We are in an era when science is pushing the frontiers back yet design and weight engineers are accepting weight penalties on metal sheets and plates because the producing mills have been unable to modernize or facilitize in such a way as to give them the closer tolerances that are required on today’s modern vehicles.

Overweight problems are becoming more critical as exemplified in a recent study of a future vehicle wherein the difference between two percent and three and one-half percent overweight meant forty percent of the pay load.

Yet, all of the producing mills have thrown up their hands in horror and say “No. It cannot be done”. A change in thinking is required. The mills cannot be expected to produce jewelers quality with boiler work equipment.

Precision grinding of sheet and plate to predetermine gauges and tolerances is possible and should be used.