MakerSlide Brasil

[thiagokunz]

Hi People,

I'm new to the group. I'm a enthusiast of maker movement and I recently discovered the Shapeoko and with it, the Maker Slide. It's so difficult to buy it here, because the shipping costs and the tax for importing things to Brazil is so high, that I came with the following idea: what if I make the extrusion here in Brazil? What would be the costs and etc?

Well, that's why I'm here. First, I want to know if I can use it to this purpose. I have the permission to do that? If the answer is yes, I have another set of questions (I'm sorry if I'm asking too much):

1 - What are your personal thought about the maker slide? Is it that good? What are the common problems of making cnc machines with it?
2 - Getting more technical, what kind of aluminum aloy it is made of? Is there any kind of finishing applied to it?
3 - Any extruder can make it or it's difficult to make with the proper quality?
4 - I'm thinking about funding it's production trough a Brazilian crowd funding website. Any advises about this? Do you know how the funding in kickstarted went? (I know it was successful, but how successful? Could it be better?).

Thank you for your time. And I'm sorry if I wrote something wrong.

Thiago Kunz.

[cvoinescu]

You have permission to do that, because it's open source. However, the unwritten rules of open source hardware say you should pay the creator a royalty anyway. Talk to Bart, his terms are reasonable.

1. MakerSlide is good, cheap, versatile, and easy to use. V-slot may be more versatile, but with MakerSlide you can build more rigid machines at the same cost and weight.
2. MakerSlide should be made of 6105, 6005, or 6005A alloy (temper T5 or possibly T6). It is "clear-coat" anodized, that is, it has a very thin layer of oxide that gives it some corrosion resistance, makes it look nicer, and helps the plastic wheels roll more smoothly, but does not protect it enough to run steel V-wheels on it.
3. There are some potential problems. The hole in the core with three webs is difficult -- unless the die maker and the extruder know what they're doing, it's hard to get it centered properly. MakerSlide needs to be handled with extra care to avoid even the smallest dings to the Vs. Not all factories can do this.
4. Read Bart's blog, the old Kickstarter, etc. When Harry Raley did it in the UK, he raised funds through Ulule -- read that too.

[thiagokunz]

Thanks for your reply, cvoinescu.

I've already sent an email to Bart, but he didn't answered it until now. Probably I got the wrong email address.