In the quest to not have too much inventory on hand at any one time, NoBox places small orders from our fabricator at regular intervals. Computer-controlled lasers cut the parts that make up our HomePod stands, but they are welded and assembled by hand, and some batches come to us with imperfections.
Off-the-shelf caused us to be off-center
In our latest batch of posts, the threaded inserts that allow for the assembly of the base and perch to the post became misaligned when they were inserted into the posts. This resulted in the assembled posts not being vertical. We initially hypothesized that these inserts were designed for thinner wall tubes and that our thicker post was asymmetrically crushing them during insertion.
Current threaded insert
Our initial solve was asking the fabricator to go back to using an insert that worked for us in the past. However, that didn’t pan out because while the insert was vertically aligned, it could not be centered in the tube. The result was below our standard for design. We don’t know why this insert won’t self-center, but now we believe they require insertion tools our fabricator doesn’t have. Manual insertion results in a lack of uniformity.
Older threaded insert
We engineered a custom solution
Once again, our NoBox Dad comes up with a custom solution. We redesigned the inserts, which will now be welded in. This takes more effort and involves a custom part rather than an off-the-shelf threaded insert, but it is a more repeatable process.
Future threaded insert
When will the new batch be available?
The latest information from the manufacturer is that they welded up the new solution for the threaded inserts and have 2 samples going in through the paint to be powder coated black as of May 31. They'll test them by assembling the posts with the base and holders with 1/4-20 screws and send us images. If the new insert works, we should have new posts in a few days because they have frequent runs of white and and black paint on their schedule.
We will keep you updated via blog posts as we learn more.