Curiosity. So, advantages over the factory handguard are mlok slots instead of picatinny rails?
Generally smoother out of the box, but with a downside of dyed white poly that will certainly show marks.
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I wanted to accomplish a few things with the design. One was to have m-lok slots, another was to follow in the spirit of the original gun, which resulted in a far more ergonomic shape than just pic rails.
The current part is dyed to .25mm, which doesn't seem like much but if you scratch that deep on anything you will notice. It's not ideal and it's something I want to ultimately get away from. I plan to test sand this part with 600 grit paper, which I feel will likely decrease how easily it scratches. Bead blasting may also be an option, for best finish but I don't want to round over all the sharp edges if possible.
Sure will eventually do molded poly if theres enough interest to support the mold cost. People were paying near $65 shipped for 3d printed yeti grips for a year before they changed production.
I have no intention any longer of ever getting parts molded. A mold for a part like this costs $10,000 to $14,000. An laser sintered part has no strength disadvantages over an injected molded part (of the same material obviously), and has the added benefit of having far less geometric constraints. For 10k I can also get a Formlabs SLS printer and produce these at home, with the added benefit of having optional features such as no slant cut, potentially more m-lok slots, and so forth for cheaper. There just is no benefit for getting something injected molded unless I was certain to sell at least 100 units, it's just too expensive for small business.
I think it looks great! In some ways, it reminds me of a shortened version of the oem carbine handguard. Not sure I like the smaller holes towards the top of the handguard. I think I'd prefer more mlok type slots. Obviously color match would be a concern. The original printed Yetiworks grips nevery really matched the shade of the Scorpion.
I added the vent holes for aesthetics mostly and I was sure it would be a point of contention for some people. I toyed with having extra m-lok slots above the current ones, but the result was that anything mounted on the charging handle side would interfere with function. I don't think color match is possible without having the same type of plastic injection molded. I think doing something like cerakote as a final step would be the best bet as it can be used to color match and would increase wear and heat resistance.