In the aerospace industry it’s common for OEM contracts and programs with their component suppliers to extend 10 years, 20 years, and sometimes even 40 years! The very nature of many, if not most, aerospace parts is that they demand efficient and productive metal removal rates – in tough materials; with tight tolerances; and with a reliable, robust, and automated process. The time and resources to dial the system in can take many months. There’s a huge investment by all parties to ensure that all aspects are operating as designed and built, essentially to press a button and walk away without a worry. And that’s exactly how it is for a year, two, maybe even four years. All is well.
Until it isn’t.