Hello All, Happy New Year! This update will have some fun behind the scenes details and look at the manufacturing that’s been going on.
I ordered a used Ultrasonic Cleaner several weeks back which will be delivered in a few days. After getting some parts in I realized we really ought to have a way to clean off any remaining dirt and oils before assembly. While the suppliers clean all of the parts off before shipping to us, it is still common for some parts to have unwanted machining oil or a metal shaving here and there that would be unacceptable in the final product. This is a medical grade cleaner that sends high frequency sound waves through an food grade detergent mixed water bath to bring parts to an FDA level of cleanliness.
As expected, there have been manufacturing delays for countless reasons but everything is ordered and in progress. I check in with suppliers each night and we review any challenges or concerns whether it be manufacturing process, surface finish, tolerances, etc.
As far as timeline goes, we’re expecting (but impossible to guarantee) to have 200 sets of the final machined components (top and bottom plates) to be shipped out via expedited air before January 15 which is when many suppliers shut down for Chinese New Year. This will allow us to finish building up the first 200 units while suppliers are on holiday anywhere from 14 to 21 days. Once they return, the remaining parts will be completed and shipped out.
The last items we expect to receive are the custom springs. These are being manufactured locally here in Denver, Colorado USA with an estimated completion of Jan 23. The first few units will be sent out to reviewers for ideally unbias opinions while we complete CE certification which requires a production unit to be sent to a lab for testing. I’m not concerned about the cert as we have designed everything with pre-certified components and redundant safety systems.
We’re improving organization in the shop to better store and manage all of the new parts that will be arriving. It’s currently a mess, but here are some photos that were shared on social media from magnet bonding
Plates are laser cut to the initial shape, machined and pre-drilled with holes, then tapped with threads.
Each piece is polished before welding then passivated for added corrosion resistance.
This shows the welding jig used to locate the boiler wall on the bottom plate for accurate placement around the holes.
This same jig also clocks the top plate with respect to the bottom plate to ensure that all boilers are lined up consistently and within the tight location tolerances specified.
When placed in the jig, the boiler walls are tacked in place with a few spot welds then finished off with tight tig welds around the perimeter.
Hardware
Before we parted for the holidays, our team was able to get a good portion of the bonding process completed as shown below! Next week we should be receiving the Lever pieces which will allow us to bond the wooden handles.
Production Boiler Cap design sporting the Walnut wood and custom stainless steel boiler pressure gauge.
This provides a direct read out of boiler pressure which is useful for knowing pre-infusion pressure as well as steam pressure.
Walnut Side Panels with magnets bonded in. The magnets are used to keep these panels attached to the front and back covers in lieu of screws.
Drip trays with magnets bonded into the base. This allows for simple removal for washing yet keeping the tray in place when on the machine.
photo showing the bags of pre cut and crimped wires with labels. These are 200C wires that are specified to withstand the elevated temperatures around the insulated boiler.
Software
William and I got together over the holidays to do some more in person testing. Over the Air updates were confirmed on the prototype machine with a production circuit board.
We continued testing out some intra-shot temperature stability improvements which worked well. We’ll need to complete the tuning process on a final production machine and are happy with where things are currently at.
Hardware for auto refill is in hand. We need to assemble on the machine and do final physical testing.
Sincerely,
Ross Ainsworth