Hey hey Sean, feel free to send some photos of the cracking to me. I'll take a look as soon as I have some time. And if I have any ideas of a short term fix to keep the cracks from propagating, I'll let you know. I'm not yet sure when I will get to the next step of the this naked plate project. It's getting more difficult to find time to make videos. I don't know how folks do it...all the UA-camrs producing and publishing amazing edited videos practically daily.
I'm into 3d printing and machining as a mechanical engineer, but I just bought 552s and they are working just fine for now. Love seeng the passion for these upgrades though. Really cool. Not sure if the 3d print would have enough space to snap on where it needs to. I've made a 3D printed snap in tab for a cover that functions like a tv remote latch, but there isnt enough space for it here. Maybe it would have to flex and fit over a lip that it creates for itself on the inverse tab / fit within a groove.
I agree, with 3d printing probably isnt the way to go, but its decent for prototyping. I havent used 3d prining for anything near this caliber / these forces on the tab.
Hiya Sean. First, thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. I have to agree with you here at least as far as any protruding snap/latch. There are ways to snap-fit in the same plane, but it remains to be seen if it's viable. Another approach I'm going to try is DIY vacuum forming from small sheets of plastic that are then glued in place. I have the equipment to do more advanced vac forming but I try to create solutions that anyone can do at home with relatively common tools. Hopefully I can take a crack at these this summer. I'll have some time once the production of my new Kits is underway.
@@VMTDesign Prior to 2021 I had spent a crazy amount of $ on CNC prototypes. Every little design change resulted in hundreds more in expenses. By 2021 I had three 3D printers and that reduced my prototype costs dramatically. I use printing primarily to assess aesthetics. I can quickly and easily gauge the look and feel. As good as printers have become in recent years, low-end printers lack the precision for anything else that I do. Once I nail down the look and feel, the parts are still machined in aluminum/steel to test the fit/finish/durability/etc.
Hi, Antonio. Do you mean the weight plates? If so, I did look into manufacturing custom all-metal weight plates last year. I haven't had a chance to make a video about my findings yet, but I will share the results soon. Basically, it's too costly for me to manufacture in small volumes. So I need to find a viable way to bankroll a large production run in order to bring the prices down enough to make the upgrade affordable. If I come up with a way to accomplish that, I'll let you all know.
Hiya RGH, have you done it? I ask because I'd love to see a video of the finished results, if you don't mind. You could shoot it over to my email. Generally speaking, rubberized coatings are great for gripping (e.g. tool handles), but gripping is the last thing we want on these plates. The challenge with adjustable dumbbells is that you need to slide the handles into and out of the plates, both empty and loaded with other plates.And you need to rotate the dials. Friction here is the enemy. This is why Bowflex, Powerblock, Nuobell, Merax, Ativafit, Core and others use hard plastic coatings or painted steels, and not the rubberized coatings. Still, it would be an interesting experiment. And if you've found one that works, I'd definitely be open to trying it since it'd save me the hassle of developing an alternative.
I like hearing you explain this. I got your handles and dics but my plastic is cracking so I am interested in this project as well.
Hey hey Sean, feel free to send some photos of the cracking to me. I'll take a look as soon as I have some time. And if I have any ideas of a short term fix to keep the cracks from propagating, I'll let you know. I'm not yet sure when I will get to the next step of the this naked plate project. It's getting more difficult to find time to make videos. I don't know how folks do it...all the UA-camrs producing and publishing amazing edited videos practically daily.
I'm into 3d printing and machining as a mechanical engineer, but I just bought 552s and they are working just fine for now. Love seeng the passion for these upgrades though. Really cool. Not sure if the 3d print would have enough space to snap on where it needs to. I've made a 3D printed snap in tab for a cover that functions like a tv remote latch, but there isnt enough space for it here. Maybe it would have to flex and fit over a lip that it creates for itself on the inverse tab / fit within a groove.
I agree, with 3d printing probably isnt the way to go, but its decent for prototyping. I havent used 3d prining for anything near this caliber / these forces on the tab.
Hiya Sean. First, thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. I have to agree with you here at least as far as any protruding snap/latch. There are ways to snap-fit in the same plane, but it remains to be seen if it's viable.
Another approach I'm going to try is DIY vacuum forming from small sheets of plastic that are then glued in place. I have the equipment to do more advanced vac forming but I try to create solutions that anyone can do at home with relatively common tools. Hopefully I can take a crack at these this summer. I'll have some time once the production of my new Kits is underway.
@@VMTDesign Prior to 2021 I had spent a crazy amount of $ on CNC prototypes. Every little design change resulted in hundreds more in expenses. By 2021 I had three 3D printers and that reduced my prototype costs dramatically. I use printing primarily to assess aesthetics. I can quickly and easily gauge the look and feel.
As good as printers have become in recent years, low-end printers lack the precision for anything else that I do. Once I nail down the look and feel, the parts are still machined in aluminum/steel to test the fit/finish/durability/etc.
Can you make some discs for the weights without the plastic?
Hi, Antonio. Do you mean the weight plates? If so, I did look into manufacturing custom all-metal weight plates last year. I haven't had a chance to make a video about my findings yet, but I will share the results soon. Basically, it's too costly for me to manufacture in small volumes. So I need to find a viable way to bankroll a large production run in order to bring the prices down enough to make the upgrade affordable. If I come up with a way to accomplish that, I'll let you all know.
Rubber dip any damaged plastic casing on the weight plate and be done with it.
Hiya RGH, have you done it? I ask because I'd love to see a video of the finished results, if you don't mind. You could shoot it over to my email.
Generally speaking, rubberized coatings are great for gripping (e.g. tool handles), but gripping is the last thing we want on these plates. The challenge with adjustable dumbbells is that you need to slide the handles into and out of the plates, both empty and loaded with other plates.And you need to rotate the dials. Friction here is the enemy. This is why Bowflex, Powerblock, Nuobell, Merax, Ativafit, Core and others use hard plastic coatings or painted steels, and not the rubberized coatings.
Still, it would be an interesting experiment. And if you've found one that works, I'd definitely be open to trying it since it'd save me the hassle of developing an alternative.