Something to Make the SPF's happy

[John]

Lets make sure we keep the conversation civil ....

[inkaneer]

Tell me something.  Why should a resin car cost more than a plastic injection one?

Because once the injection process is running, production runs can be in the tens of thousands or more; the cost of tooling and production is distributed across vast quantities. (Many freight cars and other items today are still being cast in tooling from the 70s--the tooling cost is now down to fractions of a cent each.) For resin, you've got a mold lifetime of what, a dozen? Then you have to start over. Resin casting is a very slow, labor-intensive process by comparison, and there is hardly any cost savings in long production runs because you constantly need to re-invest the time and money in new molds. I fully expect a decent resin car to cost more than a mass-produced plastic one.

I disagree.  First of all you don't have to "start over".  You already have the master copy which can be used over and over.  Most of the time involved is spent in making the master copy.  Making molds out of RTV is hardly "labor intensive".  You mix it, you pour it.  You're done.  The RTV sets up all by itself.  You don't have to watch it.  You wait 24 hours or so then you can pour the resin. The resin sets up faster than the RTV.  You seem to think that there is some inordinate amount of time involved in making molds.  There isn't. 

[wm3798]

You're shouting down a hole.  Anyone who took Economics 101 can tell you that stopping every 12 units to make a new mold hardly qualifies as mass production.  To compare the cost of producing 10's of thousands of injection molded models with the cost of a cottage industry using resin casting is not even close to apples and oranges.  It's more like comparing apples and a Sherman tank.

You better get down off your soap box... it's clearly empty.

Lee

[DKS]

Tell me something.  Why should a resin car cost more than a plastic injection one?

Because once the injection process is running, production runs can be in the tens of thousands or more; the cost of tooling and production is distributed across vast quantities. (Many freight cars and other items today are still being cast in tooling from the 70s--the tooling cost is now down to fractions of a cent each.) For resin, you've got a mold lifetime of what, a dozen? Then you have to start over. Resin casting is a very slow, labor-intensive process by comparison, and there is hardly any cost savings in long production runs because you constantly need to re-invest the time and money in new molds. I fully expect a decent resin car to cost more than a mass-produced plastic one.

I disagree.  First of all you don't have to "start over".  You already have the master copy which can be used over and over.  Most of the time involved is spent in making the master copy.  Making molds out of RTV is hardly "labor intensive".  You mix it, you pour it.  You're done.  The RTV sets up all by itself.  You don't have to watch it.  You wait 24 hours or so then you can pour the resin. The resin sets up faster than the RTV.  You seem to think that there is some inordinate amount of time involved in making molds.  There isn't. 

I suggest you pay a visit to an injection shop. Then pay a visit to a one-man resin casing shop. You might change your tune, because I have a very strong feeling you've done neither.

[inkaneer]

I suggest you pay a visit to an injection shop. Then pay a visit to a one-man resin casing shop. You might change your tune, because I have a very strong feeling you've done neither.

And you would be wrong on both counts.  Sorry to burst your bubble.

[3rdrail]

While the conversation has remained civil, it is merely rehashing the same positions repeatedly, so it has become a waste of bandwidth.  :-\