Original vs. Knock-off

[MadScientist]

I have seen may people bitch and complain about this topic, so maybe this can go in the achived section so people are more educated about it, and its effects.

Original Aero parts have to be designed by a very educated and artistic person using very costly methods, some going so far as using a wind tunnel. The price has to be set within a reasonable limit to the money invested in all the hours of labor and research just to product the part! This is somewhat like a high risk Bank Loan, and the MSRP is the monthly payment. What happens if the part doesn’t sell well enough?

A Knock-off and Copies are simple and easy to make, and takes no major education and very little skill. An Original part is used and/ or slightly modified to make the Mold. This saves the Company all the costly expenses and risk that an Original part holds. The Mold is the most expensive part of producing a Knock-off or Copy. The company will make the cost of the Mold back quickly in a few sales, and can mark the price down to influence sales.

Purchasing products from these companies only helps to produce more Knock-offs and Copies while putting the Original Manufacture at risk of Bankruptcy or Closing. You don’t wear knock-off clothing… why should your car!?!

Yes, Knock-offs and Copies are Illegal. Many of these companies are able to produce these parts by hiding the production facility in other countries (China, Korea, and even Mexico). The Original Manufacture must solely seek out the production plant before any legal action can be made. Simple modifications to the Original part assist in protecting these companies from legal action. Something as simple as changing the color of the gel coat, rounding off edges, and using a different composite process is enough in most cases.

Composite production methods in most Original Aero parts are different than found in Knock-offs or Copies.

1. Autoclave/ Vacuum Molding/ RTM - very very high quality. Commonly used in light-weight super strong applications for its 70/30 Fiberglass to resin Mixture. Used on F1 cars, racing seats, Aero Space, etc... This method can be found in some very high quality kits such as (Ings, Top Secret, C-West, JUN, etc...) and in the preferred method of most all Japan Aero Kit companies. This is a very clean production where resin is infused into a bagged mold with the (Dry) Fiberglass or Carbon material. There is also Pre-Preg where the (Wet) Fiberglass or Carbon is Pre-impregnated with resin (must be kept cold) then a UV light or Heat is added to release the resin.
Read more about this process here: http://www.hexcelcomposites.com/Mark...ve/default.htm

2. Wet/ Dry Hand Lay-up – The mold is open and never bagged or closed off. Material is saturated with resin before or after laying into the Mold. Rollers and squeegees are used to move the resin and release air bubbles. This is common Composite method used by several trades like small Boat builders, tracker parts, etc… This is a fast, simple, easy to produce and replace parts method.

3. Chop/ Spray Gun – the dirtiest, nastiest, most uneven, resin rich parts to be produced. This is a Gun that chops up fiberglass and spits it out while spraying resin.

Read more about why not to use an Open Mold process here: http://www.doli.state.mn.us/pdf/fiberglass.pdf

Composite Industry Glossary of Terms:
http://www.compositesworld.com/sb/glossary

If your car is an expression of ones self… what is it saying about you!?!

Respect Yourself,
Respect Others,
and take Responsibility for all your actions.

Peace
Drew