Some more news on the Model T. More issues with finalizing QC and assembly. Looks like there will be a slight further delay in delivering their razor to backers and the masses.
posted by Rockwell RazorsNov 6, 2017 • 8:59PM
10 hours ago
October Update - Assembly & Pictures of Production Finishes
Dear Backers,
It’s been an extremely busy month since our last update, full of developments that we’re pleased to share.
Domestic Assembly
As you know from prior updates, we have had full parts for some time but getting the parts assembled and validating that the design is robust and passes our QC tests in mass production has been our final bottleneck. I want to start with delving into the most significant product decision that’s been drawn since our last update: The Rockwell Model T razors that backers will receive are being assembled in Canada. More precisely, they’re being assembled in Canada, at our facilities, overseen by our Canadian engineering firm as well as the Rockwell Razors team.
The rationale for this decision is simple - the final bottleneck on getting all these products out the door and into our backers’ hands are the assembly and quality control steps. As you’ll recall, we’d made the original decision to have the Model T razors assembled at a professional assembly factory, but over the iterative process of dozens of test assemblies, with samples being shipped back and forth across the ocean for cross-examination throughout careful mass production, we realized that the final assembly steps are so critical to the quality of the razor that we need to have full control of this process in-house.
By consulting with the assembly factory, our own engineers, and assembly specialists, we’ve now put the assembly directly in the hands of a team that produced the Model T design and DFM files themselves, with ultimate quality control being executed by the Rockwell team. This is the strategy we employed to produce, assemble, and quality check the extremely popular Rockwell 6S, and we’re confident that it is the best choice for the Model T as well. This will ensure that Model T razors are assembled the way they were meant to be, consistently, and with stringent quality control checks.
All of the above pictures show a production White Chrome Model T razor being assembled, but we know many backers have been looking forward to seeing the production versions of other finishes - here they are!
This is a Brushed Chrome Model T in a Stainless Steel Stand, to show the slight difference between the appearance of the two similar-looking finishes / materials
The extremely-popular Gunmetal Model T!
Final Part Adjustments
In the process of testing the domestic assembly we also found two parts that individually were within tolerance but were still difficult to assemble while keeping overall tolerances (which directly affect blade gaps). This lead to a minor design change for these two internal parts that addresses the assembly issue and greatly improves overall tolerance when the razor is assembled. Given how important tolerance to specification is for a precision razor we have ordered changes to the molds for these two parts and will assemble all the razors with the two revised parts.
What Does This Mean For Backers?
While we’re behind schedule on when we hoped to ship out the first batch of Model T razors, we’re confident that this new assembly process and final part adjustments will get as many high-quality razors as possible in the hands of backers as soon as possible. We’re now hoping to receive the two adjusted parts and assemble a QC passed first batch by the end of the month, with the remaining razors soon to follow. Once assembly here is fully up-to-speed, we’ll be able to provide a better timeline for you all - we expect that timeline will be coming in the next update!
Again, we understand that these delays can be frustrating but thank you for your support and patience. This is not our first razor and the lessons we learned with the Rockwell 6S, 6C and 2C is that we need to do the hard work to get it right upfront and cannot compromise to send out an inferior product. You, our backers deserve excellence, and that’s our commitment to you.
Thank you for all your ongoing support while we do everything to make the Rockwell Model T the best razor in the world. We can’t wait for you all to receive your pledge rewards and be the first people in the world to try it! We’re confident you’ll be very proud of having been a part of the creation process of the Model T. Thank you again!
Gareth
Co-Founder, Rockwell Razors