08 October 2021 by Calan

Neil and I spent the last week of September in China to finalise contracts with the factory and to kick off tooling. We're happy to report that tooling is now under way and everything is on track. It was great to see the factory in full operation, with juicers and blenders coming off two of their assembly lines, and plastic parts being produced on 8 of their injection moulding machines. The quality of their manufacturing is truly exceptional and we'll be visiting the factory again for the start of full production.

If you've never seen a tool (mould) before, the photo below will give you an idea of what we're having made for our 29 plastic parts that are being injection moulded. The mould consists of two primary components that are made from solid blocks of steel, the injection mould and the ejector mould. Plastic is forced into the mould cavity where it cools and hardens to the shape of the mould cavity to form the part, before it is ejected and dropped onto a conveyor belt ready for assembly.

Our factory is based in Ningbo, a city in the province of Zhejiang, and about a 2 hour drive south of Shanghai. Though not as well known as some of the larger cities, Ningbo has a population of nearly 8 million people, and boasts one of the busiest shipping ports in the world. The city is a major exporter of electrical products and industrial tools with the factories manufacturing products for most of the worlds most recognised brands.

It's really exciting to see it all coming together now and we can't wait to finalise tooling and receive the first production samples. None of this would have been possible without the support our all our Kickstarter backers and everyone who has pre-ordered a Loogun on our website, so thanks again for being part of our journey. We're working hard to get your Looguns off to you as soon as possible.