I agree with you, you shouldn't have to go out of your way to fabricate parts. At the same time, this is a device made with a 3D printer. #D printing gives startup companies a method to build things early on at an affordable rate, which is nice. Other molding methods that are stronger, like what I mentioned, end up being more expensive in the beginning (making the molds, for example, and the molds never last forever). If I were running Azeron (and I'm not
, mind you, so this is just one method that could be done). I would use 3D printing to prototype, sand down the product to get something as "perfect" as I could, and then I would make a mold of it. I'm most familiar with mold making being done in rigid or soft (think soft as latex, or silicone, and rigid like a slush mold), but the issue with molds is that they only last for so long until the detail is lost when doing it this way. I don't want to make this post too large, but I'll give you an example.
Think of your head, if you want to make a mask. Now, let's make a bust of your head! So, let's skip ahead and say we have a perfect copy of your head. We took this copy of your head from what's normally called a "Master mold". Now, depending on the material, you get about 50 to 100 pulls from a master mold. We have pull number one, Head 1. With every copy we make of your head, it loses detail, even if it's just a little bit. For something like masks, it's fine, because most of the detail is in the painting and texturing anyway. For something like this, it's more important for it to look, and be the way it's supposed to be. To avoid this, I think the best thing to do would be to have the master mold made from metal. You can take the 3D files and have them printed by a company that specializes in mold making, and they can actually make a 3D mold for each part. This would prevent detail loss, but then the issue comes down to technique when casting because this is no longer machine running, but people running. benefit to this is that it's 1. way strong, and 2. you can produce it a lot faster than a printing farm ever can. I can cast an entire sword for a client in under an hour, which is far larger than an Azeron Cyborg, and far thicker.
Printers are bound to a specific speed, and casting is restricted by the cure time and temperature basically, but if the person doesn't know what they're doing, they could easily ruin a cast. Thankfully, these are easy enough parts that casting them wouldn't be hard to do and something that could easily the teachable. This would make a much stronger product. I understand you want metal parts; I think most of us do want that, but I think most people have a misunderstanding of metal and think it's strong just because it's metal, and it's not. Metal parts on something are strong because of intelligently placed bends and folds. Some Humvee owners will buy aftermarket aluminum doors, some will buy steel doors. The original fiberglass doors are the strongest, and actually stopped (ish) bullets. A car door is a good example of intelligent bends placed to increase the strength of the metal. It could be done with the Azeron, but overall I think it would have to be redesigned from the ground up for that. It would totally be cool though! But, you have to imagine the cost of doing that from Azeron's position too.
Metal fabrication (outside of metal 3D printing, which is still very new and doesn't look great) is very, very expensive to have done, especially on the scale that Azeron is growing. I'm not saying they won't get there, and I would love to see it done! It was just very expensive. Now, to solve your current issue, hop on over to Etsy, and look at Azeron mods on there. You won't see many, one of them being these small pieces of plastic you can put under each tower. These fit perfectly and can be color matched. Azeron doesn't sell them, but I could see them being something added in the future. If you want to keep your warranty, do NOT use plastic glue. Plastic glue physically melts the plastic together, creating a very strong bond, I'm not sure if super glue would break the warranty though. I mean, a small dab of it might be fine to hold it, but I wouldn't push my luck if you want your warranty. If you don't care about your warranty, use super glue with a little baby powder to lock the glue in place instantly. You don't need much glue; one or two drops are enough. The powder causes it to harden instantly, with no more mess.
I'm still waiting on my Azeron to be delivered (says about 40 business days or so). I'm a 3D Artist/modeler, with a background in Computer Science. I have a lot of ideas for a game pad, and Azeron basically meets all of them. Except for the area of longevity/strength. But, they are a growing company, we shall see
.