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"A strive for continuous improvement" vs "good enough". How Japanese quality came to trump America post-ww2 (youtu.be)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/machinist

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I thought this was an extremely insightful documentary about why "Made in Japan" speaks volumes about quality versus the "Made in USA" counterpart. We as machinists are an intimate and integral component to the quality chain. Look around you, Japanese machines and tools dominate the precision market. Okuma, Yasda, Makino, Mazak, Mitsui-Seiki, dmg Mori (the Mori Part at least). While All American brands with the exception of Hardinge are left as a 'value' brand.

I never really liked the phrase "it's good enough". It always gives the impression to me that they've never really had to put something together and have it perform. I hear this all too much in job shops that make parts rather than assemblies. Never in Tool & Die. Sure, the component has a .010" tolerance but if the machinist was to hold everything within .001 or less, it makes assembly work a lot more consistent and predictable.

The linked video is part 2 of a 3 part video series.

Here is part 1 youtube

part 3 youtube

So what's your thoughts on quality? Does the shop you work at feel like they value your effort towards quality?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If you want to know more about laser measuring systems... Check out Laser Interferometry. Optics industry uses laser measuring systems like a Zygo interferometer all the time.

There was a machine called the Large Optical Diamond Turning Machine (LODTM) that was once considered the most accurate lathe in the world. It used laser interferometry to determine exact positioning down to angstroms. Kind of how modern machines can use scales to extract true position in a closed loop system.

Funny, You reminded me that a good majority of commercial diamond turning machines are based in the US. Namely Moore Nanotech and Precitech.