First Pre-Production Prototype in the Works
TL;DR: We're making solid progress and are closing in on the first pre-production prototype.
Pre-Production Prototype
I've finally started working on the first pre-production prototype using the thicker wood and the updated body with all required cutouts.
It didn't go entirely smoothly though. The CNC machine got stuck multiple times because the programming wasn't ideal, and I had to rearrange the part mid-process... which is pretty tricky. In total, milling just these two parts took about 5 hours.
I've already started applying the paint, but I'm still waiting for the final finish since the varnish I ordered hasn't arrived yet. So it'll take a few more days. But then I should hopefully have some nice photos of the dark brown frame with dark gray slats.
The final production models will likely look a bit different though, since the manufacturer will use an industrial paint process.
Preparing for the Durability Test
Once I've assembled this prototype (and everything works as expected), I'll prepare another one in a lighter color.
The plan is to send that unit to the external product testing institute for durability testing. I've already spoken with them, we can begin as soon as the prototype is ready.
Production Location
I've already paid the rent for the production space... but still don't have the keys.
The reason: German bureaucracy.
To hand over the keys, I first had to open a rental deposit account with an established German bank. The process went roughly like this:
- Open an account online (great!)
- Wait a week for login credentials to arrive by physical mail (not email obviously)
- Log in and realize you need to open the rental deposit account by printing a form and sending it to the bank headquarters by - you guessed it - physical mail
So I expect to get access by the end of next week at the earliest.
Setting Up a New Company
At the same time, I'm tackling another bureaucratic task: setting up a new company.
So far, I've been using an existing entity from my freelance software work and other smaller projects. But the plan is to create a dedicated company for the Office Walker and any related future products.
This involves quite a bit of coordination with lawyers, notaries, and tax advisors. It's not my favorite way to spend time, but it makes sense to get this sorted now before production starts. Doing it later would be significantly more complicated once operations are underway.
More updates soon. And thanks as always for your support!
Johannes