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

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by curiousPJ to c/[email protected]

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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] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah i agree, i love american made stuff and enjoy keeping my money within the economy. But japan slaps america in the percision department, specifically for tools. Mitoyito makes great Messurment tools, and many trusted CNC's are made in japan. The only thing i think can top japan is Swiss. But only for certian things, i recently attended a seminar talking about swiss lathes. When the question "why is it called a swiss lathe?" Was asked it was defined by the very nice folks for iscar. It is called swiss because swiss engineers came up with the idea. There is a CMM seminar coming up that i plan to attend. And evidently switlerland can messure around 0.0000000 with a laser. Its pretty cool shit. Also i gotta add my Previous Machinist teacher, was a big american products first kinda guy. He swears by redwings and milwakee tools, But even he admits japan is the good shit for percision instraments. He also has recently be addicted to kaizan (i think thats how you spell it) he listens to audio books about some guy who makes a living off of going into plants and making stuff more effient. HES A BIG 5S ADDICT, go figure :D

[–] curiousPJ 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months 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.