The "first article" samples from our production molds have just arrived. We admit we're surprised, they weren't supposed to get here until Wednesday; not that we're complaining...
Overall, we're extremely pleased. The internal texture looks great, the hold down tabs slide in/out smoothly and lock in place better than the 3D printed prototypes and the baffles fit perfectly. Here's the first look, right out of the shipping carton:
You can probably tell from the photo that the lid has a few cosmetic blemishes. These are mostly due to the mold getting hot since the cooling channels haven't been machined in yet. (The factory will wait until we approve the mechanical fit before adding them; just in case we want changes.) We might want to increase the texture on the lid.
The first time we held the tray, the lid "rocked" and kind of freaked us out until we realized that the factory had put the middle hold down tabs in the wrong position. See below.
Here it is configured for 8x10 and everything fits perfectly.
So now the testing begins. We've also got to get a shipping box designed, user's guides written and, well a whole lot of other boring details sorted out. We hope to get all that done during the National Day Golden Week holiday that has China shut down until October 7th.
Unless we find some unpleasant surprises, production is scheduled for late October, with first shipments going out as soon as possible.
Thanks for your patience; comments are always welcome: info@stearmanpress.com