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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: jcoffin1981 on Sun, 24 July 2022, 05:30:32
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[attachimg=2]Why are aftermarket aluminum cases so expensive? I have a Tex CNC aluminum case and am looking to get another. These can cost up to $150!! Is this just bread and butter for the manufacturer? I think I will try and find a generic case that I can find for hopefully $40- $50 dollars. Aluminum is dirt cheap. I can't imagine it costs the manufacturers much to produce these. Once the software is set up to machine the cases in high volume I don't think it is terribly expensive. What am I missing?
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Aluminum is dirt cheap.
If only it were that simple. There's a lot more that goes into making a case than just being made out of aluminium.
How complex is it to machine? Do you need a 3-axis or 5-axis CNC mill? How many parts is the case made out of? Sandblasting? Anodizing or some different protective coating? Machining time? Electrical energy used to operate mills and the rest of the workshop? Overseeing manufacturing? Quality control? Customer communication and support? All this adds cost.
You can find cases like the ones on your image for $30-50 in China because they're usually made in large numbers and only 1 piece but for more high end stuff this is just not possible because of more complex designs and lower production numbers.
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If only if only, people still do be paying >500 for two piece alu boards
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Aluminum is much more expensive than plastic, for the most part. Also, any time you have tools moving over the part and gradually manufacturing it, as in CNC milling, it will take much longer to make than if it is made all at once like in injection molding. There is also engineering overhead to program and set up the machines. It is really the overall labor for the project, and not the material cost that is the main source of cost.
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That's interesting; yes I suppose all of that has to be taken into account. I like my Tex case, but I don't know that I would purchase it again. The Chinese ones can be bought for $35- $40.
Isn't much of the expense in the initial setup and design. Tex has been making the case for years. Well, ok; I suppose they are not cranking out 1000's per day, proabably per order of a few dozen. So ok, that's a little different.
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Somewhat, big part in programming the machine, the material price is quite little in the end for a board once its done. Another large chunk of price is just the time waiting around to machine and the resetting of machine, board out, rotate, board back in, fix in place, close machine, some checks whateva. A setup has to be done everytime a new board is made and most times more than once depending on the design. Compared to injection molding where its just press machine, board comes out.
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Aluminium is not that cheap. Cheaper alu cases tend to be made of smaller slabs to begin with, which is a small initial materials cost, and less machining.
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Is this just bread and butter for the manufacturer?
Not even remotely, there's not enough constant volume in it to keep a shop going.
Aluminum is much more expensive than plastic, for the most part. Also, any time you have tools moving over the part and gradually manufacturing it, as in CNC milling, it will take much longer to make than if it is made all at once like in injection molding. There is also engineering overhead to program and set up the machines. It is really the overall labor for the project, and not the material cost that is the main source of cost.
The material cost is almost irrelevant.
Low volume costs money.
It doesn't matter how you make it, what machines you use, there's just too much ancillary costs in setup that eats into the cost. No shop wants to do all of that (molding, machining or anodizing) for 20 or even 100 of these when they have a client waiting on the equipment who has an order for 5000 objects, is less fickle and will keep the shop working for 6 months, not 3 days. This is not bread and butter work, this is the work that interrupts bread and butter work and they have to be compensated for that lost work.
This is why busy shops cost more, they don't want this sort of work.
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Ok, well I think I have a better understanding. I didn't realize production was so specialized, and on a small scale.
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I have contacted more than 12 companies to get good CNC aluminum quotation for my project...
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Tex is expensive because it's no more made. You can find similar boards on AliExpress for the price you are asking.