Raoul Duke
Hey, Disillusioned here, what part of the RF-1200 mount didn't fit right? I would like to know. What size helmet were you putting it on? Also, I reply to all of my direct messages on Shapeways so I am not sure why you said there is "little communication". You didn't message me. Are you saying Shapeways didn't communicate with you well? What happened?
I agree, Shapeways does have a long turn around time, but that is because they print each part fresh before sending them out to you. They don't hold any inventory. They also drop ship for me, which is why the mounts don't include 3M tape (and that is mentioned in the product description). Shapeways is not in the business of applying tape to the models they print. I am considering selling some mounts directly on Amazon, which means I will have inventory, 3M tape applied, and faster shipping.
With that said, I would not trust the mounts from HellMounts. They seem to be printing them on a desktop personal 3D printer which uses Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). This form of 3D printing should not be used in production products, only for prototypes, which is why I don't sell the ones printed off of my personal printer. The ones I sell are printed using professional Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printers.
FDM is like a hot glue gun filled with plastic, printing layer by layer, with an opportunity for air contaminants like dust to get in between each layer. It is placing a string of hot melted plastic on top of recently cooled solidified plastic, and this makes the bonds between each layer weak. It is also a very unreliable printing method. With SLS printing all these problems are solved by a very accurate laser sintering a plastic/nylon powder, not a string of plastic, directly on the previous layer. The bonds are incredibly strong.
With FDM you can visibly see the layers as lines in the part, and these lines / layers are weak points in the model. Think of them as pre-cracked areas, and if enough pressure is applied it will snap cleanly on those lines / layers. What is alarming about HellMounts is that they seem to print their mounts with the tape side down, which is the easiest way to print a GoPro mount, but it is the worst way because it means the thin plastic clip section shaped like an L that supports the weight of the camera can crack all the way across and break off very easily. I know this from my own experience, which is why I now print my prototypes with the bottom side down. However, with SLS printing used on the final product this is not an issue.
See this image below. On the left is a prototype mount printed on my personal FDM printer. You can see the lines / layers. The mount on the right is a final product printed on pro SLS printer. No lines / layers visible.
(sorry my account is new and I can't post working links / images yet)
disillusionedstudio(d0t)com/fdm_vs_sls.jpg
Also, HellMounts uses ABS plastic which is brittle, and not very flexible. My SLS printed mounts are printed with a nylon type of plastic which is very strong and slightly flexible which makes it more durable.
Anyways, I would love to just print my mounts from my 3D printer and sell them, because then I could sell them for $5. Which I did to all my riding buddies when I first started. However, they are ugly and their strength can't be trusted. Which is why I have them professionally printed now.
To each his own though.
Ride safe.
