schuhe wrote:OK, someone can design it, fire-up the 3D printer, and glue the resulting parts together. This would be a fun project under the Christmas Tree...
While 3D printing is a lot of fun and useful in many situations, it's not the answer to everything by a long shot. I wouldn't attempt a 3D printed walk-on hood, but I do plan to build a printer large enough to make some body panels and larger parts like dashboards and seats. The G is just one of my numerous automotive projects.
Since I find myself walking on the hood of the G rather frequently, I've been pondering how to best reinforce it without adding too much weight. So far I'm thinking going the aerospace route, with some aramid honeycomb core (expensive new, but cheap enough from aircraft recyclers) bonded to the underside of the hood with 3M panel bonding epoxy, backed by an aluminum skin. On the top side, some classic diamond plate in the high traffic areas attached with the same epoxy. All bonding done before paint for a good seal top and bottom, with a high temp undercoating and heat reflective insulation on the bottom.
Daewoo wrote:Nihil- What you mentioned here is a classical demand theory in economics. Gwagen is a product of consumer's preference and utility it provides to a very selected group of consumers and Mercedes knows this.
To sum things up, it is a free capitalist enterprise conundrum and that is - consumer's goal of utility maximization and consumer's expenditure minimization. We know free enterprise is not the best but it sure beat socialism.
You have to read and do your hw. I can't short cut economic theory in 5 minutes....sorry.
You don't need to grasp full economic theory to understand the basics. For many questions in life, "follow the money" is a perfectly suitable answer and ultimately brings you to the same conclusions.
I will admit, the exclusivity premium drives me nuts.