..Funny, I once kept track to see if we were going to get to 5000 posts on the counter. It's a few more now!

... Funny I count New users every day :D ...

i vote for this or even a cut file that can be down loaded and cut by the mechmate once it is up and running.

To be honest, I have this fear you mention, but I don't want to hide the fact that I have it.

I probably will put the decals just for the fun of having a SN, but my MM will be a iMM, no, not an Apple product, it will be incognito :)

My drive is not the serial number, its $$$ and I'm already losing, or more accurately, not earning money on cutting jobs not done.


Pablo

When everybody joined this site to be able to download plans, you all agreed to this User Agreement which says:

Use of drawings and data:
The drawings and data can be used for free for personal non-commercial use. The MechMate logo shall be displayed on the completed product and third parties shall be referred to www.mechmate.com for further information. Files downloaded from MechMate shall not be passed to third parties, except for the purpose of procurement of components.

OK OK

It will be on the machine, but not on a place everyone can see it :D

Its always the same, when you are honest and sincere it passes almost no time until someone shows you some legal document... kidding!!

Pablo, "displayed" has the opposite meaning to "hidden" :D

(Mike can change the User Agreement if he wants to, so do not take my word as the official view of the MechMate "rules".)

As a MM owner, the serial number and/or logo bring nothing to a small busines except for risk of competitors copying what we did. But, one day when you want to sell your MM, you can convince the buyer that he is getting an international product with good support and then the logo and/or serial number can increase the selling price. From the perspective of the owner of the MM.com website (first me, then Mike) it makes sense to insist on the logo because it spreads the word to more people.

However, I clearly detected that I had a conflict of interest with my son - he operates MM's against competitors whose machines were getting cheaper and cheaper. You might have noticed that I stopped giving advice to locals who could become a risk to my son's business - sorry, but blood is thicker than water. I am in the lucky position that I am the only guy that didn't have to agree to the User Agreement before I could use the drawings :)

Wow, I am glad I don't live in Cape Town. I am so proud, I have a www.mechmate.com sticker at the back of my truck. :)

:d:d:d

Pablo,

your competitive advantage is that you are a active member of the forum and gain so much more knowledge that you can already make better products for the same price, and properly even in less time. Making a Mechmate is comparable 'easy' to making money with it, making clients happy and have CNC knowledge to beable to do job fast, correct (no material loss) and accurate as per client request.

Maybe you are right, I have to think about what you said.

Or maybe I'm right not wanting to give info to possible competitors :D
I know from previous endeavors that the first one/two years you are at risk of being surpassed by competitors or other startups, after that your customer base takes that risk/fear away because lower prices of startups are no longer a concern because customers know the quality of the service/work you provide and choose safety instead of some cash savings.

If you drive a smart car and run your business from smart premises with smart equipment, then you look like you are successful at making money and then your competitors want to copy you. It is a simple as that.

Gerald They even use your company name as hit words for their websites with your product being displayed .( some int. decorators and competitors ).It is so true once you have something different than anybody else it is not long then there are some oak copying you.I cut my website and a ref on anything that I do even if it is for a competitor so the client can see who is the actual supplier.

Among the list of qualities Warren Buffet, (successful U.S. Investor) looks for in potential acquisitions is companies with "moats". A brand, a technology or business position, something that would be hard to duplicate that gives them an advantage. For now, it seems this class of cnc machine, and the niche customers that can be persued by the owner operator are part of the MM moat, the other being the effort needed to acquire said MM. I am not sure that at this point, the name itself will bring much business. If however you can turn out work equivalent to that from a $100,000 machine with a machine that cost you $10,000, you have something. Now if you can figure out how to work without sleep during the night, and sell the product during the day, even better. Now if Gerald or Metalhead would hand out plans for the Worlds Coolest Gadget when the serial number went out, that would be something to protect with tooth and claw.

I personally like the idea that a person can decided to build the machine and when they show proof that the machine is actually cutting they get a serial number. It is easy to say you are going to build but the proof that you are building and have built is the photo or video that shows that it actual cut some thing and you have a logo.