ferg, your mostly correct, but it is not restrictive! not much restriction at all for how its all placed. and yes, the block is soo easily produced! The channel width is kinda odd though. 1.05" probably 3mm or something. All it takes to produce that block is 2 passes on the top, side, plunge all the holes with the end mill, and mill around it with the same end mill, no tool changes. to mill out the pocket below the barbs, there again, no tool changes. The only time where there is tool changes is on the bottom. They flip it over, mill around it again, change to the fly cutter or other large face cutter, run a pass on that, and change and cut the recess for the socket.
In the maze 3, It takes 2 cutters to cut the channels, The one that is used to make the design in the bottom one would be used to cut the O-ring groove, and then you gotta put a 1/8 or al ittle smaller drill bit in to drill the tapped holes, then drill the mounting holes with 3/16, then flip over and mill the base. this is all after the material is sized. With the maze4, you only have to zero 2 of the 3 axises, and make the other close.
it would take probably 2 passes to make the main channels in the maze3, and one to cut the design. The toolchange probably takes as long as to cut the design if its manual.
I really expected much better from them. The majority of the flow is around the core, not over it. I have a waterblock to make now, see if a simple similar design will outperform it, and how by how much.
Jon