I apologize if I have offended, I do not want to generalize.
Also I do not want to contradict world experts that we all have the highest opinion of.
For me "CNC" (computer numerical control) is anything that runs on G-Code including
specific-task machines, with or without sensory feedback to control its movements.
I am not speaking about the general-use devices that machine arbitrary aspherical surfaces
to 100 nanometer precision, which I agree would be too inefficient and would normally need
annealed materials to achieve the advertised specifications.
I have not gone to the factories in question myself, all I have are hearsay from various sources
on my side of the pond. Mastering automation technology means the ability to build machines
that can do the specific tasks, with all the quality control steps of that particular job, and this
leads to increases in productivity and quality which no longer will be affected quite so much
by variations in the skills of the workers involved, and which also allows a wide variety of
optical products to be released simultaneously and in volume. No one doubts that this has
been mastered already, to higher and higher levels of proficiency.
The quality of the glass material is improving in my opinion. Also that would match the opinions I
have heard from the glass manufacturers who compete in that part of the world. There are even very
specific types of optical crystals where the samples that I have purchased are unequaled anywhere else
in the world, one must note the long history and tradition of, e.g., jade and glass that certain countries have,
this is improvement that I have seen over the last 15-20 years. But I do not want to contradict anything,
since experts can see much more than we can by looking at samples of the shipped products.
But I repeat, I completely agree that the high-quality US mirrors that I own myself have
higher levels of performance. This is also a generalization, but what can I do about it.
Edited by X3782, 08 August 2018 - 11:59 AM.