Hmmmm... given my knowledge of Chinese corporations and their procurement practices, I would doubt that very much.It’s likely DJI uses several vendors for the shells.
Not uncommon for their practices and thus quality to vary amongst them.
Hmmmm... given my knowledge of Chinese corporations and their procurement practices, I would doubt that very much.It’s likely DJI uses several vendors for the shells.
Not uncommon for their practices and thus quality to vary amongst them.
Exactly. The vast majority of shells are perfectly fine. Those that have cracked are probably down to either insufficient moulding flow, resulting in microscopic bubbles forming in the styrene which dramatically weakens the material and/or over torquing of the motor mounting bolts. I was lucky; before I even started the motors, let alone fly, I undid the bolts to affix prop guards. When I found probably 60% were ridiculously tight, I undid and refixed all of the bolts and used a tiny amount of Loctite 425 on the threads. Given how tight the they were, I suspect if I had flown before refixing them, it the amount of compression caused by the over torquing of the bolts would have resulted in huge stress on the plastic motor supports with a probable failure. Just my theory of course....If this was the case, all Phantoms would crack up but they don't.
If they all cracked, no-one would buy DJI.
I've only had 6 P3 & P4 series machines and flown them all hard with no cracking ever showing.
The only explanation for the cracking being observed in a minority of Phantoms is that the quality of the plastic or moulding varies.
Most are fine and deal with whatever is necessary but some batches have been released that were not.
This is also supported when you hear of a few users babying their Phantom or taking all sorts of supposed preventative measures and still getting cracks.
It's all very well to take what you presume will be preventative action, but there are quite a few theories about what causes cracking and what will prevent it.Lets say just odd batches of P's are subject to cracking for whatever reason - what is best ? Ignore and hope you are one of the lucky ones and no cracks or take the cautious path and try to reduce the risk of them ruining your day ?
Having had several Phantoms that never developed any cracking, it's not obvious to me that the design is flawed.It has been obvious that the design has a fundamental fault
Well, yes I guess potentially it does, but only if your RM supplier has poor business continuity and DR plans, in which case, one wouldn't contract with them in the first place. But I'm talking about production; as a purchaser of the end product, spitting production inevitably gives inconsistencies in the deliverable and quality control, operating methodologies; more generally pointless production meetings, drawing-up comparator data, additional audits, plus other administrative nonsense and of course, increased bottom-line costs as you've limited ones buying power. But, oddly, many "professional" purchasers think all this "post contract in life partnership management" helps justify their existence once the deals are in place.... If you need to micro-manage your suppliers - which is what this is - there isn't a strong partnership in place at all. Also, if the contract is large enough I might look to secure a tripartite relationship with your raw material supplier/s, to gain a leveraged shared discount. For that you'd get a longer contract with potential to extend. Obviously, all deals will have fully open book accounting.Not sure nationality matters.
Single sourcing any component leaves your supply chain vulnerable to interruptions. Incidents such as fire, natural disasters, labor disputes, etc. could cause production disruptions.
I work in the plastics industry and we do not single source our resins, additives or equipment.
All decisions or tactics have trade-offs. Since no one really knows the root cause it would seem there is variation somewhere.
Oh Dear ! This is now reminding me of the countless discussions about Oil Products and their supply !!
One guy says - I will always use Shell ... another says I would never use Shell .... another Esso etc . etc.
Apart from limited additive addition to a brands volume - it gets sourced from so many that it loses its identity in fact. My job is to superintend oil shipments around the world ... that includes Civilian and Military ... during 'quiet periods' in various lands such as China - I like to know what goes on.
The raw materials market in China is wide open and not exclusive contracted. Second - even as I type China is reviewing / altering many aspects of Raw Material supply / production in light of environmental pressures. Its affecting not only those materials unfriendly but also safe materials as the facilities and productions using them come under the Govt scrutiny. Plastics industry in China will and has been no exception.
China is like Russia in many ways - there are no such animals as exclusive contracts ... yes they are written and signed - but that's where it ends. Sounds unbelievable - but its true. There are only a few actual producers in China that keep to such contracts ... as long as supply to them is steady.
Nigel
I wasn't talking about the RM supplier; I talking about the product producer i.e. the manufacturer of the DJI shells and my experience of buying goods from a chinese manufacturer.
No worries ... and I wasn't aiming at you .... just remarking and indicating that many in the street are unaware of commercial realities ...
Branding and advertising are powerful tools that cover a multitude of 'sins' !
Nigel
The plastic just seems to be the wrong sort (it's a bit like the plastic used to make yoghurt pots). I suspect that if you left the phantom in the box and never flew it you'd still get cracks on some
My PV2+ was riddled with it (not warranty covered despite being purchased from a UK DJI dealer) yet neither P3 I've had seem to suffer it (yet!)
seems to be a lot of this about lately, even see one pic where a motor came out of the frame in flight due to thisThere's no connection.
Most Phantoms never develop any cracking at all.
All that I've ever had have never cracked despite flying at 35 mph most of the time.
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