sebastien Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 --- Sorry for the english mistakes. French trooper on board --- Hi All, Sorry for my newbie question. I just received my ATA helmet and it looks-like great , i really would like to start the build ASAP. For the armor kit, there is a 10 month waiting list ! so i will have to wait until the end of the year to be a complete stormtrooper I was wondering why the waiting list is so long. I believed it was because it's not a full-time job or that it's a way to maintain some "exclusivity" on the product... So i asked the guy behind the ATA email why he does not produce more kit as it can be a good way for him to earn more money. He told me it's a full-time job and he receive more orders than what he can produce. I must admit i was shocked ! I realized i don't really understand what is the amount of work needed to build a kit. I don't want to bother the people at ATA that's why i'm asking more questions here. In my naïve mind, the armor kits are made out of a big ABS sheet. There is a metal mold and a big press. The ABS sheet is heated and the press apply the sheet on the mold. It seems like a 5 minutes process. I realized it's not so obvious. Does anybody know how the kits are made ? Or even better has some pictures of the "machines" used to create the kits ? Thank you for all the information you can provide to educate me on this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 Hi just look for Vac Forming Armor on Youtube there are plenty of examples there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locitus[Admin] Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 He also needs to rough cut all the parts out of the large sheets, cast the mic tips in resin, add and/or make other various bits and bobs and then package everything and handle the shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastien Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Got it : Ok, that's not what i imagined. Very interesting to know how it works. Thank you for your replies Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone[501st] Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 And not every part necessarily turns out usable. You have also take into account the sheer number of parts that make up a whole set of armor. Now think about how many parts fit on a plastic plane of say 60 x 80 cm and you know how many sheetes need to be cut, heated, vacuformed, released and trimmed. I think it is very time consuming ... And now thar episode 7 is nearing, the demand rises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walt[501st] Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 It take about 2 hours to pull a full set..that is just the easy part..not a lot of videos on the rest of the process..but It takes about 30 sheets of plastic( this depends on your vacuumformer) and on 1 sheet you have 3 shins Now when you get them you see a bit of a ruff edge that edge was on the mold...locked on the mold. You have to fight each peice off each mold ...that is 38 fights Now each part you look at for any problems. then toss it in the box then you have the extra scrap plastic that has to be cut up in to small little peices ....i can tell you my rt forearm is bigger then my left...lol. After all is formed cut and then you lay it out look for anything missing and pack it nicely....at your little things....mic tips brow trim hardwear and what nots...then take the trash plastic out Now i own an automotive repair smop and i have worked in this field for more years then i care to count but what that has tought me is work effectively..find the fastest way of doing something and i save time ...but from flat sheets of plastic to a full set of armor in a box it take about 3 full days....not 3 days after work..3 full working days. And rember this people..we the formers still play with every peice that comes off our formers...it is the same love you feel when you take the face plate out of the box and fit it to your face Aslo..you do have down sides..the burns,cuts,and heat...it does get hot in that oven and i drink a gallon of water each time i an pulling Also the hot abs dries you skin out...i can go on and on... but there ya go 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusken RTT Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Good info Walt! Thanks for the vid Sebstien- interesting stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolo[TK] Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 It's not made when a mommy kit and a daddy kit....never mind, lack of sleep lol Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastien Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 It's not made when a mommy kit and a daddy kit....never mind, lack of sleep lol like it not 3 days after work..3 full working days. Wow... ok i did not realize it was so much work... Thank you very much for your post with the full details. Very helpful to understand what's "behind the scene". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walt[501st] Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 AND....i forgot....before any of that happens . .some plastic wholesalers don't cut the 4x9 foot sheets to 2x3 so it fits your former...now just imagine cutting....the base minimum bulk order of...2500 lbs of abs lol....have you ever seen 2500 lbs of plastic or even moved it from the front yard down the stairs to your work shop...ugh the work out it a leg buster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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