Behind-the-scenes of Luna's manufacturing process
about 6 years ago – Wed, May 02, 2018 at 12:48:45 AM

Two weeks ago, we completed a successful small-scale manufacturing run. Our cofounder Giovanni met our manufacturing team at our factory in China to oversee the production of 500 Luna units.

These small-scale manufacturing rounds allow us to test out the flow and efficiency of production before scaling up to our full order size. At this stage, there are still many manual elements of the process that need to be automated before we’re ready to scale. However, we are overall very pleased with our factory setup and the attention to detail that is given to each Luna unit. We are happy to report that we are still on target to deliver Luna by the end of the year.

A step-by-step look at Luna production

We put together the video below to give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Luna production. From start to finish, the video outlines these steps of the process:

1. Assembling the electronics 

2. Adding the connector (USB-C or mDP) to the electronics board 

3. Reviewing each unit for quality 

4. Cutting the electronics panels into individual Luna units 

5. Brushing each unit clean 

6. Loading the firmware onto each unit 

7. Testing every unit to make sure it runs properly 

8. Adhering the plastic enclosure using ultrasonic welding 

9. Packaging Luna

Continued confidence in our manufacturing partner

One of the biggest takeaways from this visit to China is that our relationship with our manufacturing partner SEA Electronics HK is solid. The extra time and effort we took in establishing a trusting and accountable relationship has been well worth it. It’s reassuring to know that SEA Electronics HK values the same level of quality and care that we do as we bring Luna to life.

Next steps for Luna production

We’re planning another manufacturing run in June to iterate on our process improvements in preparation to scale up production.

In the meantime, we are continuing our beta program. Thank you to everyone who signed up to help us test Luna! We are in the process of sending out 200 test units to collect feedback on Luna’s performance across all Mac models.

We’ll be in touch in the coming weeks with the results from our beta testing! In the meantime, we invite you to check out Bicycle for the Mind — our publication about choosing creation over consumption. 

Call for Beta testers: Luna wants you!
about 6 years ago – Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 11:43:48 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

A Sneak Peek at Luna’s Packaging Design
about 6 years ago – Fri, Mar 23, 2018 at 01:57:19 AM

Happy spring, Kickstarter community! Before diving into some exciting updates, we want to take a moment to sincerely thank our backer community. We received so many words of encouragement after we announced changes to our shipping timeline. Thank you for believing in us! 

Here’s what we’ve been up to over the past couple of weeks:

Luna Packaging Design Complete

When we designed Luna Display’s packaging, we had two things in mind: We want Luna to be delivered in something that is both portable and beautiful.

Portable and secure while you’re on the move

A question we hear frequently is “how will I transport Luna without losing it?” Luna is made to be part of your on-the-go workflow, so we wanted to design packaging that is meant for portability and security. Not only do we want to keep Luna secure during delivery, we also want to keep it safe while you bring Luna along in your day-to-day life.

The box Luna comes in is small — about 6.5cm squared. It’s small enough that it won’t take up much space in your bag, but substantial enough that you won’t lose it. The interior of Luna’s box features a secure cradle to hold the hardware. No matter where your work takes you, Luna will be safe and secure while you’re on the move.

A simple and elegant addition to your workspace

Luna’s packaging is functional and it looks good. We designed a simple and elegant box that can sit beautifully on your desk or in your studio. The top component of the box is a sleek white and the bottom is Luna red. Inside, you’ll find Luna’s cradle and instructions for getting setup.

Coming Up in Luna Production

In the coming weeks, we’ll be doing another manufacturing test run of 200 Luna units — 100 USB-C units and 100 mDP units. In addition, we will be testing the final design for Luna’s plastic enclosure molds. We’ll be in touch again in April with the results of these manufacturing tests. Stay tuned!

Updated timeline for shipping
about 6 years ago – Tue, Feb 27, 2018 at 11:46:37 PM

The incredible momentum behind our Luna Display Kickstarter campaign has been a huge inspiration for our team. Since our campaign closed last October, we’ve been working nonstop to prepare for Luna production. Some of our major milestones from the last few months include: 

• Establishing a manufacturing partner, setting up our factory for production, and running a successful 200-unit manufacturing test 
• Conducting the first round of beta testing and collecting extensive feedback 
• Placing the full order for Luna’s hardware components 

We are optimistic about this progress, but we are also realizing that we need more time to get Luna in your hands. It’s important that we maintain complete transparency to our backer community, so we want to be upfront with you about our updated timeline.

Backers and pre-order customers will receive their orders by the 2018 winter holidays

Due to changes in our production timeline, we are now expecting to deliver all orders by the 2018 winter holiday season. We hope to start deliveries on a rolling basis sooner than the winter holidays, but we cannot guarantee any expedited delivery at this time. Before our Kickstarter, it was difficult to estimate how long it would take to manufacture and ship Luna because we didn’t know how big the demand for Luna was. But now that we have clarity around the demand, we are able to make a more accurate timeline for Luna. We want to be clear that this delay is not indicative of fundamental engineering problems with Luna. To help clarify, we’ve outlined the specific reasons for this shipping delay.

Reasons for the delay

On the day that our Kickstarter ended back in October, our cofounder Giovanni arrived in China to meet with a potential manufacturing partner. It was critical that we find a trustworthy partner that could guarantee our quality standards. Before we ever signed a contract with our Manufacturing Team, Giovanni took two trips to China to meet with them in person, exchanged countless emails, and ran multiple manufacturing test runs. When we made our production timeline before the Kickstarter, we didn’t account for the time it would take to build this relationship. But today, our partnership with our Manufacturing Team is solid, and we feel confident about moving forward.

Before we were ready to place the order for components, we needed to feel confident with Luna’s circuit board design. Finalizing the design required verification that Luna was compatible across all supported Mac models. In this testing process, we found some issues with the Mini DisplayPort circuit board that required some investigation. This investigation took some time, but we were able to address the issues and confidently move forward with placing the component order.

But due to the overwhelming success of our Kickstarter, our order size is much larger than we accounted for in our timeline. A larger order size means longer lead times — and a longer production timeline.

We’re taking deliberate steps to prevent further delays

To avoid any more changes to our timeline, we’re taking these precautionary measures:

• Maintaining close communication with our Manufacturing Team: When we were first establishing our manufacturing partnership, we made sure to prioritize quality work and transparent communication. Today, we feel confident in our relationship with our Manufacturing Team and trust that they will maintain openness about our production timeline. 
• Continued beta testing: We’re moving forward with the next round of beta testing using the 200 units from last month’s manufacturing test run. While we feel confident about Luna’s engineering integrity, we are double-checking our work to make sure that Luna functions properly on every Mac model.

Frequently Asked Questions

We understand that our new timeline might not work for you, so we’ve compiled some frequently asked questions about making changes to your Luna order:

Will Luna Display require more funding?

No, we’ve been very careful with the funds we raised from our backers and we are in a good position to head into production.

Should I worry about the Luna project not being completed?

Not at all! We are as determined as ever to ship Luna Display and get it in your hands. We’ve been sending Luna Display units out to beta testers and the feedback has been really positive. Our focus now is on maintaining quality and reliability while scaling from a few hundred units to the 10,000 units we need to produce.

Why didn’t you tell us about the delay sooner?

We just determined that a delay is necessary this month. After taking into account the further testing we want to do, and the component delays, we realized a delay was necessary to deliver the quality product our backers deserve. As soon as we had a plan, we prepared this update to keep you informed.

Can I cancel my pledge and get a refund?

We’d hate to see you go! We’ve been testing Luna Display prototypes and it’s been incredible to use, we really think you’re going to like it! However, if you still want a refund we can help you with that, please email us at [email protected] and let us know your backer information.

How can I update my shipping address or change the model of Luna Display?

Please visit https://lunadisplay.backerkit.com/ and enter your backer email address. You’ll get an email with a link that allows you to change your shipping information, and whether you’d like the USB-C or Mini DisplayPort model of Luna Display.

In what order will Luna Display units be sent?

We will send out Luna Display units in the order that they were placed, starting with our earliest backers. Once backers have been fulfilled, we will send units to people that have pre-ordered via our website in the order that those orders were made.

Why did you choose to manufacture in China?

We evaluated manufacturing partners in the United States, Mexico and China but ultimately opted to work with a manufacturer in China. Not only was the Chinese manufacturer the most efficient, but they were the best equipped to deal with the tiny electronics in Luna Display. Some of Luna’s components are also used in smartphones, and Chinese manufactures are experts at working with those parts. Companies like Apple choose to manufacture in China for the same reason.

Thank you for believing in us — we promise to stay open and honest with you

We appreciate your patience as we work to get Luna to you as soon as possible. We’ve learned a lot over the past few months, and we’re so grateful that our Kickstarter community has believed in us along this journey.

As we work through the changes to our production timeline, we are committed to open and honest communication with our Kickstarter community. If you have any questions or concerns, we can always be reached at [email protected]. We read every message and take your feedback seriously.

Order placed for Luna’s hardware components
over 6 years ago – Fri, Feb 02, 2018 at 01:06:06 AM

Since the start of the new year, we’ve been focused on preparing Luna’s factory for production and gathering initial feedback from beta testers. We’re excited to share these highlights from the past month:

Successful 200-unit manufacturing test run 

At the beginning of January, Luna Display’s co-founder Giovanni Donelli made another visit to our factory floor in China. During the visit, we completed a manufacturing test run of 200 Luna units (100 Mini DisplayPort and 100 USB-C units).

The finished USB-C units had a 100% success rate, and the Mini DisplayPort (mDP) units were 95% successful. We are currently investigating the 5% mDP failures, and we will most likely need to do another manufacturing test round of mDP units once we have figured out the cause of this. In general, we feel very confident about Luna’s hardware manufacturing setup!

Order placed for Luna components

Following the successful test run, we’ve moved forward with ordering components to build all of the Luna Display units. While we wait for the hardware components to arrive, we will continue running manufacturing tests and collecting feedback from beta testers to assure that Luna works seamlessly.

We also placed the order for Luna’s plastic enclosure mold. In the below photo you can see the high-resolution 3D printed enclosures that we are using for beta testing units.

Moving forward with the second round of beta testing 

Last month we conducted our first official round of Luna beta testing. Thirty people with varying Mac models received beta units to run the Luna Integrity Test — our test that verifies Luna’s compatibility with each Mac model. 90% of units passed the Integrity Test, and we are looking into the remaining 10% of failures. We will be starting the next phase of beta testing in a few weeks using the 200 units from our manufacturing test run.

Overall, we’ve made some great progress in the past month and we’re excited to move forward with production! We will share another update in the coming weeks once we have analyzed the Mini DisplayPort failures and beta feedback. In the meantime, check out our brand new Instagram account for productivity tips and inspiration. 😀