One Man Plastics Factory

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Replying to everyone for the next 24 hours 😎 New Lanyard USB-C cases for AirPods are here btw: SHOP.KENP.IO Thanks for watching ❤

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

Nice

[@leonYoong]

5:11 I love this 😂

[@KotNameDungDerErste]

Warum kein roots/schrauben-verdichter? Sind leichter zu dämmen, da höhere frequenzen, und du benötigst ja eher volumen statt druck

[@AX-fx7ng]

Maybe you can now also be a WHITE LABEL factory for some other similar DESIGN PRENEURS? Whatever free/ idle time your Manufacturing Flow/ Line has..

[@spearfish]

I spent months designing a product. I sent the 3D model to a factory in China and paid them over $1k for the mold. I had them produce 1000 units ($5000) and by the time they sent them to me, my product was already being sold on Amazon under a different brand. The factory used my mold with a different insert for the logo, produced the parts, created an Amazon listing, and sold my product for less than my breakeven cost.

[@mrwind7556]

that's aweful. I keep hearing this happening to other people as well.

[@KOTAAOMEE]

That's what you get for working with chinese people.

[@akfortyfo7024]

That really sucks. Did you have any agreement with them over the ip of the mould design?

[@PrawnzHD]

​@@akfortyfo7024 maybe he forgot but even if you do many/most chinese factories don't give a shit as long as they keep selling through Amazon. so at best you would go after them.

[@QTwoSix]

Don't trust Chinese "people"

[@StormBurnX]

I love how calm and collected this guy is. No ragebait, no inflammatory commentary... just a cool dude making cool shit and doing damn well at it.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

🫶

[@556WalkemdownTorrents]

Why would you be rage baited

[@StormBurnX]

@@556WalkemdownTorrents Sadly, a lot of people making content about improvements for apple/google/meta products decide to focus on the ragebait angle and make the video 99% about yelling at the big corporation for being a shitty company and 1% about the actual thing the video was originally about I don't really think any company makes perfect products outta the box but I like people that actually make interesting things, like our friend Ken here :)

[@drzavahercegbosnaponosna5974]

@@ExploringTheSimulation How much energy does the machine consume per hour?

[@GoodToGoIndustries]

I remember when I used to be cool and chill. Just wait until life happens. You might not be so warm and fuzzy after years of bull shit. Enjoy it while you can.

[@zachbrown7272]

glad you like Fuse Blast. I was a (small) part of the team that developed it!

[@neft5449]

Were you one of their engineers?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Fuse Blast is a Blast to use!

[@chillermrq]

Hi, I work as a manufacturing engineer and also use the whole Fuse workflow. There are some tipps: 1. Normally you dont wanna lay piecec flat to a) compensate the stair effect b) compensate for dimpling and pitting on the most top layer with SLS printing. Give your parts 20-30°ish of rotation and they will look much better (my opinion (-: )and have less artefacts. Yes you wont fit as many but it should always be quality over quantity. 2. Add really small chamfer to some edges to reduce fraying there ~0.3mm is enough. It just happens with SLS on small features. 3. You could try out the Dremel Versa PC10 or Bosch UniversalBrush. Both are brushless. KEEP IN MIND! The area in the sift is considered combustible due to the properties of Nylon12 (Powder explosion). The Bosch drill you are using is a older type i think with carbon brushes capable of producing sparks. You dont want sparks where things can go boom. Belive me. I work for a really company and safety was basically my biggest concern. 4. Maybe you wanna check out the polishing setup for the blast. That might elevate your parts to the next level! 5. Maybe outsource big batches to print services with good support and 1on1 project teams to ensure good quality. Gives yourself more time for designing 🙂 Other than that. Great product! People sometimes dont understand the real power behind additive manufacturing.. But you are a great example for what AM really stands for!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Awesome! Thank you very much :) 1. I agree, although I personally think the small layer lines on the front look really cool. Since I had to print so many, quantity was actually a factor for me; that's why I didn't address it. I did get some printing artifacts at the beginning, but I just changed to the new printing settings (v5.1), and it solved the problem! 2. I didn't get any fraying but will keep that in mind if I do! 3. You are right; I heard you. I will switch to brushless. I still need to find a better brush, though 4. 8:50 ;) 5. Actually, printing is not the time blocker right now. It only takes some time in the morning, and then it prints for 12 hours while I can do other things. I have more issues with the electronics production line right now!

[@charlesk7623]

@@ExploringTheSimulation Have you tried having smd pcb's made? it's not too complicated as long as you use components that are (almost) always in stock. common USB C ports etc should be.

[@username9774]

I love the more behind the scenes look here

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

It doesn't get as many views but I know that some people really enjoy it! I personally also really enjoy watching this type of content. That's usually where the really interesting information is hidden :) Will do more! Thank you for watching

[@drawnonmustache]

I received my case about a month ago and really love them. Well done my man.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

awesome 👌 thank you for your support

[@Forexfox99]

I wear hearing aids, which gives me 5 days of Bluetooth music, so I don’t really need this item but boy, what an amazing setup you have! What a time to be alive!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Zirlikus]

Smart Cookie! Version Stamp in the design is such a good idea!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

glad you got something out of the video 💪

[@ralfmimoun2826]

It's also great for your own stuff, even when you don't use such an elaborated process. I add stamps to my Tinkercad parts (sorry, too stupid for real CAD) for my triathlon bike. So I know even after a year what version exactly I mounted and want to improve.

[@dyslexicsoap7605]

fart smookie

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

@@ralfmimoun2826 awesome!

[@AleksandrEfimov]

You're doing a great job, really! Manufacturing anything is a non-trivial thing, and you make it only by yourself. And the product looks awesome! Especially polished ones

[@antonburdin9756]

Great job. Hammered texture looks the best in a semi glossy finish. Eggshell finish is very practical.

[@AlexLebed]

Wow, this is an amazing story. Thanks for sharing it! Kudos to the guy who was able to find product-market fit and heavily invested in machinery. This is wonderful. One of the advantages of small-scale 3D printer production, which wasn’t mentioned in the video (or at least I didn’t notice), is customization. In theory, it’s possible to do something no plastic mold can ever achieve-customization by design. For example, engraving a name, specific wording requested by a customer, or even more complex patterns. This could easily justify charging a significant premium.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Yes, I mean, doing the texture and adding the lanyard loop is already customization! As for the name engraving, it's also very doable. I didn't do it this time because last year I made that available for another project that used SLS, and not many people used that option. In the end, it was more of a struggle to implement on the website than anything else. I might bring it back one day, though. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@hamingnu6610]

These are my favorite kinds of videos! Thank you for delving into your production process, and even though that's a bunch of suuuper expensive equipment; I'm more than pleased to know that it's enough to allow a single person to run a whole manufacturing operation as if there were a bunch more machines and people involved. I hope you make more of these videos. Actually seeing the thoughts of a person behind a certain product's production is just way too interesting. Definitely makes it easier to be inclined to support them too, haha.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Glad you like it. Will definitely do more!

[@JohnStelten]

Received my airpods pro and airpods max cases today and wow! Super product, very happy! :D

[@Phiz787]

Seriously impressive 1 man shop you've got going. Just found your channel. Going to poke around more!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Welcome aboard!

[@whothewho82]

This is so helpful! I’m not going to produce anything today but in the next few years I could see myself doing this thank you for sharing your process

[@LoadinDoesStuff]

You need pick and pull shelving! This will give you another task optimization thing to explore which is huge in production logistics.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Yes, for sure; the boxes stacked on each other are not optimal at all! My constraint now is space, but I am looking into moving to a bigger place next year, so I will definitely try to improve the box situation. Thank you for the suggestion. 🤝

[@TouchWorld3G]

Hey there, since you are already labeling each part, you might want to add a badge for the type of plastic used. It is actually required by law in some regions and will help to improve recycling a lot! :)

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Great idea 💡 thank you

[@rajaspoorna6405]

This is incredible. Now I'm beginning to think this kind of thing is possible

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

I'm doing it! It's possible :)

[@rajaspoorna6405]

Thanks for the reply. I'm an inventor, but I have never really scaled my work to production. I was terrified of scaleup and whether I can be cost competitive, and whether I need to outsource everything to e.g. China. Even the outsourcing process is a lot of work. But seeing you do it gives me hope. :)

[@TheBackyardChemist]

I am not sure how comfortable I would be handling lots of micronized powder in the space where I live, every day. One has to be very mindful of dust control, otherwise it will spread everywhere in the house, and then get airborne again later.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

I agree dust control is definitely something to watch out for. Thankfully for me everything is contained in 'the lab', not where I live. I just took out the machines bc it was easier to record with more space. Looking into renting an industrial space in 2025 to move production!

[@d33p345]

ooooooooooooooooo super cool!!! cant wait to see what you come up with next

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

will try to release it as soon as possible! thank you for watching

[@ChapitZulkefli]

ayy just in time. finally bro. thanks for listening! i saw my message on 6:53 XD

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

thanks for suggesting the lanyard!

[@ChapitZulkefli]

@@ExploringTheSimulation cheers mate!

[@emberprototypes]

So envious of the SLS setup! Getting a Fuse is on my list for the future eventually 😬

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Hope you get it one day 💪

[@dieselphiend]

What an incredible machine that automated polisher is.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

It really is!

[@DanielKhastou-zs5yp]

Amazing. Can’t wait to see more

[@nightcrows787]

I have seen this exact problem with many molding situations, congratulations for you, Nice job.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Yes, it's quite a challenge to overcome! Thank you

[@Derpalerpa]

Proud to see this. Hope you make a good profit!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thank you!! All profit goes back into the KZbin channel 🫡

[@Elektro-Nik]

Impressive how u got it all running and making sales. Very nice business, wish u all the best!

[@diegomonzon]

I love the process! That’s probably $100K worth of machines and printers.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

It's actually less! But yes, admittedly, still way too expensive for hobbyists. I actually show the invoice in the video where I received the printer

[@IOANER]

Hobbyist? More like a future factory😂 btw how mouch one case costs on ur website?​@@ExploringTheSimulation

[@maxbonn9306]

Awesome quality cases and amazing work Ken. I love mine and I will never use lightning again ^^

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thanks for your support! 😊

[@xkloob]

Wtf happened to you at 5:54 ?!?!?

[@alliphantic]

It's almost like an OpenAI SORA video, I can't figure it out either! btw, @ExploringTheSimulation, love your USB-C retrofit external adapter for AirPods Max, seeing your shop and backend processes. Wishing ALL the success to you, as you are keeping older technology technologically relevant for years to come! KEEP IT UP!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

In an alternate Simulation where I sandblasted 1000+ parts by hand, I turned into dust midway through the process and then used that dust to print more cases 😇

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

@@alliphantic thank you, really appreciate it!

[@jortor2932]

Ai

[@AAYMF]

😂

[@makeSURFmake]

This is awesome! Nice job! So jealous of your print / post processing setup!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

It’s a work in progress, but I’m really happy with how it’s coming along! Thank you for watching :)

[@shakhzod6043]

love your work bro just keep those things organized. ! :)

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

thank you! I will!

[@carbonfibercreationswashin7213]

Great work you've done!

[@ivanz1811]

I wish you to stay healthy with all thise machines ar home, especially micron glass stuff

[@francoisandrey9751]

As always, du génie bro 😎

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

thanks bro 😎

[@bastiat691]

Very impressive how much you are doing alone.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Will try to push it even further! Thank you for watching

[@bastiat691]

@@ExploringTheSimulation Best of luck to you friend, God bless you.

[@平和-v1z]

You are amazing, I love your content!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thank you so much! I'm just getting started

[@Sleekflight1]

Excellent, very satisfying watching!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@AllTheFasteners]

Super stuff! I recommend euro containers instead of the Ikea boxes, they stack really well and are available in a wonderful array of sizes.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thanks for the recommendation! I actually really like those IKEA boxes; they're not very expensive, are available everywhere, are stackable, and, most notably, are transparent so you can see what's inside :)

[@ngjinkai]

2:18 can you print even more in the same volume by having 2 lids half inserted into the body?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Technically, yes, but I need to rotate the lid 90 degrees. This means the lid and bottom part will not have the same layer lines and look, so I do not do that. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@rohitpanchal9877]

Awesome work! As an experienced mold maker based in India, I can offer you significant cost savings of 40-50% compared to your current quote. In addition to mold manufacturing, I can handle the production and shipping of molded parts exclusively for your needs.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

You can shoot me an email so I have your contact, but for now I'm committed to 3d printing :) Thank you for watching

[@brian2973]

Awesome. Keep it up.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thanks! I will :)

[@RestoreTechnique]

This was super cool inside look. Surprised to hear it costs $15k for a injection mold!! I thought they cost a couple of grand, but damn 😅

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

It really depends on the complexity of the mold. The cases have cavities inside to put the electronics; that already complicates the mold drastically because you need to add sliders. Looks like you got a couple of new videos too! Excited to watch them 😊

[@dacat8171]

Excellent 👍🏾

[@HamiltonTurnerOnline]

Awesome vid! Advice: don't use tap water! The mineral buildup will get you eventually. Consider distilled water, it from mineral deposits and avoid any potential problems with bacterial contamination getting into the small gaps of any 3d printed part. Typical tap water will have quite a bit of bacteria (totally normal and safe) that can discolor your parts over time

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Actually, I was thinking the same as you when I installed the kit. The instructions clearly state, "Fill the tank with tap water until 80% full. Do not use deionized water." Therefore, I used tap water. It uses a tiny amount of water, and I don't think much is actually sprayed on the parts. They say it's for "conditioning the blasting media." Thanks for the suggestion!

[@HamiltonTurnerOnline]

@@ExploringTheSimulation Awesome, TIL. Looked it up and apparently it is machine specific

[@_Mach3]

How do you afford all those machines?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

youtube + selling the kits/cases

[@AndyBKay]

Any plans on making a case for the 4th gen AirPods?

[@Hackbridge1963]

That was interesting. Thank you.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@videal8719]

Great video ! But what is wrong with your current pnp?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Love the people and philosophy behind the PnP, but I outgrew its capabilities pretty quickly and also feel like they started selling the feeders too soon. The feeders are not good and not reliable enough for 0402 components (which I use almost exclusively). I need to watch them and fix alignment issues constantly. For the price they are selling them at, it's not okay. Now, I'm looking to buy a real industrial PnP.

[@rusencelik1272]

İs it the opulo? I thought it was a good machine

[@stephen_hawes]

@@ExploringTheSimulation I'm sorry you've had a bad time with them, that sucks man, I apologize. If you haven't seen, we've made firmware updates to the feeders that _greatly_ improve accuracy, and should help a ton with the issue you're seeing. Also, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support, we'd love to make it right. Really love what you're doing, and excited to see what machine you get next.

[@nonatrib206]

This was a great and inspiring video! No idea I could buy a pick and place machine. Thanks for doing what you do! What was your favorite part to design?

[@nonatrib206]

Wow you also open sourced everything whaaaat? ❤❤

[@JensonTM]

bouta order 1000 of these

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

🔥

[@SimonLanz]

wow, absolutely ingenious from many aspects. The visuals, the engineering, the ideas, the storytelling... hats off!! May I ask what tools you are using for your animations and edits?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thank you! Blender and Premiere Pro

[@Evanmarkib86]

@ExploringTheSimulation for your cleaning the dust off after print. Have you thought about using a tumbler with beads or ceramics with a collection tray underneath for the excess dust for re-use. An exapmle might be like dry blow gold tumblers.

[@Kato0909]

Great video!

[@MakeStuff]

you should try the texturing tool in preform if you want to vary the texture for customers!

[@MakeStuff]

I should watch the whole video before commenting haha

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

haha yes, and in Preform, you can't export the model, which means the texture will be applied to every face of the object. Here, I only wanted texture on the exterior faces. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@watchingyoutubeat]

great work

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thank you for watching!

[@Mr3344555]

This guy is king micro plastic

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

some even say the final boss

[@Wewawewa123]

Can you consider a latch closure? Every time I drop my case it explodes into three pieces (two pods ans a case).

[@RoadSurferOfficial]

That’s amazing

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Glad you like it!

[@MakeStuff]

I would love to hear your thoughts on the issues with the pick and place

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

I replied in another comment :) But will definitely make a video explaining the issue once I got the new pick and place running

[@muratc.2673]

What is the cost for printing material, is that Costa effective really ?

[@athmaid]

The "hammered" finish looks the best imho

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

I agree! Although the original version is still my favorite.

[@tinkerman1790]

Impressive!

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Glad you like it!

[@miketech811]

What's the final price per piece? Nylon is an expensive powder material

[@jacevincent2574]

He probably doesnt want to say exactly because people get weird and dont understand margins, but I would guess under $1/ea still

[@ml-engineer]

Wow can we also get cases for Google pixel buds?

[@ahyenmostofa3561]

You are awesome 😎, this is great

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thank you for watching!

[@norm1124]

Swiss PB screwdrivers? Best choice, ❤ from 🇨🇭 to 🇫🇷

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

🇨🇭🇨🇭

[@maximeg3659]

Very impressive, congrats ! What happened at 5:55 ? An accident, or SFX ?

[@falcofranz5005]

Did you consider to trovalize your parts instead of sand blasting?

[@tradingisthinking]

hmm, good job, have you tested the resin printer?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Yes, I also have two resin printers! They are great for prototypes but won't work for end products because they keep curing with the UV emitted from the sun. They become brittle. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Alex-ne7ze]

hey, amazing video, i want to ask something, i'm new to your channel, how did you promote it? do you have already a community? i still think if you list it online, you got in 5 days 1k orders, and i try to undestand how people reach you. Regards and keep the job working!

[@ricardom959]

Why dont you print an SLS metal mould for injection?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

The surface finish of a 3D-printed metal mold would not be good enough and would require an additional CNC pass. By that point, it is not cost-effective; one might as well do everything on the CNC. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@krezii]

love your videos!

[@TommentSection]

If you mount that drill brush inside the chamber so you don't have to hold it one hand, I think it would be a powerful tool. Maybe a different kind of brush too, but idk.

[@tomasm1233]

What happened at 5:55?

[@the_guy_with_yeeyee_a_haircut]

Ai

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

I explained in another comment :)

[@iliqiliev]

So cool, makes me want to buy AirPods just to give them the USB C treatment 🤣

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

😅 I'll have tons of new stuff next year! Maybe there will be something for you :)

[@FrIoSrHy]

They do sell airpods with usbc now but this is so much cooler.

[@182mcg1]

Have quick question to made cases for samsung galaxy xcover 6 pro but must be a clipped for quad lock motorcycle.... Problem is universal stickers not recommended coz back side cover is removable.

[@NabilTouchie]

I'm really curious about why you dont like the LumenPnP

[@jonasaskenobis]

I glass bead blasted some factory made MJF Pa12 parts with a handheld station, and they turned out with a lot smoother finish and completely no visible layer lines. The particle size was around 150um, don't remember the pressure. Maybe that would be possible on a robot as well if the blasting angle and distance were adjusted?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

The layers lines can disappear if I print the part at a different angle! But then I can't fit as many parts in the same small volume. I actually really like the layer small layer lines so I don't mind, I think they look cool. Handheld station is fine for a couple of parts but if you need to make 100 every day you will burn out very quickly :) Thanks for watching!

[@paulromano5137]

could you put the block in a tumbler to knock all the powder loose and capture it for reuse?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

I'm hoping to find a solution like this yes, but I haven't seen anything good so far. Will likely need to be custom made. I'm also worried about the powder getting contaminated with residue from the tumbling material. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@paulromano5137]

@ what about a vibration/shaker table

[@agentbelovv]

How much the whole investement to start costed you?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

I show the invoice in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZ6uXmSni9pqp8U :)

[@Waitwhat469]

Is that the LumanPnP?

[@MohammadRussian-m7g]

Hi I was wondering what software are you using for design

[@Gounesh]

Waow, the work is pretty awesome tbh, did you actually break even though?

[@ACDK3]

My feeling is: keep it simple. Use as many common parts as possible and reduce complexity/variants. "You can have any color, as long as its black" - Henry Ford :D

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

I do want to keep it simple, I agree with you. The lanyard version here was more to demonstrate the flexibility of 3D printing for manufacturing. One comment I received a lot was that the dark grey color would mostly appeal to a male audience, and by asking around it does appear to be true. So I think it could be interesting to try to make a lighter color version! Thank you for watching :)

[@mhn23visual]

​@@ExploringTheSimulation You can usually solve a problem for yourself and attract similar people like yourself to buy your product. But once that is saturated you got to talk to users you haven't been able to acquire and understand what their preferences and problems are. Don't make the mistake to branch out too much based on comfortable assumptions. rooting for you!

[@disp3rsion]

Hey, for PCBWAY, does that sheet with multiple connected pcb's count as one sheet?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Good question! Actually you have three options when uploading your PCB: 1. Single PCB 2. Panel by PCBWay 3. Panel by customer I choose option 3 because I have made my own standard for panels that are easy to place to apply paste and use on the pick and place. I also optimized the size to get the cheapest price. They don't treat it like one PCB because they run e-tests at the end of manufacturing to make sure there are no defects. If you take a big quantity I believe it's cheaper than option 1 though. But I do it mainly so that it works well with my machines

[@Rawstock92]

Seems like there would be a good rotary screen (tumbler) solution for loosening the raw slugs that come out of the printer. Looks like the clean up solution on the machine is suited to one-off and larger parts.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

This is definitely where most of the human work happens. I agree that I need to find a better solution. I mentioned trying to use a drill with a brush accessory. I will try to improve this by fixing the brush to the station and adding a foot pedal to turn it on. I also need a better brush. I also thought about a tumbler solution but haven't looked into it much. What kind of tumbling material would you use? I'm worried the powder might get contaminated with tumbling material residue.

[@ArtyomGalstyan]

you can cover it with paint which will make them even smoother

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Probably, yes! I'm not exploring this solution because paint involves a lot of manual labor and potentially uneven results. It would be good if there were some type of dipping solution. I appreciate the suggestion, though!

[@ArtyomGalstyan]

@ExploringTheSimulation From what i know, for smoothing without using paint you can try centrifugal tumbling method.

[@loneepicz]

Which compressor are you using there? I saw german signs on it 😊

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Yes, it's German! From a company called Implotex. I got the biggest one, 3000W, I believe.

[@loneepicz]

@@ExploringTheSimulation Thank you for your answer. Do you run it in your apartment? Are your neighbors not disturbed by the process, and how long does the post-processing take? I’m also interested in Formlabs devices and considering keeping them in an apartment.

[@henrikstenlund5385]

Good work, man.. You might place the compressors outside to isolate the noise.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thanks! Yes it's outside with one of those insulating rubber sheet that people put under washing machines. It's not bothering anyone :)

[@CortVermin]

imagine living in the flat under this guy, running a compressor 24/7 xD

[@nullmind]

Wow, I wish I could be like you someday. Can I ask you - what was your career path before this? I'm currently in college, but I feel like it just isn't for me. I have a couple of product ideas but I'm not sure if it's worth dropping out and pursuing my engineering dream. How did you get the courage to fully commit? Am I worrying about nothing and should do what I love or forget about it and focus on college? I understand that it's beneficial to have a day job that can keep you afloat, but then I'm afraid I won't have time for my projects. I feel like I already have all the knowledge I need, and I can just look on the internet for more if I have to. Am I wrong to think that higher education is overrated?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Thank you for the kind words. That's quite a heavy question, but I'll try my best to answer. I think it's really important to take online information (even from me) with a grain of salt. Everything depends on so many different factors, and what you see can often be chalked up to "survivor bias". I'm not sure where you're located since that could affect my advice, so I'll just share my experience. I did my bachelor's and master's in robotics in Switzerland. I was already really lucky since education is pretty affordable here, and most people around me (including myself) didn't need to take on debt for college. I worked part-time doing engineering gigs and had a supportive family. I know that puts me in a more fortunate position than 99% of people out there... But honestly, being debt-free alone wouldn't have been enough to make me fully commit. I was doing my master's during the pandemic, so I basically decided to go full nerd and just tinker at home every day trying to build something cool. I wanted to create an iPhone with a USB-C port - the first one ever. After two years of trying things, giving up for a few months, then trying again with new ideas, I finally succeeded! I posted a video here on this channel and it completely blew up! Changed my life overnight. Though it was more like an "overnight success" that actually took over two years to make. In the video description, I mentioned I was job hunting and got over 150 offers in about 3 weeks. I always knew I wanted to do my own thing, but this gave me confidence that I could find work pretty easily if things didn't work out. Then something unexpected happened - people who saw the video started emailing me asking if I could develop products/prototypes for them. So right after graduating, I already had several freelance design jobs lined up that helped fund my KZbin work until about a year ago. Then through KZbin, I started getting brand sponsorship deals, and now I'm selling kits and cases, which has made it possible to continue this KZbin adventure for the foreseeable future.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

College was important to me as a safety net - having that backup plan to find a job if the entrepreneurial path didn't work out. When you're young, it's tough to build credibility and trust, and having a diploma from a reputable college really helps with that. Plus, I built my circle of friends and met so many people I never would have connected with otherwise. I did think about quitting near the end, but I'm really glad I stuck with it. Looking back, my college experience wasn't overrated at all - it was challenging, but I had a great time. If it's possible in your situation, maybe consider taking fewer classes and staying an extra semester? That could give you more breathing room to work on your own projects and see if something clicks.

[@DanielSanNinja]

Bro how many clones dies during sand blasting??? 5:55

[@cromer777]

you could use acid to make surface more smoother

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Which one, though? Are you sure it's safe? I know you can do that with acetone vapor on ABS FDM prints, but haven't found a DIY method for SLS Nylon 12 yet.

[@markwebster432]

instant subscribe!!🙌

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

welcome to the group!!

[@Ludix147]

Hey, maybe you want to get in touch with the good people at Lockcard, they make 3D-printed wallets and similar things in Ulm, Germany. They have quite a big factory setup now, with tens of Prusas printing all day long. Seems like a good fit!

[@Ludix147]

Oops, they actually also have an SLS printer.

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Yes, they probably have a similar setup to mine. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@pht5-q9f]

I subbed immediately

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

Welcome aboard!

[@seekanddestroy9111]

How can this rough surface be acceptable for a commercial product?

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

It's really not that rough, it's quite nice actually. Feels more 'grippy'. Also it gets smoother after 2 weeks of use

[@JaXuun]

A video about how to source the rmoney for such expensive equipment would be also interesting

[@ExploringTheSimulation]

It's basically KZbin + selling the kits and cases. You can watch the videos chronologically to see the progression