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Comment by barelyauser | Hacker News Reader

Precision is a marvelous thing. Every detail must be accounted for. I remember reading a brochure about surface plates (a reference of flatness), and the body heat of the person handling it would be accounted for.

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Check out this classic text which is almost required reading for anyone working with precision mechanical stuff. It mentions ways to measure and machine parts down to millionths of an inch, and stuff like mills and lathes using temperature-controlled cutting fluid.

“Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy” Wayne R. Moore – 1970

https://archive.org/details/FoundationsOfMechanicalAccuracy

Used copies can go for incredible prices, but the book is still available new from Moore Tool: https://mooretool.com/publications.html

Highly recommended.

OK. But still $190!

Thanks to Archive.org for historical machine shop books, https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22machine+shop%2...

Some of the highest precision manufacturing in our country is located in extremely rural areas because nearby highways introduce too much vibration otherwise. Even relatively humdrum spindle assembly is typically done in clean rooms to make sure no dust gets in the bearings. Super high precision machining is even more extreme. It's a wonderful thing to dive into but it also makes me happy to be in software sometimes. (That said, my friends in machining are happy they're not in software so take that as you will :)

IBM built some very isolated labs in buildings not far from the rail lines and highway in Zurich. When I heard about it I wondered if it might have been cheaper to build elsewhere.

https://spectrum.ieee.org/ibm-goes-for-world-record-in-noise...

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