New Technologies +/ - ?

[Maryak]

Hi All,

Kermit's thread "A New Shop Being Born" led me to this observation.

Since my youth through to today, there appears to have been a change in the philosophy of the manufacture of almost everything.

To try and explain what I mean:

Previously raw materials were produced and then the finished article was obtained by removing the surplus from the original. The waste from this process was then thrown away or sold off as scrap. Much like we make our models.

The advent of new materials and technologies now permits the formation of many articles by building up from the raw material to the finished product without the creation of waste material.

The up side is a more affordable item produced at far less cost.

The downside seems to be that when the item fails and is disposed of, the ensuing waste is more toxic and has a very long half life before returning to an acceptable “safe” state. Not to mention all the jobs no longer required in its’ manufacture.

From Frank’s 30 ft whatevers to Kermit’s bench top demonstrates how deep these new materials and technologies have influenced the way things are done.

Best Regards
Bob

 

[Kermit]

All I hear is blah blah blah KERMIT blah blah blah KERMIT


I heard my name twice... I'm a happy camper now.




I just hope they were saying something good.

 

[tel]

'It's not easy being green' ;D

Actually Bob, the process could be said to have started when they started using castings rather than chewing things out of huge billets of stock.

 

[black85vette]

I think your observation is right and might be accompanied by this: I have seen over my career the decline in highly skilled people. So, bulk raw materials were turned into products by skilled craftsmen. As technology progressed engineers found materials and methods that reduced both and thus reduced cost and increased production. The downstream effect of this is that highly skilled people are not needed to repair the equipment either, because the cost of mass production is lower than the cost of labor to repair.

Electronics has undergone this transition. We used to troubleshoot down to the last component and replace a 25 cent part because the cost of the circuitry was hundreds of dollars. Now a circuit board can be produced by a robot at under one dollar and it is not cost effective to repair it. Not to mention the specialized and proprietary parts that are now used and unavailable to do a repair and how tiny the parts are. So, we see young guys in the industry now with less ability to troubleshoot at the component level. I suspect many skilled trades have seen this happen.

Maybe that is why there are hobbies like ours. People who take pride in being craftsmen and the work they can produce with their own hands. At least with our hobbies we can't become obsolete.

 

[bentprop]

I assume you're referring to the many everyday items now made from some type of plastic,Bob.
Luckily,new processes mean most plastics can now be recycled.
The biggest problem I think is what to do with electronic items,specifically those containing a circuit board.These can't generally be reused,so will need to be buried in a landfill.With some components containing toxic substances,this will come back to haunt our descendants.
Another problem is presented by batteries.I believe the only plant for recycling is in France,which means it's uneconomic to ship used ones from most areas.In my humble opinion,the manufacturers of these should be made responsible for the cost of sending them back for recycling.This will of course be added to the initial cost,but that might make consumers think twice about single use items,and their problems in disposal.
Anyway,here's a little tip for the home foundry people among us:The alloy case used in computer hard drives is a high grade aluminium,and apparently well suited to be raw material for ally casting.

 

[fdew]

Well, in the case of Polymer concrete for a machine tool there are a lot of nice advantages from a green standpoint.

The polymer concrete has replaced cast iron, so instead of lots of heat, molten metal. ETC you have a pile of nice natural rocks and a small amount of epoxy, 7%). Precision surfaces are molded in needing just a skin cut to bring them to specification, or they are epoxied on.
Therefor there is a lot less energy used to make these parts.

When they are done being machines, you can use them as fill (They are inert) or crush them back into rocks.

Frank

 

[David Morrow]

<snip>

Maybe that is why there are hobbies like ours. People who take pride in being craftsmen and the work they can produce with their own hands. At least with our hobbies we can't become obsolete.

But then there are guys like me who make most parts with a CNC mill. I wouldn't be here if everything I wanted to make had to be made manually. By way of similar logic, I'm an accountant during the day and if I had no computer, I'd still be working on 1994 tax returns and financial statements. The skill sets just change with the technology and the technology frees us to do more thinking and planning - higher level things, and less cranking on hand wheels sharpening pencils.

 

[Stan]

Bentprop:
This week I hauled 3 monitors and two TVs to the local recycle place. I was surprised to find a building about 40' X 100" full of baskets on pallets (4'x4'x4') and each one full of old electronics. I have no idea where they go for recycling but maybe to the Chinese places shown on shows like 60 minutes.

I live in a small city (25, 000) and there is obviously a lot of old electronics being thrown out. On the other hand, I just bought a 32" LCD TV for $350.00 and paid a $30.00 non refundable recycling fee. You are right in that the end user will pay all the cost of recycling or putting it in the landfill. That is a major cost of the throw away society that we created. When it is cheaper to buy a new TV than replace a small component, or replace a car alternator instead of replacing a bearing, then there is something wrong with our economic system.

 

[cobra428]

Hey Bob,
As of about 2 years ago there is a new "law" for manufacturing stuff. RoHS (Removal of Hazardous Substances). No lead no chromium no no Tin Lead solder no no no......... Recycle recycle recycle! This is a world wide effort in mfg'ing. So there are things we engineers are doing to help the environment!
Tony

 

[abby]

We have come an incredible distance since man first hammered an iron meteorite into a tool . When Abraham Derby discovered how to use coke to melt iron he kick started the industrial revolution , for better or worse. Nations in the west are now entering what I believe is the post industrial revolution and technologies are proceeding to the point where the "replicator" of science fiction is not so far away. There are now machines which can make the most complex parts in titanium or super alloys by fusing metal powders using a laser, as good as castings and to much better size tolerances , these parts are strong enough to see service in aircraft engines , perhaps one day the model engineer will be able to have such machines in the shed.
The machines may change but the creative spirit which makes us want to persue the hobby will remain the same, and that glow of satisfaction that makes you spend hours just looking at something you have made will hopefully always be there.

 

[CrewCab]

perhaps one day the model engineer will be able to have such machines in the shed.

I live in hope 8)

The machines may change but the creative spirit which makes us want to persue the hobby will remain the same, and that glow of satisfaction that makes you spend hours just looking at something you have made will hopefully always be there.

Well said, welcome to the collective

CC