CNC can do 95+% of the work in less than 5% of the time, allowing humans to do that last little bit(if it's worth it) and focus on important things like improving the entire system.
Do people actually enjoy the numb hands, sore backs, picking shards out of skin and hours and hours spent grinding out the bulk metal before you even get to the part that requires brainpower?
It's not one or the other; it's both focusing on what they're better suited to. S/F....Ken M
And here is the issue. You pay a 100% price for the CNC work and it's 95% (most time LESS than that). What Pittsburgh is seeing is exactly what I see.
Hell yes, if I could afford a CNC I would use it in a nanosecond. But I would FINISH the heads BEFORE they left me and not lie to the customer and tell him not to touch the ports.
I did read the interview with Larry Meaux (link is posted somewhere in the thread) and I have had 2 phone calls with him on surface finish. He said in the interview he has not done an A-B-A test on his finish. IIRC the interview is about 5 years old ands since then he has done SOME testing, but, IMHO, if he does not port at least 9 intakes to test, you really can't A-B-A them correctly.
I have tried to simulate (as close as possible) his finish and don't get the results he is seeing. Probably 5-6 reasons for that.
That's why you should find a head guy you can get along with, and do what he says.
CNC machines are nothing but computerized RE-production machines. As long as you understand a CNC finished head is still not finished, you'll be ok. You have a set of heads that have not reached their potential, but, by gar, they are CNC'd.
