The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
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Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#2Book recommendation: When the Machine Stopped, by Max Holland
Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#3On top of the issues highlighted, I think an overly cautious ITAR regime didn't help. The state of the art CNC machines all trip over this on a whim. North Korea responded by building their own CNC machine tool industry, for example.
Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#4How’s basing the US economy on services looking now?
My brother is an extremely skilled machinist, the sort who could build machine tools if he had the resources. And let me tell you there ain’t many of them, especially not young ones. Why? Because the US has emphasized college as the only respectable education path, as well as the only path to well paid jobs. That’s how you end up with a manufacturing industry full of lazy knuckleheads (and believe me I’ve got the stories to back this assertion).
Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#5I have a sense that manufacturing is not coming back until there is a real Cold War 2.0 (or Hot War 3.0 which hopefully never realizes). I mean a real one, like the NATO-WP one when there was not a lot of trading between the two blocs.
Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#6How’s basing the US economy on services looking now? My brother is an extremely skilled machinist, the sort who could build machine tools if he had the resources. And let me tell you there ain’t many of them, especially not young ones. Why? Because the US has emphasized college as the only respectable education path, as well as the only path to well paid jobs. That’s how you end up with a manufacturing industry full…
I have plenty of stories of programmers being lazy knuckleheads. The industry is full of them.
Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#7How’s basing the US economy on services looking now? My brother is an extremely skilled machinist, the sort who could build machine tools if he had the resources. And let me tell you there ain’t many of them, especially not young ones. Why? Because the US has emphasized college as the only respectable education path, as well as the only path to well paid jobs. That’s how you end up with a manufacturing industry full…
> How’s basing the US economy on services looking now?
You mean the worlds strongest, most developed and most successful economy?
Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#8How’s basing the US economy on services looking now? My brother is an extremely skilled machinist, the sort who could build machine tools if he had the resources. And let me tell you there ain’t many of them, especially not young ones. Why? Because the US has emphasized college as the only respectable education path, as well as the only path to well paid jobs. That’s how you end up with a manufacturing industry full…
And this isn’t going to change overnight. You know what I’m talking about.
Most of the good machinist knowledge in America has retired, if not already literally died.
And mechanical engineers in the US largely don’t have the hands on skill to really understand making these machines. Not that that can’t gain it.
But to achieve truly high precision (the pinnacle from which all other percussion is derived) is an extreme art form. CNC doesn’t come close. The state of the art (and has been for eons) is hand scraping: https://www.krcmachinetoolsolutions.com/machine-tool-scrapin...
Things used to be made better because people cared about making a good product and took pride in their work. This is especially true in the machine tool industry: don’t try to make it in the field if you don’t really legitimately care.
Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#9How’s basing the US economy on services looking now? My brother is an extremely skilled machinist, the sort who could build machine tools if he had the resources. And let me tell you there ain’t many of them, especially not young ones. Why? Because the US has emphasized college as the only respectable education path, as well as the only path to well paid jobs. That’s how you end up with a manufacturing industry full…
Crushing unions is partly to blame here. I've got relatives whose families have been working in the mining industry for a few generations. They all lament the good old days that are long gone now.
Re: The Decline of the U.S. Machine-Tool Industry and Prospects for Recovery (1994)
#10How’s basing the US economy on services looking now? My brother is an extremely skilled machinist, the sort who could build machine tools if he had the resources. And let me tell you there ain’t many of them, especially not young ones. Why? Because the US has emphasized college as the only respectable education path, as well as the only path to well paid jobs. That’s how you end up with a manufacturing industry full…
> How’s basing the US economy on services looking now?
It looks really hollow, like we will be over a barrel when we experience a real embargo. I wish your brother all the luck in the world, I think his time will come soon because at the very minimum having guys like him on our team keep us from getting gouged to death.