[color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Most of you will be aware by now that I am working on a project to offer replacement headlights. The main sticking point is the cost of entry due to the manufacturing techniques involved. Injection moulding costs upwards of £15,000 per mould, this means a 'single shot' approach to generate the array of moulded items in one go is massively expensive (keep in mind each mould is handed so to offer a pair of headlights it takes between 4-6 moulds depending how the rear casing is produced).[/color]
[color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Instead I am breaking down the approach to smaller targets, this generates money so the project becomes self sufficient. This is the first phase of the headlight project and involves offering replacement headlight lens covers. These will be made to the standards of the original items, including the same grade of polycarbonate, same thickness, same internal ridge (which helps with alignment and prevents the spread of the bonding agent), black paint around the outside. [/color]
[color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]One change will be the E marking, which will be provided as a transparent sticker to as a work around to avoid concerns over a non-approved part. Technically the E marking relates to the individual projectors within the enclosure, not the enclosure itself, however as I cannot demonstrate that the user has installed the correct E marked bulbs in their headlight enclosure I cannot provide them pre-labelled.[/color]
[color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Finally, the reason for this post: to get past the cost of the mould I am going to fund it via crowd funding. Kick starter is the best known crowd funding website. Effectively customers pledge money to the project before the item is produced, but that money is only taken from them when there is a critical mass of people who have together pledged enough money for the project to take off. The projects tend to wait for funding over a fixed length of time.[/color]
[color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]I have already committed money to produce the mould, the money I will be asking for is to cover batch production and shipping. Items will be priced at £130 per pair with bonding materials (a PIB which will not degrade the plastic, unlike polyurethanes such as tiger seal) for the first set, going up to £150 after that.[/color]
[color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]The payment will be handled by a crowd funding website, and you will not pay unless the project is successful. I have already seen a sample from the manufacturer and am confident they can replicate the lenses. Items will take 90 days to deliver from the project being successfully funded. [/color]
Crowdfunding website is here. http://www.crowdfund...eadlight-covers
