Patches and discussion for Ensoniq VFX family

Injection mold design and fabrication has dropped multifold over the years... 
short of uber high volume complex shapes where in a multi-cavity tool steel mold 
with multiple side pulls is required. Today, its often cheaper to injection mold 
enclosures in low volume rather than paying for secondary machining ops on COTS 
enclosures, albeit complexity is the driving force. I've had injection molds 
made for under $5K, albeit they were aluminum, they shared a MUDset and did not 
require any side pulls. http://www.dme.net/dme/products/quick_change_sys.html
 
The VFX cartridge case was injection molded as the volumes were high, so labor 
was a concern, as likewise would be the cost of any type of fastener. Ie, its a 
snap together case, where in the board standoffs are slightly offset, such that 
they locate and secure the board and at the same time serve to hold the case 
halves together. I'm thinking the 2 case halves would be pretty cheap if one 
dispensed with the snap together assembly and used mounting screws. It might 
even be possible to thermoform the case halves for even less NRE.




________________________________
From: john bluhm <falconjohnney@...>
To: Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, June 9, 2011 9:36:08 AM
Subject: [Ensoniq-VFX-SD] Cases for EEPROMs

  


That's interesting, but what do they charge to make the injuction mold? I used 
to work for
a keyboard company, and they wanted to make their own plastic keys (we were 
using 

ones imported from Italy at the time). We contacted a number of injection mold 
companies,
in Milwaukee, and they all wanted $75,000 to $80,000 dollars to make the molds, 
and that
was in 1980!
 
I'm just wondering.