Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Fultz
I don't really know what level of teams you are referring to as "elite" but I think you are really over-estimating the number of teams who have access to these machines and simply "get parts made".
If you talk to these "elite" teams I think you will find many of them are using basic manual mills, drill presses, lathes, etc. and making a lot of the parts themselves.
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I regard a team as "elite" as one that can more or less depend on making it to championships every year.
While there are exceptions to every rule, I have found that many of the high preforming teams in my area either have sponsors that machine a large number of parts for them, or have many CNC type machines that allow them to manufacture complex parts themselves. While I don't really want to turn this into another "ethics of fabrication" thread, ability to manufacture quickly seems to be a common element in teams that preform at a very high level year after year.