What do we make?

Internet & Technology

(continued)

One gift of the Saugeen area is the energy producing ability, both wind and nuclear.  We convert one form of energy into another.  As a by-product of this, the companies involved employ a lot of skilled trades and engineers.

North America does not make as many things as we used to and it is reaching crisis proportions.  'Tool Makers' in the broadest sense of the word are not respected by our society.  This was not always the case.  Tool making as we all know sets humans aside from other natural beings.

The far east is turning into the tool making centre of the world.  That's a big centre.  Europe is not as naive as Canada and the United States.  They still invest heavily in the manufacture of machine tools and controls.  In fact Germany remains one of the world's leaders in making tools.

The German educational system trains young men and women who want to work in skilled trades and technology as toolmakers and engineers.

Tool making has moved swiftly from the days of the steam powered belt driving mills and lathes.  It is now a sophisticated industry on par with anything that NASA does for space exploration.

The Germans have not lost their ability to make tools, nor have the Swiss and Swedes. 

We have linked to a video that shows a German Company that builds machine tools and uses sophisticated electronics and software from Siemens another German company.

(next column)

16/08/2009 11:41 AM

The key features to note are the following:

• The parts machined are very complicated and take multiple operations to complete.

• No time is wasted on the machines 'debugging' the part program (dry running).

• A simulator is used that exactly mimics the the motions and metal extractions of the tool to final part.  This allows the tool maker to create far more complicated parts in a shorter time period.  They call it a 'Virtual Machine'

• Efficiency and performance are the keys.  The process is automated.

So what's going on?  Tool Makers have always strived to make things easier. They make things directly or make the tools that make them.  What they do is hidden from us.  Look around and ask yourself:  "How was that made?" Unless you are familiar with modern tool making, you might as well be asking yourself:  "How were the Pyramids built?"

A society that does not honour and foster tool making cannot maintain their standard of living.  Lawyers and accountants don't make things, they monitor the process. Without tool makers, there is nothing to honour.

 Internet & Technology//Video Tool Making