Billet Helmet

[MendoDave]

Think of all the new handlebars you could make with that.

[numbskull]

Very cool!

[Tekneek]

Thats downright cheap, sign me up for one please
 

Haha...I was just kidding about him putting out a few batches. I just had to get everybody's panties moist. I DID run the link by him though and he seemed fairly unimpressed with the technology involved. In his line of work, I'm sure he routinely sees more elaborate machining taking place on a daily basis out of much more exotic materials. I still think that helmet is probably the coolest chunk of metal I'll see in 2010. Very nice!

[mitt]

To the OP - very cool video.  Maho stuff is not cheap.

mitt

[powerhammer]

Was he serious?  And if so, how?

Material would cost more than that alone.

Machine time would cost more than that alone.

I'll take a case of 10.

Titanium is expensive but not that much more expensive than naval bronze.   I just got a quote for 1 inch round by 5 feet long of grade 2 titanium for 225$.  The helmet in that video can't be full size based on the size of the turrets and bits in the video.

Regardless, it's a sweet demo of what you can do on a 5 axis machine.

[mitt]

 The helmet in that video can't be full size based on the size of the turrets and bits in the video.

It takes a pretty big block of aluminum to weight 240 pounds (120kg).  I bet it is pretty close to full size.

mitt

[mitt]

It takes a pretty big block of aluminum to weight 240 pounds (120kg).  I bet it is pretty close to full size.

mitt

quick math break - 120kg = about 14" each side if it is a perfect cube = close if not full size.

mitt

[Q777]

I've often wondered why things like rearsets are still so expensive when someone with access to the machinery could produce them so quickly and easily once they've set up the program on a more basic CNC machine.

I built a car a few years back and had heaps of help from a friend who had access to an almost infinite supply of off-cut and discarded material that suited my needs perfectly.  He had the lathes and CNC machines to turn the junk bits of billet bar stock into works of art.  We joked that we should maybe CNC engrave the logo of the government department that he worked for onto some of the parts, in acknowledgement of what they had allowed us to create!

[Monsterlover]

Rearsets cost a lot because people line up to pay a lot.

[Popeye the Sailor]

I've often wondered why things like rearsets are still so expensive when someone with access to the machinery could produce them so quickly and easily once they've set up the program on a more basic CNC machine.

Say you had a set up to build 'em.

Would you charge a handy inexpensive price for a small profit or as much as the market would bear?