Armadillo Designs Aluminum Hardtop

[Snacktime]

At this point they should have a jig built. Still hand fabing each roof is a giant red flag. Odds are they will go bankrupt before mass production. This also makes all the demo units not representative of final product as they are custom fitted.

I wouldn't put a deposit down.

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[TheLawnDart]

At this point they should have a jig built. Still hand fabing each roof is a giant red flag. Odds are they will go bankrupt before mass production. This also makes all the demo units not representative of final product as they are custom fitted.

I wouldn't put a deposit down.

So talking to them, they are still doing some R&D for fit and finish. Once they are able to determine exact specs and tolerances they will build jigs. There’s just no reason to build them until they have it completely finished. Whether or not you put money down is totally based on your comfort level though and how fast you want a hardtop, so I get why you might not want to put one down.

 

[BroncoBill44]

So talking to them, they are still doing some R&D for fit and finish. Once they are able to determine exact specs and tolerances they will build jigs. There’s just no reason to build them until they have it completely finished. Whether or not you put money down is totally based on your comfort level though and how fast you want a hardtop, so I get why you might not want to put one down.

What’s a jig?

 

[Mlarv]

What’s a jig?

It is a mold or model that is made to do a specific job over and over again. Think of a gutter on your house. If you had to form it by hand every time it would take forever. So they have a jig in the form of the gutter and run the material through it to make it the same every time.

 

[USSCajun]

What’s a jig?

Cotton Eyed Joe

 

[Snacktime]

@TheLawnDart I was politely trying to point out that they are leading people on. Every few months another business starts from this location.

 

[TheLawnDart]

@TheLawnDart I was politely trying to point out that they are leading people on. Every few months another business starts from this location.

All those companies still work there. I’ve been by the shop to see the hardtop and met them all. It’s just a large fabrication shop that companies work out of

 

[Ninjak]

@Snacktime you should use those skills to find out what's really going on with ADV Top! Now that would be impressive.

I also have spoken with and have had the shop checked out by people who live in the area. Also if you took the time to see these companies there, you should have also noted that they are STILL in business there.

People are not just throwing money around, well maybe some of the ADV guys, considering that has been a 2 year journey that still is no closer to deliverables than companies who have just jump in. I guess they don't have a jig........

 

[IwannaGOfast]

At this point they should have a jig built. Still hand fabing each roof is a giant red flag. Odds are they will go bankrupt before mass production. This also makes all the demo units not representative of final product as they are custom fitted.

I wouldn't put a deposit down.

That's the way sheet metal is formed. It's takes a series of brakes in a particular order, per panel. They have a cnc brake so it expedites as much of the braking process by doing as many brakes as possible before needing to change the tooling. Once they get into full production mode I'm sure they will be able to do crank out multiple panels much quicker.

Also if you look at some of their other videos they do have a jig table which I'm sure they use whenever possible.

The equipment they are using is actually pretty advanced compared to a lot of shops I have seen.

 

[Snacktime]

@Ninjak next time I am at the office I will run ADV through my IRS database I use for searching establishments. Smart business owners should use a PO Box, but most bottom dwellers are to cheap.

@IwannaGOfast I am very familiar with how it's made. The flip side is I also am very familiar with overhead cost and cash flow. When your not making product it's a double negative.

FYI this may seem out of left field but this is the result of me following a bad eBay purchase to this address.

 

[swamp2]

It is a mold or model that is made to do a specific job over and over again. Think of a gutter on your house. If you had to form it by hand every time it would take forever. So they have a jig in the form of the gutter and run the material through it to make it the same every time.

Not quite, a jig is very specifically a piece of manufacturing tooling designed to hold something in a particular fashion, often for machining, welding or joining processes.

The thing that forms a gutter is forming and rolling tooling, not a jig.

This particular product would very likely use both types of tooling.

 

[Mlarv]

Not quite, a jig is very specifically a piece of manufacturing tooling designed to hold something in a particular fashion, often for machining, welding or joining processes.

The thing that forms a gutter is forming and rolling tooling, not a jig.

This particular product would very likely use both types of tooling.

The gutter reference was the first thing I could think of. I use a lot of home made jigs while wood working. Currently I am making cabinets and have a few to make sure each drawer is in the spot in each cabinet.

Have a good one

 

[BAUS67]

I thought this was a jig.

Joking. I like to use the deck handrailing vertical spacing as an example. So one would make a "jig" so the spaces between the uprights are all the same. If a company is going to make exhaust they make a "jig" so all the pipes that are bent the same as the first one.

 

[Snacktime]

Several things are needed to bring something like this to market. I have been around the custom aluminum boat scene. It takes a massive army to build just 20 aluminum boats a year. Let alone the skill to weld that many seams together, takes multiple people.

This is how the big boys do it

 

[TheLawnDart]

Updates pictures with gullwings and rear window panel! Looks amazing!

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