[jkestner]

For most hardware startups their first time, who cares if they're using aluminum tooling? They're going to learn from their first iteration while staying solvent, and they'll never hit enough volume to worry about the tool life.

I don't know what rotoshilling is but manage to produce hardware anyway. A problem I see is that first-timers think they have to act like the big boys, and the big boys design complex assemblies and go to China. (I wouldn't unless you have the money to either make an expensive mistake, or to hire someone with experience.)