From: Bathsheba Grossman (sheba@bathsheba.com)
Date: Wed Dec 17 2003 - 00:05:47 EET
On Tue, 16 Dec 2003, Marshall Burns wrote:
> An associate is interested in manufacturing computers cases in
> one-off quantities for special customers. I'd like to ask if anyone has
> any thoughts or suggestions to share on the subject.
>
> -- What technique would you use for such a project? Sheet metal?
> Vacuum forming on an RP master? Something else?
> -- What would you expect the cost per case to be, assuming a
> normal desktop size?
> -- How crazy is this idea?
Hmm. If I were getting a custom computer case, I think I'd like
Shaker-style dovetailed rosewood, with inlaid multicolor LEDs in
beautiful patterns to indicate processor, hard-drive, CD and network
activity.
But seriously, I don't think it's a completely crazy idea on the face
of it. I bet there are sites that sell custom cases already. There's
certainly a thriving hobbyist subculture of people who make them for
themselves. My immediate thought, however, is that the people who'd
pay a lot of money for such a thing would want premium materials:
stone, glass, wood, solid metal, semiprecious inlays.
After all, I already have a plastic case that's as exciting as HP
could make it. I'd only be interested in another plastic case if it
had truly incredible design _and_ it wasn't very expensive.
If I were shelling out for a really nice case, it's like a piece of
fine furniture: a few grand seems not unreasonable. But the big
question is, can you guarantee that my computer ten years from now
will fit in this case?
-Sheba
-- Bathsheba Grossman phone (831)429-8224, fax (831)460-1242 Sculpting geometry bathsheba.com Solidscape prototyping protoshape.com Protein crystals crystalprotein.com
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