In the field of Precision Engineering, we continuously shoot for the next decimal place. We do this by building on the knowledge and accomplishments of those who came before us, i.e., we stand on the shoulders of giants. Quotes from several of the giants are listed below. We find these statements to be fundamental to the work we do. We enjoy them and we hope you will as well!
"When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in a number, you know something about it; when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the state of science.'
"That basic understanding in science depends on measurement" [Lord Kelvin, 1883]
"The pieces of our instrument are solid, but not rigid. If a solid piece is constrained in more than six ways it will be subject to internal stress, and will become strained or distorted, and this in a manner which, without the most exact micrometrical measurements, it would be impossible to specify." [James Clerk Maxwell, 1890]
"The measuring instrument is always to be constructed that the distance being measured is straight line extension of the graduations on the scale that serves as the reference" [Ernst Abbe, 1890]
The Bryan Principle: "A straightness measuring system should be in line with the functional point at which straightness is measured. If this is not possible, either the slideways that transfer the measurement must be free of angular motion or angular motion data must be used to calculate the consequences of the offset" [James Bevan Bryan, 1979]
Determinism: "The basic idea is that automatic machine tools and measuring machines are perfectly repeatable just like the stars. They obey cause and effect relationships that are within our ability to understand and affordably control. There is nothing random or probabilistic about their behavior. Everything happens for a reason. The list of reasons is small enough to manage by common sense, good metrology, and a reasonable investment of resources" [James Bevan Bryan, 1993]
Simple is Better: "That exotic methods should be the last resort and that the simplest possible solution is the best in the long run" [James Bevan Bryan, 1993]
"In the US the development of precision machines has grown from the Edison-Wright Brothers school of the yankee craftsman" [Hocken, 1982]
"The complete understanding of the behaviour of precision machines is necessary to predict the component dimensional errors." [Schellekens et al., 1998]
"If a machine is not performing as expected, the problem is thermal. And once you have convinced yourself that it is not, you are wrong." [Patterson]