Hi, nostr:nprofile1qythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgu3wvfskuep0qyg8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnddakj7qgwwaehxw309ahx7uewd3hkctcqyq93rrjq6meal2a30us6jjnywuqlzsxckp36n6z0umjgxezwmsyukd6t6fq , Happy Easter Sunday, and Thanks for asking.😁🫂😇

I hope you don't mind, but you may be in for a bit of a story...😜😆 A decade ago, I was developing what has become our flagship product; the SILVERengines *proton*.

https://SILVERengines.com

My original design concept was to machine some HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene) plastic in two pieces that could be screwed together with half a dozen machine screws and nuts. I made a prototype, and showed it to a couple of machine shops, asking for bids.

Well, the best bid I got was $15 per unit in a minimum quantity of 1,000 pieces, and I would have to supply the HDPE. That was out of the question for a tiny, self-funded agorist startup! But it also told me that I had some capital to allocate for production machinery, and at that point, I began researching 3D printers. This turned out to be revolutionary for my thinking; I started thinking like an FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D printer instead of an industrial milling machine, and that greatly improved the design of our product.

https://silverengines.com/specs/

The case is smaller, uses only two machine screw/nut pairs, is much more refined, and costs us a fraction of the $15 plus material original quote.

After much research, I chose the MakerGear M2 printer because of its industrial grade, rock-solid design and structure.

https://makergear.com/products/m2

It cost me about $3,000 delivered--20% of the original quote for parts alone--and it served me very well. As sales expanded, bought a second M2 to have some redundancy and to increase production.

MakerGear's story is a real "American Dream" story:

https://makergear.com/blogs/stories/makergears-founders-story

The printer we now have is an M3-ID, which is as solid as the original M2s but has a number of features (bed leveling, coated heated platform) that make it even better.

https://makergear.com/products/m3-id

MakerGear was fairly early in the 3D printer game, and their products are outstanding, but not cheap. Their story has currently taken a sad turn as a result of the ongoing destruction of the American nation-state:

https://makergear.com/pages/the-future-of-makergear

Well, if you're still reading, Pam, Thank You.🥰 I really appreciate your interest.🫂💜