Production and Fulfillment Have Started!

Intro

Hey, everyone! Cooper here. We've officially started production and fulfillment of the Powercore V3! We've also moved to a larger shop and are making progress on our Wire Tool Kit updates. 

There's a lot going on as always and I'm excited to share some of it.

Powercore V3

Let's start with the most exciting thing first, the Powercore V3! The first run of units have now gone out the door, first to those who had issues with their Powercore V2s, and then to the first people in line for standalone Powercore pre-orders.

We're so excited to get these new EDM spark generators out there and are taking a more measured approach to our fulfillment process this time around. Previously, we had done large batches that all got shipped out in one burst. This is something that we did for the Kickstarter, and I believe it has been a bit of a bad habit.

It's not sustainable to absolutely crush the team over the course of a few days in order to get a couple hundred units out when a more measured approach can get more units out per year with time for user feedback and product iteration. This will allow us to reasonably build inventory and our fulfillment processes.

Even after shipping the first 25 units, we have some minor fixes we're implementing on the machining side of production. These are just little time savers and risk reduction things, but we would not have been able to do this if we had rushed 500 units all at once.

Overall, the topology of the Powercore V3 seems to be functioning as intended. There is very little waste heat to deal with and we have a lot of software checks implemented that will catch failure modes before they cause damage.

We've super excited to continue with production and fulfillment. Our next run will be somewhere around 125 units meant to pair with the Wire Tool Conversion Kits. 

Wire Tool Kits

We're moving forward with conversion kits! There's a short list of changes being made to the kit to improve quality and consistency. Currently, they are as follows:

• Thinner endoskeleton gauge (less variation in metal thickness)
• New wire guide design and additional guide (significantly smaller and better wire control)
• New idler design (allows for easier threading)
• New waste spool design (easier threading and tool-less removal)
• Print consolidation (easier build and stronger parts overall)

We're also doing some other things on the procurement and fulfillment side. More customization of parts and consolidation of operations with our hardware supplier will allow us to save a ton of time on bin packing and fulfillment. This means that again, we're not pushing the crew here too hard to be able to keep up fulfillment throughout the year.

We're currently expecting the first few kits to be ready to ship by the end of July to Mid-August with production ramping after that point. We currently have parts on the way for samples and the CAD changes are just about complete. The changes required are relatively small, so we think things are going to go well here.

Previously, we had shown off WEDM on an Ender 3, but that is possibly the absolute worst choice for such a machine. Our next build will likely use a small desktop CNC machine, which should result in significantly better end results.

Betta Wire

Progress on the Betta Wire has primarily been on the upper toolhead along with some preliminary work being done on optimizing the frame for production.

Tools

The biggest change to the upper tool on the Betta Wire has been the switch to resin printing for the main section of the tool.

The main advantage of resin printing is in dielectric flow and control. With the updated and simplified dielectric flow, we've been able to make the tool smaller while still improving flow quality.

Given that resin printing isn't something we can expect most end users to do, we will be printing these resin parts and will likely be doing some small level of assembly prior to shipping. We view this as the best choice for minimizing the amount of problems people have with the Betta Wire.

This follows the same thought process of the waterproof motor modules. A more customized solution that significantly improves machine capabilities while retaining an extremely simple manufacturing process.

The lower tool of the Betta Wire can be removed without undoing any wiring on the machine. We have modified the upper tool to allow it to be removed from the machine with similar ease. A cable chain will help to keep installations clean. Ease of serviceability is important even if we don't expect service to be required too frequently. 

Frame

As we will be machining, welding, and anodizing the machine frames, we have been seeking to simplify and optimize these processes. 

Our previous version of the Betta Wire required slots and grub screws for the side panels, but we have changed these features to simple pockets on the outside of the part where panels will be secured in welding jigs prior to joining.

Even just this small change will save us around 4 hours of machining per Betta Wire. If this sounds like a lot, imagine how much time it will save over a few hundred units! I personally really love this type of small improvement. The way it stacks over large numbers of machines is so fun.

Closing Thoughts

Things are really starting to pick up here! In a good way, too. It feels like we're really starting to understand how to run consistent manufacturing and assembly. There is so much value in knowing when to go fast and when to go slowly. When you know where to slow down, other things can go much more quickly.

-Cooper