Fri Apr 13 '18 Announcement
almost 8 years ago
– Fri, Apr 13, 2018 at 04:12:19 AM
Dear backers,
We have got a lot of interesting news to share with you all! Let’s start with what has been going on these past weeks.
Where we are
Before diving into the details we wanted to let you know where we are. We just received the latest mold adjustments. We are running tests and it is looking great so far. Therefore we have news to share that all of you will be very happy to hear: we will start production at the end of this month and start shipping the first orders in May!
Molds molds molds
During the last updates, we already talked quite a bit about the ultrasonic welding process. Because the final changes to the internals mold are currently done, we want to guide you through what this all means.
A couple of terms we have come to dream about are T0, T1, T2, and steel-save. Let’s dig into what they mean and how they link to our progress:
T0/T1/T2: These are names used for the different injections after the molds are originally made. T0 is the very first injection, often with issues that need to be addressed. It is very hard to exactly predict the flow and cooling behavior of an injection mold. T1 means the batch after correcting for unforeseen effects of this and should be according to first drawings. T2 is after making adjustments to the design.
Steel-save: when a mold is made, small tolerance changes can lead to parts not quite fitting. In order to make this right, the molds are purposely designed with too much steel on the surface. A mold with more thickness of steel on the surface has less plastic in the injected part (remember the mold makes a cavity for the plastic). The parts then will never fit by definition, but one can measure the injected parts and adjust by removing steel in a milling procedure. This way you can move in several steps to make the parts have an exact fit. Removing steel is much easier than adding, hence steel-save.
In China, we got through T0/T1 and two iterations in the design. And then they got a first class airline ticket to Europe! As these things are a bit heavy, you can imagine it is quite the ‘excess baggage’ fee for these blocks of steel.
Now in Holland, we continued the tests and adjustments to make everything perfect: starting with how it behaves with our own materials! There are many different blends of different kinds of plastic, the name plastic is a container term for so many materials. We had tested many materials and used one that was more expensive but more premium: better scratch resistance, better glow and surface finish. We also worked a lot on the soft parts, their look and feel and how it integrates with the mechanical design. Now for these new materials the molds needed to be tuned, it also included some changes for manufacturing. We started closing the steel-save surfaces to get the parts connected while optimizing the ultrasonic welding process.
We also created lab hybrids that used both injection molded parts and rapid prototyped adjustments. This to test what changes we wanted to make and how ‘aggressive’ we could make these adjustments: change fully right away, or use some steps just to be sure to keep steel-save. We also made more advanced changes to the internals design while we were at it. In total in Holland, we have made about 4 iterations on the design.
And it’s working well!
Last week, with mimicking the last adjustments of the injection molds and using the new ultrasonic welding mold, we got the first fully working sets of Knops. Hurray! Note that this is a hybrid using the production parts with some minor rapid prototyped adjustments (remember the mold just came back in). During all our tests we also tuned and optimized switching between the different volume levels. This now goes so smooth and easy that this is a true delight. You can really hear the difference in the volume levels. In the coming weeks, we will finish inspecting the outcome of the final mold changes and finalize bringing it all together.
Quality in quantity
We have also looked in depth at how to make sure that each set of Knops will be according to the highest quality standards. We have worked a lot on quality control:
Ran batch tests on the injection molded parts and ultrasonic welding to get a grip on tolerance effects.
Created an extra acoustics tester to be able to test each set of Knops in line.
Wrote extensive procedures on how to handle all the parts of Knops and made instructions for the assemblers.
Created an automated swapping + alignment device for the ultrasonics.
Started the setup of the workshop for the assembly line.
This way we think every set of Knops will shine just as bright and function just as perfectly as their brothers and sisters will!
Movies in the making
We went with a movie director for our Knops: besides the instruction booklet, we have filmed cool instruction and situation videos last Monday. This to help everyone how to insert, use and clean your set Knops. We used this cool location in the Adam Tower, where our office is also situated, to film these videos. We are already editing and the results look awesome!
Getting ready for the launch!
As mentioned in the previous post we are on track with all the parts sourcing, most of the needed materials, packaging and so on are in now.
We are working around the clock to set up the assembly part of the production process and we are optimizing processes to get ready for production. Thank you all for your patience and commitment, we are very happy to start shipping and will do our best to deliver your pair of Knops as swift as possible.
Much love,
Team Knops.
Fri Mar 16 '18 Announcement
about 8 years ago
– Fri, Mar 16, 2018 at 09:51:20 AM
Dear backers,
Another update from the Knops-team. We are very busy gathering all the necessary parts for mass production. Getting all the components here in large quantities is quite a supply chain effort. So we wanted to show you all what we are stocking up on for the production and assembly of Knops.
We are not talking about one or two protos anymore. At this moment we are working with tens of thousands of parts coming in! For example, at this moment the following is en route or received:
Let’s see some examples on how this exactly looks:
Metal rings
As you already know by now, Knops work like a volume button. Our ring maker did an amazing job with producing a high-quality ring which you can use to switch between the different filter settings. They already produced 4.000 of the 15000 rings ánd made high-end boxes to transport the rings to our production partner, nice and smooth!
One of Mass produced ring boxes
Carrying cases
With a premium product like Knops, it’s a calming thought that you’re able to keep your Knops safe in a case when you aren’t using them. Each order will come with a case and that is why we’ve ordered 30.000 cases. It is always hard to imagine large numbers: here is an example of one box filled with 1000 cases. Now imagine the entire stock! :)
Cases
Packaging
For the packaging we went through multiple iterations (such as different sizes and shapes) which eventually lead to this stunning end result! As the boxes are en route, we wanted to show you the different versions of the packaging in the images below. We’ve ordered 8.000 pieces so far.
Looking in more detail
We are currently heading up towards your unboxing experience!
As the boxes are en route, we wanted to show you the iterations in the packaging design. We went through multiple shapes and sizes:
Several iterations of the outer packaging, latest up front
That is the outside, now once you open this shell, we have also worked at multiple internal layouts. Here is the result. We hope you like it :)
Inside the box
Much love,
Team Knops.
Wed Feb 28 '18 Announcement
about 8 years ago
– Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 01:38:01 PM
Dear backers,
Here a check-in from Knops’ dear tech nerd. As you all must be very curious, I wanted to give you guys a more detailed overview of just what has been going on in these past weeks. Knops has many intricate details that you perhaps wouldn’t even notice. I wanna take you into a flight of what it is to tune a premium product like ours.
But first we want to present a nice gift for our backers:
Slowww foam
As you all now, Knops comes with one pair of removable silicone end tips that ensure proper fit end closure of the ear canal from the environment. This pair of end tips has a universal fit and we did a lot of testing on the material feel and softness. However, to make the Knops even more tailored for you, we have tested additional end tips in memory foam. Note this is an extra we want to give you on top of our original ribbed tips.
After checking many suppliers, we narrowed down one that has a very nice heat activated memory foam with a good long timescale rebound response. We have run this by our testers and they are very positive about the fit, it shapes into your ear canal. We looked into different lengths, shapes and thicknesses as well to ergonomically match the rest of the Knops. We are happy to announce that the final model foam tips are from one of the highest quality brand there is on the market: Comply foam! We would like to engage you, tell us which combination of tips is best to your liking, we are very curious about your input. This will also be a great way for you to confirm all the efforts we have put into ergonomics testing over the past months.
Back to the making
We haven’t been hands off at all with our manufacturing, we believe that every detail counts. So besides engaging with experts in every manufacturing step, we also intimately connected with them so all the parts come together in the right, premium way. I learned a lot supervising high-tech machinery, the devil is in the details and how it comes together, every part counts.
The Knops has a fairly small housing that contains a lot of parts, think of it as a tuned Swiss watch. The field of acoustics is very nuanced, a pressure wave can be minute and still be picked up by the human ear. The internals of the Knops needed to be tuned just right to get the effect we need.
The molds came back with a lot of detail and precision in them, down to 0.2mm features. However, as we want to make it a premium product, we have decided to further tune to the level of 0.01 mm features, this is thinner than a piece of paper! Some features are barely noticeable with the naked eye. We have been staring through looking glasses.
Blast from the past:)
Let’s first look a bit into the near past: As you might have known from previous updates, the molds for the plastic parts were made in China under supervision from ourselves, the production company and an instrument specialist. These are very heavy and expensive hardened steel stamps that contain many different features. Think of them as like blueprints for the dollar bills.
After the molds were initially constructed, so-called first samples were shipped to the Netherlands where we tested and inspected them, and send back our feedback on what needed to change. This went back and forth a number of times to get every little detail right.
When arrived at the production company in Amsterdam, we immediately tested the molds on the machine and already find out some optimization needed. After the molds open, the plastic parts need to drop down out, but instead, it stuck to the mold. So adjustments needed to be made.
Also, we noticed that one of the last changes we gave, was manufactured incorrectly. Instead of removing 0.1mm of the mold (effectively adding 0.1mm to the plastic) at a specific spot, it happened to be 0.3mm. This way, two parts did not fit, so in order to solve this, steel needed to be added to the hardened molds, and then machined down again. A time-consuming process, but necessary.
Our little whohos!
We have commenced our testing equipment for production and are using it to fine-tune the production process. At this moment we are happy to report that we have successfully fully sealed the housing. This was a key step in the marriage of the machine, think of it when an engine is placed in a car in the assembly line.
Also, the rotation mechanism is optimized for the right snap and resistance, by changing small settings and material additives.
Making it tough but beautiful
In the middle of the process we decided to go for an even tougher material for the outer casing, this will also minimize scratches on your knops. On the design side, Richard looked into the right amount of glow vs satin finish for all the housing colors. Speaking of colors, the material change needed a look into the color coding as well, we have tried several additives to create the right level of warmth and depth, especially in white.
The rings are beautifully machined parts detailed out well (no stamping, but really nice machining). The gold plated rings look like wedding rings! We have been going back and forth with our local supplier many times to ensure the quality standards are met and we are very happy now.
Actual Knops ring ;)
In the mean time we have gone through several iterations of the packaging, the layout, the look and feel and the opening has been tested. Every detail counts for a product like this... see part 2 for the rest :)
Wed Feb 28 '18 Announcement
about 8 years ago
– Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 01:31:45 PM
and here part 2 ;)
Welding using sound! Wha?
After we got the molds back and functioning properly we went through some fine-tune work with the ultrasonic welding and glue process. Ultrasonic welding uses a high frequency sound wave that fuses our parts together. We already had done tests with the ultrasonic welding in the past with the early samples, which helped us decide the adjustments we needed to do back then. In order to inspect everything properly, we decided to produce the plastic samples for this fine-tune process in a transparent material. This way we were able to play forensic investigators by using a contrast fluid and seeing all the internal details, much like a hospital scan. For fellow nerds, great to see capillary forces at work:).
During the welding tests, we found out that we could remove the gluing process out of the assembly line, as we could fix this by ultrasonic welding all the parts. This allows for a much more consistent product for you. We optimized the welding process, this will also allow faster production so we can deliver to every backer in the quickest time.
Ultrasonic welding at this level is a very delicate procedure, where the parts need to be aligned perfectly. The welding horns needed to be adjusted as well to best fit all the Knops parts, again by making small changes. Our expert has handed over the machine and at this moment the horns are getting the last adjustments. We have been ramping up test batches in the ultrasonic welder over the last weeks, also to see if we are going to purchase even more machines for the production line.
You all will be getting a meticulously crafted set fresh of the welding and assembly line. Each single piece will be going through our testing program to ensure that you guys get the best of the best. The choices in end tips will ensure a perfect fit.
Warm greets and cheers from your tech nerd, Arjen
Knops
Wed Feb 28 '18 Announcement
about 8 years ago
– Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 04:41:47 AM
Dear backers,
A lot of you expected a new update last week like we communicated. We are sorry we didn’t post an update. We decided not to share a new update because we couldn’t share enough details with you guys about the coming weeks yet. However, now we can!
We are very busy working on site with our production partner 24/7 to iterate as quickly as possible. This is the last phase of fine-tuning the molds for production, and everything is going really well. Last week, we made adjustments to the molds with our production partners.
This and next week we will iterate and adjust the molds further with our main production partner. There are a couple of last steps we are required to take to finalize the molds for mass production. In our next update, we will review these last steps and share the following steps with you all.
When launching our campaign in April last year we expected to be able to ship in November. We all know we didn’t manage to meet this expectation and we are very sorry for that. Please bear with us a little longer as we are optimistic at this stage.
We’ve noticed in the comments that some of you are concerned about whether or not you will receive the product. We understand this concern, some of you may have bad experiences with backing other crowdfunding projects. We can assure and promise you that we will deliver you a beautiful set of Knops very soon!
We are very happy and humbled to have you all on board on this bumpy ride. Will give you an update soon. Please hang in there with us, we truly are almost there!
Much love,
Team Knops.
