Comment by jjk166
2 months ago
> They're cut from hardened steel using wire EDM, a process that erodes metal with controlled electrical sparks, achieving tolerances within a few microns.
They're made by sinker EDM, not wire. The physics are similar but it's a radically different process.
> But in an assembly system like LEGO's, small errors accumulate. Stack ten bricks end-to-end and the cumulative tolerance is ten times larger.
That's not how these tolerances work. The super tight tolerance is the interference fit on the stud. This is a diameter. You don't stack diameters together. Each connection is independent. Where you can get tolerance stackup is brick height and stud spacing. Although even here random errors tend to cancel out as you mix lots.
>LEGO's system reveals timeless truths about manufacturing. Process control beats precision machining. A stable, repeatable process produces better results than chasing the tightest possible mold tolerances. Invest in monitoring rather than just tighter specs.
The whole article says the opposite. Lego relies on precision machining and tight tolerances. Process control is necessary in addition to these.
I could be wrong but this article reads like AI. I don't understand why its getting upvotes.
The whole article makes me mad when they factually get so much wrong. Like I had to stop reading.