I am the designer of the ExoGuitar system. I would Love to use Maker’s Supply instead of having to maintain a list of Amazon links, but Maker’s Supply is missing too many of the parts.
For example, Maker Supply has M3x4x5 Heat Set Inserts but not M3x5x4 Heat Set Inserts. Maker’s Supply does not have 2020 Aluminum Extrusion. Maker’s Supply does not have a full suite of all different sizes of M3, M4, and M5 screws, especially in the longer sizes.
The BOM for my project is very complicated, and very expensive. To get the materials to build a single guitar which should cost about $120; the user has to buy more than they need to the tune of $451. This is a barrier to entry that I feel is preventing me from getting more builds of my project made. Really what it needs is a Kit. I’m in talks with West3D about getting one made by them, but it’s been taking a while so I’ve also listed a DIY Kit on my Etsy. Is there a way I can talk to someone at Maker Supply about getting a Kit put together? Or can Kits only be composed of current Maker Supply parts?
The link below is the main channel on which you can request more parts for Bambu to consider adding into the Maker Supply catalog:
Maker’s Supply Feedback - Airtable
Perhaps you can make your case stronger if you give them an idea of the volume or number of users who have already printed your model (or plan to print, if you have the data. I assume you also have your model posted on other sites aside from just Makerworld.) to help them gauge the volume and help them find suppliers they can source the parts from.
Personally, I would build your guitar if I can source out everything from Maker Supply as I can use my points rather than buy hardware using my own money for potentially even higher prices.
2 Likes
Was the other heatsert impossible to implement? And the longer screws, do they hold multiple parts together or can they be countersunk more to get away with shorter screws?
Part of the maker supply advantage is that you can get all your parts for your project in one place world wide. But the other advantage is that you can do a lot of projects with a limited amount of hardware.
If you have the m3 heatserts you can trust that any maker supply model uses the same ones, not just a different size. Having almost everything from maker supply and just ordering for instance the 2020 externally would be a big step forward in terms of compatibility.
I would love them to have zip ties for my lasercut models for example. But I think expanding the catalog too much might be it’s own downfall. I always look up which size parts are available before I start designing (springs for my dice tower, magnets for my roll up chess) and sometimes I can’t get away with it but those models are less attractive to users.
Oh, and I never use heatserts, I’d rather have an m4 or 5 bolt screwed in directly than an m3 in the same place, never had issues with it and it works like a lock nut.
Thanks for that link! I submitted the 2020 extrusion there.
ExoGuitar has been MakerWorld exclusive from day one, as I’ve always gotten way better traffic here than on other sites like Thangs or Printables. I do know that I’ve driven about $3k in sales on Amazon related to ExoGuitar so far; and that’s just the people who chose to buy from the links in my BOM, there may have been others who sourced from other places.
I chose M3x5x4 as it’s the Voron Standard heat set insert size and is more likely to be already in the toolbox of a 3D Printer enthusiast. I guess I could swap most of them out as this is a Makerworld exclusive; but there are 6 I probably couldn’t due to the tolerances where they are located. I use these for screws that are functional and do more than hold parts together, and also for screws that need to be adjusted frequently; for example they are part of the printed tuners on the classical head; they also hold the adjustable bridge positions in place.