ponders

I’m thinking you might try lost wax casting.

I won’t put a long-winded description here, but all you need is a wax model of what you want to cast, and a low melting point alloy. If you were able to make your device out of plastic sheet, there’s really no reason to assume that you couldn’t make it out of wax. That also opens up all sorts of options for sculpting a “pretty” surface, since you can work wax with a hobby knife, and having a candle nearby to warm up your tools allows you to smooth the wax to a near mirror finish. I inadvertently left a fingerprint in a wax model I made for a friend’s signet that he commissioned for wax-sealing envelopes. When I cast the finished product and knocked the plaster off, i was surprised to see my fingerprint outlined in white plaster on the otherwise perfect silver surface!

So, even if your finished product should be plastic, a metal model might not be a bad idea if it looks/functions better. PM me if you’re interested in casting methods.

You might also check out Smooth On products for making rubber molds of your existing device. You wind up using a similar process to investment casting, but the rubber mold gets peeled off the part. Make your mold, pour in a two-part resin, wait until it cures, and peel the mold off revealing a finished plastic part, ready for final trim, polish, and installation.

Did a few of those for role playing game figurines a few years back, worked out pretty well with even polyester resin, normally intended for fiberglass work. Epoxy even works reasonably well for small stuff, but if you get the mix wrong it can wind up a bit tacky on the surface. Much better with a heat cure.

Good luck on the submissions and the prototyping!

Thanks penster, you’ve been kind of like my personel trainer here lol

Peter;

I think sky mall audience is huge. Inovation fund is EN taking it to market. Both very viable options. You can, as many do have the same item in multiple searches. Some people tweak an R4 and opt it in something else and end up with a G7. You can opt out before G7 in case something comes your way.

The more exposure, the larger the net. If you are going to be submitting much, you should check out the insider option. One submission to innovation is $100 but insider is only $35…….and you accumulate points for free submissions.

Hi Penster, would it not be good to submit to skymall live product search now, and also have the option to submit to the inovation search?

Good Luck in your submission for pet products, I also have a pet product submitted with a 3D drawing. My advise would be to keep going, the pet industry is huge and still growing in a tough economy. No niche about it. :))

Your welcome..Sky Mall has a monster & captive audience. They will be opening the innovation searches soon and it might fit there. I think we have had pet companies before, petsmart or co. There is always new searches so you both will eventually find a home for the pet products.

Bob…..great idea!

Good luck to you both!!

Thanks Bob, great idea!

Hi Penster,

Thanks for the link, you’ve helped me target the live product search submission. I’ve done my research on the pet product industry, I just wasn’t sure if I could fit this particular prduct in with the available searches, but I think I may have found my answer : )

BTW, I just submitted my first idea, but not the pet product.

Just to add a little to penster’s post; by all means say it’s a rough prototype, and then show a picture of your neat CAD version saying “a real design could look like this”.

Just a thought….in the video state that it is a “rough” prototype to prove function etc. the team will understand that.

The fully functional yet, ugly.(for now)……is a good intro for video…entertaining

Good luck to you both.

P.S. Pets are huge market….dogs then cats etc.
Check this out:

http://blog.edisonnation.com/2011/12/02/q-a-wit...

Hi Bill. So speaking of pet products, this brings up my other concern. Are pet products niche markets? There are tens of millions of pet owners, and those pet owners can be subdivided into categories such as dog owners, cat owners, bird owners, fish owners and others. If a product appeals to only one segment of those pet owners is it a niche market even if any one of those segments still represents tens of millions of people?

Best of luck to you too!

Good question Peter! I was wondering the sae thing. And funny thing, mine is a pet product idea too :-) Best of luck to you!

Thanks Chris. I’ll be submitting this particular idea soon.

just my opinion, but if the prototype functions the way you want it to, then it can only help. Any time you can prove your idea through a visual demonstration you are enhancing your chances greatly. EN and the other companies will worry about making it prettier later on in the process.