Chapter 11 Lava Cabinets A Big Seller

The new cabinet molds had to be made using a prototype cabinet, and those needed to be made largely by making sub-panels by building up layers on a nicely flat surface, then fusing them together with the sand adhesion slurry and rapid ultrasonic activation of the adhesion molecules with the sand grains. This had to be done carefully, since once the ultrasonic generator had activated the adhesive, the whole was rock-hard and quite difficult to change. In making the drawer, he had several partly made drawers laying around before he was able to get one made that would fit well. He figured out how to attach tabs at the top and back of each drawer so that it would not accidentally be pulled all the way out; instead, having to be lifted out and up before pulling a drawer free of its cabinetry enclosure.

Nansella took on the task of user testing of the prototype cabinets, and suggesting changes. There were the three new models now, one for the new type cabinet with hinged doors, one for a cabinet section to house a drawer, and a model of the drawer itself. Several smaller sections that would be attached to the larger pieces also were made.

Then Geodon began to make the molds for the new cabinetry. Slightly tapered front to back so the casting would easily slide out of the mold. With non-stick put on the surface of the prototype, approximate sized precast smooth panel sections were placed against its surface, and the sand-adhesive slurry placed to bond those panels together around the prototype, the mold was gradually built up for the back side of the cabinet. Then the front side of the mold was similarly made; small precast standoffs would be placed in to keep them separate during casting each time, the standoff pegs being incorporated into the new cabinet each time.

It took a couple days to make all three new molds and make evaluation castings from each; then so whatever minor changes to the mold so as to produce optimum cabinetry. And finally he used them to make the first set of stackable cabinets of the two types, one with a drawer in it. As soon as he had a second set to keep for himself, he took a set into town to the store that was selling the first type of cabinet, so that customers could appreciate the variety.

The larger store chain soon had an order for 10,000 of the first type cabinet and an additional order for 5,000 of the new type cabinetry. The precast housing technique that was used on this planet only allowed for shelving precast into the walls, no doors on them and were immobile; there was a big demand for cabinetry that had doors or drawers, and Geodon's cabinetry was able to fill that need to some extent. The store chain put in a plea to ramp production to 100,000 units capability, with probable higher numbers. All three types cabinets were desired.

The quantities involved were not to Geodon and Nansella's liking. Making a few of them as hobby craftsmanship activity was their interest in all this. Somehow they were going to have to get more people involved and more manufacturing space too. Becoming business people was not what they wanted to do.