side, we are in line to get the rails extruded and once that has been completed, the product will be transferred to the manufacturer.  The manufacturer already has several test blanks from our last extrusion that they have been working with so they will be ready to go once the extrusion order has been delivered.

What does 1,087 lbs of mold look like?
over 11 years ago – Fri, Nov 07, 2014 at 04:15:56 AM

It looks like this!

Yes, it really does weight in at just over a half ton!

Here's what the injection process looks like with the connectors:

As you can tell, we're getting ready to start production on the plastics.  As it stands right now, we're expecting product in hand within a couple weeks barring any unforeseen issues (such as passing the "fit test").

On the metal side, we're still moving forward and have placed our order for the extruded metal, so as soon as it's done, over the manufacturer it will go and we will have everything in our line up!

Plastics are 99% complete!
over 11 years ago – Wed, Oct 29, 2014 at 04:22:30 PM

That's right...the title says it all.  Our plastic molds are done and are currently undergoing beta testing.

 Before you ask, no, the final products won't be in white.  They use white because it's readily available and cheap for testing purposes.

So what does that leave?  We have to make a couple minor adjustments to the connector mold to increase the clutch power and then, I think we're ready to place the production order!

On the metal side, we're still working hard to ensure delivery before the holiday season is upon us.  Once we have something substantial to report on that front, we will, however, at this point, it's still about negotiation and getting the manufacturing process ordered properly to keep the costs reasonable for everyone.

Also, with that said, it is our intention to lockdown the BackerKit orders next week on Friday, October 10th.  We need to do this to ensure that our order counts are accurate for the first run.

Progress is being made!
over 11 years ago – Wed, Sep 03, 2014 at 06:20:54 PM

I know we promised more frequent updates, but while progress is being made, we think it's better to just let our guys do their work and show you what they have done:

 Above you can see the carbon casts which are created as a part of the mold making process.  These solid carbon blocks which contain a cast of the actual part are then electrically etched into the steel block.  Here is another example showing the rails:

 Once this process has been completed, the mold actually looks like this:

 This process then gets completed a second time for the other half of the mold.  As you can see, the mold is actually quite large and weighs around 1000 lbs once fully assembled!

 With all of that said, we are getting VERY close to having the molds completed and delivered to our manufacturing shop.  If anything, I would caution to say that we are ahead of schedule on the plastic manufacturing.

For those on the metal, we are making progress.  As you know, we have the required tooling and the prospective manufacturer has these in hand.  Further measurements are being gathered to ensure that everything is within spec.  We will keep you posted on any updates we have regarding progress on the metal side.

Mold #1
over 11 years ago – Fri, Aug 29, 2014 at 02:47:04 AM

We posted the products, but here is the mold. Solid steel weighing in at 70 lbs!