Looking Back and Looking Forward

Happy New Year!

2015 was a great year for DioWarriors. The most notable thing is the store web site went live. And going live was a fantastic success. Really, I wish we would have gone live sooner, but there were things going on behind the scenes.

One thing we kept silent about was a huge order from a company interested in 3D Printed clocks for a trade show. This single order had us producing 1:1 scale clocks for nearly a month non-stop. This job did teach us some important aspects for producing a large quantity of items with complex parts and a complex assembly. Everything went well, though, and we met our production schedule on time.

Once that job was over we shifted focus to going live with the store. The prototypes seen in the various groups on Facebook were simply prototypes. For producing lots of items for selling our prototype designs had to be re-designed. Our production process needed adjustment too: 3D Print parts in the appropriate color of plastic -- a car tire should be printed in black plastic, for example, a missile in white plastic. Re-designing took some time so we decided to go live with the store with designs ready to go now, and just add to the store's selection as time went on. This is also the reason why we started with simple props first, slowly adding the more complex props as we go on.

Now we are at the end of 2015. What to expect from DioWarriors in 2016?

2016 promises to be an interesting year for DioWarriors. There's the Joe Con in Colorado that will be extremely important for DioWarriors to attend. So expect us there. Expect also to unveil our new Modular Diorama Construction System at the Joe Con. We hope to have all the bugs worked out and production with our Injection Molding Machine to be going full steam.

There's also new hardware scheduled for delivery in 2016. DioWarriors took part in supporting several kickstarter campaigns in 2014 and 2015. Everything looks good with them when they post status reports. Delays have been minor and if all goes well the first quarter of 2016 we should have one or two new hardware delivered: a more advanced 3D Printer than the ones we us currently and a laser cutter.

Having more 3D Printers will help us tremendously in printing more props. The more complex our designs become the longer they take to print. Having more printers means that some printers can be delegated to print the complex props while other printers work on other props. Having access to a laser cutter also opens new options for props: everything from enhanced details to different materials than simply plastic.

How will all these new things work together with the DioWarriors System? If all goes according to plan, DioWarriors will have some very interesting designs for you all to enjoy.

See you all in 2016!
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