If market exists someone else will come in.
Not really, the world is full of markets with no one serving them since the market is not big enough.
Common sense tells me that stuff like L-PLates are cut by automated
machines.
Expensive part of the process is to write a program for the machine,
but they don't have to write it from scratch - mostly it's a minor
tweaking of one of the existing programs RRS already have. I hardly
believe it costs RRS big$.
No, not how it works.
1) Concept -> Stare at camera, think of how this bracket would work, gets easier with every bracket you have done, gets harder with the recent trend of camera makers to put flaps/doors in the way of the bracket.
2) CAD -> can go pretty quick
3) Drawing -> depending on their process, this can be simplified or skipped if they provide the model to the machine shop, but even then a drawing helps the shop and has various bits of info for them.
4) Get machine shop lined up
5) Machine Shop makes code for CNC to cut part. This is a fairly automated process these days, but is done from scratch for each part. Providing a model greatly reduces time to make the code.
6) Line up a CNC in the shop, load material, load code, begin.
7) Opperator keeps removing parts, re-setting part in machine (an L bracket would definitly require a remounting or 2 in the mill), remove part, load new blank, repeat, repeat.
8) Inspection
9) Anodizing (typicaly will be done at yet another shop)
10) Inspection
11) Part ready.
The code part of it is pretty quick, but the rather intricate features of the brackets and all the curves add some time. The machine time even with CNC will be a bit trickier than a basic block as their is lots of curves and out of plane rounds.
The cost is most definitely in the machine time more than any other step. Would be hard to reduce it as casting would be completely impractical due to the shape, final machining needed and low volumes, plus by the time you have casting setup, you are months after the release of the camera.
Though I would agree that Sony could step in and do something either
paying RRS or sourcing it to someone else. A900 is targeting more or
less professional guys who do need RRS-like toys.
The only way Sony would be able to make things cheaper is buy planning ahead to sell them with the cameras, lining up a shop in advance for volumes not seen by RSS, designing the camera with the brackets in mind to make them simpler and using cheaper SEA labor for the manufacturing. But for sony, it's just easier to have RSS do it and pay them and give them some up front info so the brackets are ready for launch, and work out a insurance with RSS that they will cover a the NRE and first run cost, and maybe some for each batch up to a certain quantity.
