[Elecraft] K2 100 Tuner question

[Don Wilhelm]

"after initial design", and "one off run" is key here.

When you are a doing it as a hobby, you may not count the cost of that 
design element.  For a manufacturer, it means a lot more that getting a 
part in-hand.  Engineering prototypes are one thing, getting a product 
out for production sales is entirely a different matter.

If you are a manufacturer, there is a big difference.  You have to count 
the cost of Engineering Change Orders, vendor negotiations, re-designs 
to meet the requirements of the particular vendor you are dealing with, 
and finally creating a Bill of Materials and stocking and inventorying 
the product, and creating sales data (even if it is a re-vamped product).
In other words, all the relevant pieces of your organization have to 
have the information needed to work in lockstep with each other.
And most of that effort is in-house and takes up much of the staff 
resources.

A one or 2 person shop can do it more quickly and easily, but in a 
manufacturing evironment, all the "T"s must be crossed and the "i"s 
dotted if you are going to succeed with a product that is only a small 
piece of your product line.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 12/23/2018 11:19 AM, W2xj wrote:
> Times have changed. 3D printing permits one off runs with little effort after the initial design.
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>> On Dec 23, 2018, at 8:00 AM, Edward R Cole <kl7uw at acsalaska.net> wrote:
>>
>> Have to agree, in principle, with Don.
>>
>> Many of you may never had done a small volume production.  I have.
>> I cannot afford to purchase CNC tooling, metal brakes, etc. for a project of twelve copies.  Vendors are all out of state with added shipping costs.
>>