Hey people, need some info from the LCB crowd...

I’m looking to start up my own 3D design/3D scanning/engineering company with an specific interest in cars/tuning/racing.

So my question to you guys:

Would you be interested in/willing to buy custom designed parts for your car? Something that was truly unique to you and your car?

But fitted perfectly and bolted straight on, no trimming/cutting etc?

The parts could range from anything – engine covers, dashboard designs, interior trim parts, front grilles, wheel designs, custom engine parts.

Would like to know you’re thoughts, what’s important to you guys?

Cheers,

C.

Don't think anyone would say its not of interest but like most things i fear it will come down to cost? Most people, after all, build these cars as a hobby. Are you talking about 3D printing parts?

There are a lot of companies out there already doing that (we have one in at the moment doing a demo), it's a lot of capital outlay, so you need to see what your market is going to be, and what you can offer thats different to the others.

For the Locost members it all comes down to cost, as you probably know.

Rapid protyping might be worth looking into, seeing how quickly this developing for both metal and plastic parts.

I think it may very soon make most CNC machined components obsolete also massively reduces your waste material and milling etc is kind of notorious for that.

Can’t wait till someone comes up with that prototyper that can handle dashboard sized components.

Main worry is you going into a business that is already well supported by others

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I think it may very soon make most CNC machined components obsolete also massively reduces your waste material and milling etc is kind of notorious for that.

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Really appreciate the inputs guys,

Yes 3D printing is one sector i'm looking into, but it's merely another tool for the design projects. I'm aiming to provide a service/parts which improve upon existing design.

And also to provide that 'custom' factor to various components. Rather than spending £££'s for an off the shelf item, have one bespoke designed for you...?

Do you guys have any suggestions on parts/designs I could look into for 'prototype' ideas? I would like to create some test parts as a planning setup for the business and clients...

Thanks again,

C.

Maybe bullet point here your expected common service. I dont quite know what you are going to provide and how it will get measured for. Material? complete fabrication?

Things I would think hard about are:
- USP for your service
- how custom parts will be measures and details taken? This needs to be super efficent

Now these could come into one. Potentially, and this would be an impressive service, You visit your customer in a van with the rapid prototyper in the back + welder + spray booth.

You can then visit, discuss, measure, CAD, print, weld, paint and fit. All in one visit!!

I dont know this industry but that sounds like the knid of service that you could charge a premium for in a lucrative motorsport industry.



[Edited on 16/1/14 by bi22le]

I think you need to look at the customer sector you are aiming for with this business.

As an example, a friends owns an historic race prep business. A reasonable 5 grand respray for an MGB is mid money, on a car worth 10-15k mint condition. A 5 grand respray of a lightweight E Type worth 150k is a bargain as the cars a racer and will get scratched so the owner wont want to pay more, but may well have it done each winter as part of a season refresh.

my point is a CNC'd alternator bracket that was 3D scanned, CAD'd and CNC could be 300-400 quid. Within Locost circles, mayy have bought the chassis and donor vehicle for similar money so you aint gonna get many takers.

if that same bracket was for a Porsche 917, E Type, McLaren F1 where the original may be unavailable, uber rare from other side of the planet or have 'sought after historic car tax' added, then 400 quid is cheap as chips and people would rip your arm off for your services and probably buy another as a spare.

you've decided on the business type and what services it will offer, but ensure the customer sector is the correct one when aiming at marketing the company or all your hard work and best intentions will be wasted imho

good luck :-)

and if you want your offices fitting out, I know a man.... ;-)

CNH

You could start by focussing on the highest value specialised parts that kit car builders buy. For instance inlet manifolds are not complex things to manufacture and yet they tend to be inordinately expensive. Throttle bodies, shock absorbers, exhaust systems all could be worth a look.

The forum is called Lo'w' Cost Builders for a reason. If I had the money for one of these cars, I would buy one, or I'd have made a GT40.

Again thanks for the comments guys, it really does help out with ideas.

I believe there is a potential for a fairly broad market, it really depends on the materials used and the specific application intended.

To give some idea of what i'm aiming for - here's a basic prototype shroud I created for the Race Tech Dash - a neat way of mounting the dash and provide some protection.


Description

Description

Description

It is possible to customise that design to suit individual needs, say incorporating all of the switches you've purchased into one simple design.

similar to the atom - but for your car......and to your design...




C.

[Edited on 16/1/14 by Twin40]

I've considered this myself as I have small scale industrial CNC machines at home and welding facilities but to be honest I think it is a lot of work for very little return. Instead I do odds and sods jobs for people with the machines I already have and make pocket money with an occasional production run every now and then

What you really need is a niche, you need to outprice the competition, beat them on quality and more than anything customer service. The 'hobby' world will be wanting to phone, email, text you on evenings and weekends to find out how A fits to B, looking for advice etc. People will want to come and see you on evenings and weekends. Don't forget this is a hobby and the first thing to go when money gets tight is the toys.

The problem with custom items is the cost and one-off setting up times. In industry we are used to the cost of things, but in the hobby world people are generally split - those that have money to burn and those that don't. People struggle to understand why a custom item is double that of a standard mass produced item.

How will you guarantee that custom parts will fit? Are you going to visit every customer? In which case how do you cost your time, fuel etc into the mix. How far will you travel to visit people - will that limit your potential market?

Taking a long look at your car and say if I bought bits, what would they be?

Hope my comments are not pessimistic but just trying to bee realistic - think long and hard about if you were the customer, what would you buy, how much can/would you pay, who else makes it, what quality would you want and how much customer support would you want/need?

I was about to say 'what about a nice holder for a Dash2 with a few buttons around it' and got to your last post

Something I can mount off the dashboard to bring the Dash2 unit closer to the wheel with just a coupe of key buttons/ switches around it is the sort of thing I would pay a few quid for. I have planned to make my own from carbon/GRP but depending on what finishes you offer (carbon skining?) it could be worth doing your way.

I don't want lots of switches, head/side lights, fog lights, hazard and stop/start button really...the rest are on my steering wheel

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Originally posted by Twin40

Do you guys have any suggestions on parts/designs I could look into for 'prototype' ideas? I would like to create some test parts as a planning setup for the business and clients...

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We've used a RP company for a number of years for prototyping plastic parts prior to full tooling.

This years we will buy a 3D plastic printer for c. £15k and do it ourselves from there on.