Replies to post #88952 on Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc (KBLB)

[first mike]

Spiber(JP)

In 2017, they have told me that they will release their pricing information and final properties of their fibers to sell to interested parties.

In 2013 they were so confident that they announced their factory production in 2015 as if it were already accomplished.
Now, in 2015 they talk of starting to plan the (limited, pilot) factory this year and will announce the parameters and price of their product in 2017 (release information, Not product).
That is 2+ years of schedule slippage in 2 years of elapsed time.
And they they (He) talked about the strength of their "Iterative" approach.
Well, I guess we are seeing that iteration: make unrealistic statements for 2 years, then rinse (change goals) and repeat.

2 years ago I said that Spiber was a scam being perpetrated upon Japanese industry and government by this college boy.
So far he has done nothing to make me retract or modify my statement other than to say that it has been a remarkably effective scam.
He is good at talking and promoting, even had one of our more intelligent board members convinced for a while (Iterative!).
He has bilked his sponsors out of millions for him and his school buddies.

I will retract these statements and apologize as soon as I see any proof of any fiber from Spiber that is 80% the strength and elasticity of spider drag line silk (~ the qualities of MS).

Have not needed to do that in 2 years, not expecting to anytime soon.

Mike L.

[es1]

There is little doubt in my mind that the Spiber/Xpiber silk will be significantly more expensive, but the fact that they are harvesting proteins means that they may have more versatile uses than the fibers alone such as films and possibly 3D printed materials made from spider silk proteins such as implants or stronger tools. You can already see this being attempted in companies such as Oxford Biomaterials Ltd. and Spiber Technologies AB.

The thing is that it isnt going to be just a little more expensive.

Their process is to powder the silk from silk worms.
Then produce the spider protien. They have to seperate the spider protein and then powder that. Then mix the 2 and spin it.

Since MS has the spider included KBLB could do the same process by powdering MS and respinning it. That would be a huge waste of time and money obviously.
So their costs for silk will be the same as KBLB cost for spider silk. Everything they have to do is extra.

As far as fabricated parts they are pretty far behind amsilk who already has foams films and powders of spider silk.

There is plenty of room for other companies in the spidersilk industry but KBLB has the cheapest process by far and if they find a way to produce 100% spider protien there wont be an ecoli vat that can compete with the powders etc.

Also, i do not think that they grow and harvest the silkworms themselves, but they likely buy from an already established source.

Well "they" would be the silk industry in japan and I am sure that they do outsource the production to lower cost labor but Spiber will either need to buy silk from the industry or produce their own. If they buy it their costs are even higher. If they produce their own they will need to find a silk farm like KBLB did and go through the whole ramp up process.

IMO Spiber will eventually fail because of the cost of their product will be undercut by others like KBLB with a less expensive process