DC Product FAQ

Are "in-stock" items available for immediate shipping (ie next day air)?

  • Due to our huge product catalog, we cannot keep every item in stock.  Therefore we view "in stock" as we have the materials and your order will be started as soon as payment is received.  We do have many mechanisms and smaller items in stock, but please email us prior to ordering if you need the item(s) ASAP. 

Approximately how long does it take from when I place my order until it arrives?

  • There is a multitude of elements that may effect shipping time, but we will do our best to have your order shipped within a timely manner. Rule of thumb is 5-7 business days on raw mechs and effects 4-6 weeks for full animations.

Why are your props more expensive than similar manufacturers?

  • First and foremost, DC is a "Design Company" and ALL our products are designed and fabricated in house.  That design and engineering comes at a cost, but other companies bypass that R&D and simply copy our products and use cheap pneumatics and even poorer customer service.  

Do your products have a warranty?

  • All of our products are designed and built to last a lifetime but much of that comes down to proper use and care.  DC does offer a 90 day warranty for manufactures defects starting from the date of arrival.  The pneumatics have a 30 day manufacturer warranty.
  • If a product does break we will be more then happy to repair the part (generally at no cost if deemed to be caused by manufacturing and not improper use) - however shipping charges (both ways) will be the client's responsibility.
  • To start a warranty claim - please email us at info@dcprops.com and receive an RMA prior to returning anything.  Items shipped back without an RMA will be refused at the clients expense. 

What pneumatic products do you use in your animatronics?

  • We do not use cheap low quality made in China generic pneumatics!   We “generally” stick to STC for our valves and fittings, SMC for flow controls, and American Air or Bimba for cylinders, and mounting hardware. This does not guarantee those suppliers as specific props may require different parts.  

Can you integrate my cylinders, valves, and pneumatic parts into your mechanisms?

  •  We "may" allow for customer supplied materials, but it will be on a case by case basis.  In many cases it is cheaper and more reliable to use our new products. Modifications to designs, using customer supplied parts, requires time and may effect the build total.

What PSI do you recommend for your mechanisms?

  • The majority of our larger Skeletal Animations require 120PSI. 
  • For Mechanisms, we design our mechanisms to run between 30-120 PSI, but the main factor is the weight of your prop;  you can adjust the PSI until the mechanism operates as designed, and then fine tune the movement speed via the included flow controls.   More information is available in the individual prop instructions.