brizzle

Guys, I read about this site today on cnn.com. The site is called http://www.emachineshop.com/. They have their own cad software and you can submit a design to them and within 30 days. They'll have it shipped to you. Man here come those custom one of a kind rims!!!

goldendragon576

cool...bet it would be kinda $$. I'm going to go home and try out the free software, design my own rim and then see how much it would cost to make. Should be fun if anything.

brizzle

Yeah that's for damn sure. It'll probably be pricey but they said that they're low priced. I'm at work now but I'll definately try when I get home. Just think of the possibilities!!!

brizzle

I'm getting ready to download and give it a shot. If anyone has tried already let me know

orcaatk

This is a great site and the cad software is very intuitive. I've used the cad software to design some stuff for my car - but at the cost of a low production run (meaning, I only want one made) on a CNC machine is pretty expensive (we're talking about $300-400 for something the size of a deck of cards). Of course, the more intricate you get, the more money it costs, but sometimes it's nice to splurge every now and then. I'm in the process now of making the item I designed in their cad software out of bondo by hand to make sure everything lines up and fits correctly (and also, so I can actually hold the part in my hand vs just visualizing it on the screen) before I pony up with my checkbook.

Also, I've done some research and these people seem to be right around what most other places would charge to have something made. There are two things to be aware of though. That cad software is proprietary - so anything you design with it, can only be opened and viewed (as a cad file) with that software. That means you can't design something in the software and try to get another shop make the part. The plus side is, for those of us who don't have cad software, it would cost about $50/hr to have someone make a design you plot out on paper and enter it into their system. That's money in the bank when you use e-machines free software.

brizzle

Hey orcaatk, care to show a picture of the part that was designed for your car or let us know what it was? How long was the process for your product?

orcaatk

I can't really show you the design since it's made up of several pieces, but it's a switchblade key. I'm actually working on two designs. The first one works, but I'm re-working it so that it's a bit smaller and closer to the size of the fob (the old one was about the size for a matchbox car). If everything works out in the bondo "mock-up", then I'll have e-machine build the pieces out of aluminum and send it to me. Currently, I'm waiting on a factory key I ordered to arrive so I can integrate it into the mock-up, and from the looks of it – everything will come together nicely. However, I'm also low on car "fun money" since I found out yesterday that the previous owner of my car tinted the windows with dyed film which is starting to fade to purple . So, after I clear the expense of removing the old tint and replacing it with ceramic tint (a $400 job), then I'll plunk down the $350 for this remote design. BTW, it's $350 just for the case, this doesn't include the cost of the key, internal mechanism (which is a whole other story of custom parts), fob, internals, hardware, etc... But if I may say so myself, it's one cool friggen' piece of work.

brizzle

You're making a new key fob? To unlock your doors? Wow if so I'd like to see it when you're done!

orcaatk

Yep, it will integrate the key and the fob into one unit, which will be about the same size as the fob. If it turned out nice, I was thinking of posting the plans on this site so that others could send off for the parts. But, it's all still cooking.....

brizzle

Ok great keep us posted.

brizzle

One more question orcaatk, is this gonna be sort of like a Mercedes key? I just would like to know and i'll leave you alone on the questions till you post plans.

orcaatk

[img=http://www.leasingpartners.co.uk/key.gif]

Correct. Or the VW key. They're all based on the same concept. My first design allowed for the entire key (as in, the blade and rubber grip are not altered) to fit into the housing, in addition to the internal circuit board of the remote fob. This design is by far (compared to the second design I'm currently working on) the most simplistic and would be the easiest for any DIY person to construct after they had they purchased the case. The only drawback is it's bulky since it needs to house the entire key, plus the fob's internals (it's about twice the thickness of the fob, a little longer than the key, and a little wider than the key's grip - or about the size of a matchbox car). Another thing this design offers is that it's totally reversible, meaning you don't have to alter your key or remote in order for this to work - everything just fits into the case. Total cost for the case plus parts for the internal mechanism (assuming you use an existing key and fob): $375 (that price would drop quickly if a group buy formed)

The new designs main feature is it's smaller, closer to the thickness\length\width of the fob. But, that comes at the cost of needing to sacrifice a key and integrate it into a not-so-DIY-friendly design. The internal mechanism is much different and requires more expensive and hard to find parts. In fact, the further I go into designing this new fob, the closer it gets to the "prohibitively expensive" realm where it's not worth creating ($400+). Again, this is where a group buy would help (the more cases you have produced in a production run, the cheaper the case is per unit).