Materials order | Finalizing developing process | Shipping
over 5 years ago
– Mon, Sep 21, 2020 at 01:20:51 AM
We came with good news and a long story short.
We’ve started ordering materials to fill out pre-orders.
We emptied all of the supplier's paper stock and now more than a ton of the paper is coming from abroad to our distributor! Previously on nuka updates: we’ve mentioned tests on the paper with a 3D nano microscope to understand the material better. It looks like some space landscape, isn’t it?)
Also, we’re negotiating with suppliers to order magnets and silicon for the cover. We’re gathering all the components to start our production!
Shipment of the components will take about a month and a half if there will be no delays from the customs side. The longest takes paper shipment, a batch coming from another country, and it will take about a month and a half.
We’re finishing our RnD.
Couple more weeks to finalize all the work we’ve done, finish some minor processes and tests. At the same time, we’re ready to turn techniques and solutions we’ve come to into detailed instructions for the production. 80% of the technical task is custom solutions.
Our RnD achievements since the last update:
- We’ve tested new glue together with a new U-shape paper block reinforcing technique on the machine. What we’ve got is an incredibly durable paper block – strong and elastic glue together with a U-shaped piece of fabric creating an ‘iron’ construction and even spine.
Here are the paper blocks with manual and machine applied reinforcement. Also, we’ve tested more glue.
Here is the final version with machine reinforcement and the best glue type.
Here is how it looks in the notebook, the reinforcement is invisible.
- We’ve designed a tooling machine for gluing paper block to the cover.
We are gluing paper block to the cover with double-stick tape. Remember putting a protective glass on your screen? You know that’s one attempt and that’s it.)
Here we face the same so we decided to construct a tooling machine to make it easier and prevent defects. It was a challenging task as the process should be smooth and precise. Otherwise, the air bubbles appear or the paper block sticks out which makes the whole notebook defective and there is no way to fix it after.
The material properties of the silicon cover and our paper: they are both too smooth to be glued together with any glue. That’s why the double-stick tape is the only suitable solution here.
While we’re waiting for materials, we plan to finish production processes :
We're finalizing on a conductor for assembly. As we mentioned above, putting together the paper block and the cover is a challenge. We have to find a conductor who could implement our technology and use the tolling machine we designed on a mass scale. Now we’re negotiating with three possible conductors.
What about the shipping?
If there are delays with customs, we ship before the Chinese New Year, but this is a pessimistic scenario. We plan and do everything to ship nuka in December. We’re waiting for this as much as you’re!
Have the best day and stay tuned to the next updates!
Notebook durability | The quality control |
over 5 years ago
– Sat, Aug 15, 2020 at 10:16:29 PM
Hi guys ;)
We want you to be able to take nuka to space, on the submarine, jungles, or any other crazy adventure you have on your mind. nuka should be durable to serve you a good job for as long as possible.
As always, we’ve been working on this, and here are our latest developing solutions.
Last time we faced the problem with glue. The factory changed the duct tape we’d been using to a regular glue because on the mass-production scale the tape was difficult to apply. The glue they applied was good enough for a regular notebook which means a disaster for ours)
nuka looks like a notebook, but it’s a lot different when it comes to the technical side. Last weeks we’ve been working on:
- the search for new suitable types of glue that took us about 2 weeks
- tons of ‘crash’ tests
Here are some examples of unsuitable types of glue for nuka:
- too strong glue that doesn’t allow to open on 180°
- weak plasticine like glue which doesn't return to its shape
We conducted research and narrowed down our options to 6 types of glue. They became our North Star for understanding the technical characteristics. We tested each of them on such qualities:
- strong enough to keep paper blocks together through the years
- at the same time elastic enough to allow 180° opening and closing without damage
- after opening and closing, glue returns to its shape
This is how suitable for nuka glue type should look like:
Now we’re negotiating with a supplier. A new batch of glues for the test is coming next week. Anyway, while glue’s in the process we questioned ourselves: What else can we do to make the notebook even more DURABLE?!
We found a little gizmo that could shorten the notebook’s lifetime. See, there is a problem spot in notebooks using regular glue: the area tends to damage the most because of the pressure it gets while opening. For instance, when you open a notebook you pool the cover and it tears in a place of the connection of the paper block and its cover.
We started our reinforcement research on how to protect and enhance the weak spot. Turned out that high-quality glue isn’t the only part of it. We came up with a solution: we’ll add a piece of a special fabric that will eliminate the issue.
We tested 20 materials and chose the one most suitable for us. Now the block's reinforced with the tulle fabric.
- Paper blocks without reinforcing and unsuitable glue on the left
- Paper blocks with suitable glue and reinforcing tulle on the right
Unfortunately, there is no known recipe or DIY on how to make the perfect nuka.
We have to test, experiment, and be precise. The defects can be miserable or invisible, but they still affect the durability and user experience. However, we know the main ingredient of quality – alertness and control. We can’t blame anyone if we don’t monitor the process on every stage of production.
Since the last update we’ve implemented 3 more quality control tools for the mass production:
- Spectrophotometer
All three previous batches were the same color shade according to documents, in fact, they all came in different shades! This gadget with a difficult name will help us to standardize the exact color of our products and make each notebook in a color line identical.
Spectrophotometer scans the color sample we’ve chosen. Then the nix sensor app helps to define the color code and save it as ‘ideal’. In mass production, the spectrophotometer will be able to compare the color of the batch to our golden standards.
nix is a startup that crowdfunded on Kickstarter too! They gave us a discount and a 3D printed nozzle specially designed for nuka’s pencil. Thank you so much for helping us out!
- Magnetic field visualizer
You know, magnets have two poles, a north pole, and a south pole. If the magnet is broken, each of its two pieces become two separate magnets with their own poles. As a result, they end up pushing each other away. It may affect the whole technology: the cover won't hold pages and the pencil won't magnet to its place. The visualizer helps us to see magnets through the cover.
How does it work? We hold a visualizer to the cover and see dark figures - magnets. This showcases us how many magnets are there, if their sizes correct, are they situated in the right way. Finally, the most important thing we must see if they’re intact!
- The teslameter
That’s not about that Tesla you might think of :) This device is about magnets and their strengths.
All magnets have a specific strength – ours have to be strong enough to close and hold the cover with paper blocks together, but comfortable to open a notebook. The same with a pencil, which connects to the notebook so you won’t lose it somewhere. Also, teslameter shows poles which is important for the pencil. We can see if magnets inserted in the right way for a pencil to magnetize with a logo side up.
This device (magnetometer) shows poles and helps to measure magnetic field strength.
Next update:
Mold is the most important step for the mass-production to launch. Next Tuesday we’re expecting the final version of nuka cover mold. We have to run our tests on mold. If it passes, we’re going to put together nuka golden sample which means mass production. Yes, for now, we have a lot of minor bugs to fix. However, we are dealing well with the process of fixing!
In the next update:
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Our experiments. We tested our paper on a nano microscope. ⚡️
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Crash test machines that we are building. We need them to prove the durability of nuka products and to set quality standards for mass-production.
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We will share with you a clear roadmap of the development and approximate date of launch.
By the way, last week we had a team meeting where we discussed the topic of perfectionism. You see, that's a relevant topic for us :) We've been talking about what perfectionism actually is, how that harms mental health and life in general. Well, most people we know have the wrong perception of this concept. Tell us if you would like to hear about this topic, we could share our insights with you!
Last, but not least, if you have any ideas or suggestions about the existing or future nuka products, feel free to email us on [email protected]. We are excited to hear from you!
That’s it for today! Have a nice week and stay tuned for the next updates!
July update | Golden Samples | Remote production rollercoaster | RnD cycle
over 5 years ago
– Mon, Aug 03, 2020 at 09:04:57 PM
Hi guys,
we hope you’re safe and doing well these days!
The past months weren’t easy. We’ve been working on the golden samples all that time.
The golden sample. Is it really made of gold?
The golden sample is the most important step before mass production. The golden sample is a document with specific technical requirements and the real “perfect” product following it.
In the future, the golden sample defines the difference between defective products and normal. If there is any defect or any flaw which is not fixed, it reflects on the mass production.
It’s crucial to work out any imperfection before we start production.
Due to the lockdown and all the restrictions that came along, we hadn’t been able to fly to oversee production in China. It made acceleration and supervision of the golden sample production harder and process longer. We have a lot of news to share with you.
“Why does it take sooo long?”
We’ve faced a lot of unexpected problems. We gathered all the data to showcase what was exactly happening these past 2 months. Mainly, the ripple effect was caused by the fact that we couldn’t go directly to the factory.
First, we had to find an alternative way of fully remote manufacturing in China. The logistic process is time-consuming and looks like this now:
Second, we couldn’t monitor all the manufacturing processes personally. The worst has happened here because the factory took it as a “creativity space”).
In the previous batch, some moments have met our expectations so we approved them. Strangely, but exactly with these processes, the factory decided to play. To be clear here, they implemented their creative decisions at places where everything was already FINE instead of working with our feedback on something that needed improvement. In the golden sample. Feel our pain.
Here are a couple of setbacks that we call
“factory’s initiatives”
HOLES THAT COST US 3 MORE WEEK OF DELAY
In the previous batch, the pages were creasing and it was exactly what we needed here. However, the factory decided to upgrade the pages. The latest batch of the eternal stationery notebook came to us with tearing-off pages. Of course, this is exactly what the eternal notebook needs! 🙂
Perforation method instead of creasing.
As a result, we ended up with something completely ridiculous. All the paper batch, not just the paper for the samples, is wasted with a perforation already.
Now we have to wait 3 more weeks for the new batch of paper without perforations. One little mistake and a huge negative impact.
THE GLUE
The factory decided to change the glue we’ve been using to a different variation. It turned out to have lower elasticity and it's not suitable for our paper properties.
Also, there is too much glue on the paper block spine, it dries unevenly and causes poor openability. Pages don’t open on 180* when the notebook is fully open.
THE SILICONE
In the previous batch, the notebook cover was tight and durable. Well, it may not be that important so the factory decided to experiment with the silicone properties)
In the latest batch, the cover became more delicate so any hard material can leave dents on it.
Also, a new silicone smudges more. We are coming back to the silicone properties from the previous batch.
NOTEBOOK IMPROVEMENTS ⚡️
Yeah, there is a positive one. We reinforced the notebook borderline to improve durability by thickening the border layer and slightly updating arch construction.
Step backward - step forward - step backward!
It’s a production dance of frustration, but we’re trying to stay positive anyway)
Reinforced mold coped with its function, we improved durability! Naturally, we were sure it wouldn't worsen its quality, but it did. The mold and the notebook became uneven and not seamless.
MOLD FAILS
1. Defective shape.
Here you can see a defective curve line on the notebook cover. In some samples, it’s on the top, in others on the bottom.
2. Defective logo with many bumps and cracks.
Yeah, it’s microscope scaled, however, it could be perfect like in previous versions.
3. Flash on the place of mold closing.
That’s the most notable change. We have to correct the mold closing line and make it invisible again, same as on previous cover prototypes.
(Example of the previous prototype)
Sorry, but that wasn't the end of the problems we faced with these notebook samples.
OTHER TECH PROBLEMS
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Sewing needle
In place of a paper sewing needle tears the material instead of getting pricked it. The sewing edges in samples are torn because needles weren’t sharp enough for our paper.
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Offset stitching step
The sewing offset should be the same on the top and bottom, but now it’s asymmetrical.
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String tension
String on paper blocks has different tension on the top and bottom of the paper block. As a result of uneven string tension, pages hang on the edges and in the middle. The factory will adjust the machine to our paper quantity and thickness of pages before production.
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Magnets
The magnets are visible through the white cover. We had this problem previously. We were using thicker magnets and we thought that thinner magnets will cope with that. However, they are still visible as you see. We already increased the thickness of the silicone on the places of magnets gluing. We will reduce translucency and add more colorant in white cover and that should help.
Pencil
We’ve done quite a lot of work on pencil. Now it looks better and feels more solid. However, some things should be improved in the next iterations.
Magnets
From the last batch, we had to think about how to keep magnets in place. They were rattling inside a pencil body and didn’t hold the pencil to the notebook with the logo out.
Improvement ⚡️
Now the pencil magnets to the notebook exactly how it should’ve been. It looks awesome.
Something went wrong…
In this iteration, we’ve decided to add a cylindrical gasket inside the pencil body. If the factory wouldn’t make the walls of the pencil thinner in some pencils, it would have worked.
Yes. Gasket falls out. Yes. Magnets rotate. AND. There is a risk of damage in the pencils with thinner walls.
Solution:
- We want to use glue to anchor the magnets inside the pencil.
- We’re planning to use a rubber insert to hide the magnets.
- We’ll increase the thickness of the pencil body.
Alloy
We improved the writing experience of pencil by changing the metal alloy so writing is more contrast now.
New experimental variations of alloy are sharper and tend to write more contrasty. We will continue to test and improve them.
Here is the result of our tests: “nuka” is what we had and 1,2,3,4,5 are the experimental alloys.
Tip
In the previous version, the tip of the pencil tended to easily unscrew while we were using a pencil. We’ve added a circular gasket so the tip will screw in more tightly.
The problem is solved, now the tip stays exactly at the same place!
It was two steps forward to our goal. We’ve improved writing experience with the tip and new alloy.
Nuka chemical lab R&D improvement
We ran about 300 experiments with over 100 chemicals to find or create an eraser that will allow us to remove ink from all available writing instruments without damaging our "paper".
Here's how the testing process works:
We classified all available writing instruments. Each of them has its own number in the database. We use a sample with those 130 types of instruments written on nuka so we can test all of them each iteration. In that way, we observe how each type of ink works with each eraser experiment.
We realized that it's a massive body of research that still has to be done and a huge variety of existing types of ink that we should consider and test.
The ink composition varies from country to country. It's very hard to create an eraser that’s gonna work with all of them.
Here is the example of the ink which hasn't been erased.
Also, we figured out why some pencils were hard to erase from the paper. It turned out that HB pencils (the second graphite grading scale) and higher damaged our paper.
As you see there are a lot of inks we can’t erase perfectly for now, but their quantity becomes less with our experiments.
After defining all those bugs we have updated our PRD (product requirements documents) and Technical Requirements and underlined twice things that the factory has to focus on as well as our technical manager in China.
NEXT STEPS:
Testing new experimental versions of pencil alloy
Chemical eraser improvement. We have to adjust it to make it work well with all pens and pencils.
As nice as previous versions but as durable as the latest one). It takes two more weeks.
- R&D+Fixing production mistakes -> production
Implementation of all fixes together with the R&D results for the final samples version. When we receive final product samples, we will be ready to launch mass production!
If there is an option to fly to China, we will fly there. It would significantly speed up the iteration process while the product develops and produces.
This one is the most important.
We feel awful, guys. We even can't tell how much we're sorry about the delays.
You are our backers and we truly want to provide you with the best stationery ever. Not a normal or nice one, the best. That's why it's taking so much time. We want nuka to last and to feel right in your hands. We're hoping for your understanding. Thank you for your patience!
If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to write a comment here or email us [email protected]
Yours truly,
nuka team
