Out of mass production ; Finish, Quality and …
20210129
I came back from my part-time job, ate rice, took a bath and opened my PC. And I’m trying to write today’s events on tumblr. The second day of the blogging attempt that started yesterday. Great self. It’s still the second day, but it’s great enough. I wrote yesterday as every day if possible, but for the time being I write every day for a month with the aim of becoming a habit. I’ll write!
Well, today’s part-time job was a Fab lab. Painting was my main job today, as I will take another opportunity to explain Fab labs. It seems that the parts processed by the laser cutter yesterday will be finished in white and sent to the customer. The material is 9mm of China veneer, and the requested item is probably 3D characters and illustrations to be installed outdoors (I thought it was better to check it properly). When wood is processed with a laser, the cross section becomes charred and blackened, so the difficult part this time was how to cover it and finish painting. Even if it’s a difficult place, there is a straightforward way to clean it. The most polite thing you can think of is to first wipe it dry to remove most of the dirt, then wipe it with water (which may not be necessary) and then file it until it is no longer black. However, it is quite difficult because there are more than 30 parts in total, and there are hollowed-out parts (for example, where R is closed). Besides, there is also a business situation where it is not possible to spend so much time because it is one of many requests. However, I never get tired of working because the Fab lab I work part-time is very good at doing business, and I still learn a lot every time as I have something to write on my blog like this.
That’s why this painting is a difficult point in terms of how to bring the black cross section to a white finish without touching it. As of yesterday, I had bought a finishing lacquer spray and already had water-based paint, so I was planning to brush the paint on the cross section and then spray the whole thing. However, when I applied lacquer on top of the water, the solvent contained in the lacquer would dissolve the underlying paint and maybe black would appear, so I went to a nearby home improvement store to find an alternative paint. The home improvement store is not a so-called chain, but it has a good selection of products, and I really like it because there are people who are very friendly with consultations on processing. The whole store is full of DIY and it’s fun just to look at it normally. This story is another opportunity.
The only drawback is that almost every clerk seems to be busy, but the store manager happened to come out. When I talked about the ideal finish, what surprised me most was the fact that it wouldn’t melt even if it was applied with lacquer if it was left on the water for about a day! “That’s right, I didn’t use it more than necessary.” However, as I wrote earlier, the fact that I don’t spend too much time and effort is the petit belief of Fab Labs (and I think it’s selfish). It’s just a creed. It may be different.) So, after all, I chose the option of painting or soaking with the spray I bought for finishing as a base, and returned without buying anything. Then I went home and tried the method of pickling and gave up immediately. I wondered if there was such a method, but the parameters such as the soaking time and the viscosity of the paint, which are usually okay without having to worry so much, were insanely important, and advanced skills were required. So, after all, as advised by the manager, I applied a water-based base and left it for more than a day before changing to a spray.
Today, I bought it and tested it, so the actual painting took about 4 hours, and for the time being, I finished painting all the parts once. That’s all for today’s event, but I’ll write a little about what I thought about painting. It seems that the original request was a black finish, and it seems that I didn’t have to worry about the cross-section cover so much, but it was changed to white on the way, and the price seems to be the same. However, painting takes an overwhelming amount of time compared to the time it takes to make a molding for positioning by slightly modifying the data received from the client for laser machining. This method is probably 2 to 3 times. Well, on the other hand, I also thought that this was an opportunity. Not limited to Fab labs, when a company or somewhere creates a signboard or novelty, it usually asks a specialized painter, and it costs a reasonable fee. Instead, I think the finish is wonderful with the accumulated know-how and skills. However, I wonder what will happen from now on. I’m not saying that mass production will disappear, but the scale will shrink steadily, and in addition, personal manufacturing will be democratized steadily. It’s already started, perhaps when 3D printers came out around the 2000s, and it’s in line with digitization. However, no matter how much digitalization progresses, physical adjustment is absolutely necessary.For example, a laser cutter is the equipment most often used in Fab labs, but data is digital, but what can be done is a thing after all, so there are thickness and texture. The processing method changes depending on the material, which is also an interesting point. However, whether it is a 3D printer or a laser cutter, there are still few people who use it to create a product level, and it is a prototype or a personal accessory made as a hobby. Therefore, painting is often skipped, which is one of the original final processes of manufacturing. But of course, I don’t ask a professional contractor. It’s not that it’s no good not to paint, and in the manufacturing area using digital equipment, the problem is that there is little digital intervention due to the accumulation of painting know-how, or as I wrote earlier, it is an opportunity at the same time. I think that. What does the opportunity mean? For example, a painter should be using classic processing equipment, which is different from the equipment currently used by individuals and Fab labs, although there are some parts to imagine. One know-how is the know-how of painting when processing with such equipment. For example, when processing with a laser cutter, the cross section becomes black, so how to efficiently make it in a good painting state without spending time and effort. I don’t think there is any know-how. However, as I wrote earlier, it is extremely rare to even paint in the digital manufacturing area. Even if it is done, it is for personal use, so know-how is not accumulated and each person searches on the net and consumes it as ad hoc information.
However, regardless of how manufacturing is done, I think it’s really important to finish it. The reason why digital manufacturing does not paint is that it is for personal use, and I think that there are people who value the innocence of the material, so painting has an environmental load as a raw material. When you think about it, it’s not always good. However, once I get used to the state where “quality” has declined, it becomes normal, and I think it is necessary to be fully aware of the context of classic product design. Of course, you can’t ignore environmental issues.
The story has become distracting, but in short, there may be a surprising demand for paints that specialize in individual-level manufacturing, such as Fab labs. Speaking of demand, I found a business opportunity! However, I personally like painting in the manufacturing process, and that’s why I have a personal hope that it may be featured more in personal manufacturing.
As a concrete task, I have to do more and more research to keep going, and I’ll end here today, which is already quite a lot. It’s difficult to finish. If you start writing without deciding what to write, it will take a lot of work, but I think there are many typographical errors, syntax mistakes, and confusion in composition. However, I will write the diary (#diary in the tag) without being particular about that area. Let’s write a sentence that is organized with thoughts and ideas like a big essay (#essay?).
That’s it for today. It’s the last 7-Eleven from midnight today, so I’ll take a break before I go. Then.
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I wrote this post in 3000 characters at a stretch and it took about 2 hours without rereading it (while watching Youtube). Yesterday was 2000 characters and I didn’t measure the time. I feel that it will be useful later to recognize the amount and time of writing as my own habits.
