he just needed a 15 second video, and he spoke 3000words instead
Simple screw counter
61–70 of 75 posts
Re: Simple screw counter
#62Soon to be banned in the UK no doubt
Mm, yes. Needs an age verification check.
Re: Simple screw counter
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
So that explains why the smallest parts often have spares in ikea and lego builds. Is this done because of the error in weighing the smallest parts, so they have a margin for error by allowing for an extra 1 or 2?
> Is this done because of the error in weighing the smallest parts, so they have a margin for error by allowing for an extra 1 or 2? This is a secondary benefit, the primary benefit is if the end user loses/breaks one. That part very well could be show stopper (Ikea 110630 anyone?). Now the end user is stuck - has to call, you have to ship, do you charge? do you give for free? they have to wait. they're annoyed, you'…
I've often thought about this when assembling Ikea furniture. I have never been shorted. There's got to be someone at Ikea with the job of calculating the target acceptable ratio of over/under supplying small hardware pieces. I figure they can probably give out thousands if not tens of thousands of extra little screws/dowels/plastic bits before it exceeds the cost of missing just one. Between the cost of a support call, maintaining a supply of spare parts, labor and shipping to send out replacements... not to mention the less tangible to calculate loss of reputation to the brand. Quite interesting to think about at scale.
Re: Simple screw counter
#64[deleted]
Re: Simple screw counter
#65[dead]
Re: Simple screw counter
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Is this done because of the error in weighing the smallest parts, so they have a margin for error by allowing for an extra 1 or 2? This is a secondary benefit, the primary benefit is if the end user loses/breaks one. That part very well could be show stopper (Ikea 110630 anyone?). Now the end user is stuck - has to call, you have to ship, do you charge? do you give for free? they have to wait. they're annoyed, you'…
Just in case anyone is unaware: Lego does in fact ship single pieces for free, if you lose one.
Hmmm, so if I wanted to assemble the lovely Cloud City, all I would need is 697 of my best friends to call in and report that they had lost a different piece...
Re: Simple screw counter
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just in case anyone is unaware: Lego does in fact ship single pieces for free, if you lose one.
IKEA does too. You can request smaller part you're missing on their website[1]. And if they don't have them available online you can check in with their support, once they shipped one part from two countries away, free of charge (and even thrown an extra one). For bigger parts they sometimes have them in stock at local stores. [1] https://www.ikea.com/us/en/customer-service/spare-parts/
I was very pleasantly surprised when they sent me free replacement hardware to reassemble an old ikea twin bed model that had been discontinued a number of years ago. I assume they use the same hardware in other models they still sell.
Re: Simple screw counter
#68a small scale problem = assisting device a medium scale problem = a better assisting device a large scale problem = hire people
I want to pitch to my local makerspace "log-10" manufacturing.
Basically there's a ton of traction at the zero-to-one (making the first prototype) and then you start looking at how to "scale" your manufacturing (ie: making 10 at a whack), and then eventually you MAY get to building/assembling 100 at a whack, and up to 1000's or more (where you'd "graduate" to partnering with a "real" manufacturer).
Maybe it's just the way that I'm wired, but I've done 3-4 projects where I've gone down the B.O.M. rabbit hole and have scaled to at least 100 assembled/packaged items.
It seems like a local makerspace is the perfect launch-pad for having flexible "staff" (ie: other makerspace members) that can handle ambiguity and would be invested in the success of a locally owned/managed product!
Re: Simple screw counter
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just in case anyone is unaware: Lego does in fact ship single pieces for free, if you lose one.
Hmmm, so if I wanted to assemble the lovely Cloud City, all I would need is 697 of my best friends to call in and report that they had lost a different piece...
Lego might be banking on the idea that folks wanting to steal the 697 piece cloud city kit the hard way don't also have ~697~ 696 friends
Re: Simple screw counter
#70A beautiful balance of effort and benefit. I don't know any better, but the screw counting mechanism seems awkward. Imagine the set has 10 components.. I'm surprised there is no standard solution to this - like a tape and reel solution? A counting and dispensing gun that works for different sizes? But how much more would anyone pay for M3 bolts on a tape? Helmke had a tube feeding his dispensers in one of the videos,…
Christopher Helmke just shared another trick https://youtu.be/tSvwcUbL95Q?si=YunTp0p5Duu754cX
It is a clever mechanism to separate a wide range of parts. Like a vi Rating feeder, but without adjusting the device for different object sizes. It is a rotating tube, slightly angled.
How would that help? Say - you have just one tube to seperate parts. You drop your first box of washers and route them into a sequential storage. They you do the next box with bolts on the same device and drop them into another sequential storage.
They dispensing remainds still manual as mitxela showed.