Guys I have bad news. It's actually terrible news considering this point in time:
I got a call from the company to come check out the small batch they did to make sure they're ok before they finished up the rest. The quality of the plates they already did was total garbage and I didn't accept them. Talked to them for a while on the spot, and we basically concluded that they will be taking majority of the loss but I let them keep the programing and setup fees, which were out of my own pocket.
If you want to know why they turned out like crap, it's because the laser cutter is 2500w compared to a 4000w high end machine that I had the last plate GB done at. Lower power means it takes longer to cut each plate, which means it uses up more of their gas tanks. When they try to artificially boost the speed just by 20%, then it does not cut all the way through at some areas. Tolerance is just terrible in general, and there's too much warping/distortion.
I'm actually pretty pissed and stressed out about this. I'm kinda sick of dealing and negotiating with different companies, and driving to some of them. I think best solution is to just go back to the original company, get a requote at the current quantities, drop the two lowest designs since programming costs for them are too high, and just submit the order if it's a reasonable quote. I've been trying to avoid going higher than what I already invoiced for, but it looks like price will increase a few dollars per plate to make up for all the cancellations and non-payment. I'm just going to pay for it all upfront and whatever the price difference is per plate, you can pay me back if you feel like it. I just don't want to spend anymore time nagging for payment and making sure you paid a few bucks.
