Sad to see racist yellow scare bogeyman stuff going on at every little thing. You really think Sherline had some amazing hobby lathe IP that was just so far intellectually beyond what an educational powerhouse of a country with 1.6 billion people could ever come up with?
Yes, I agree that China can copy Sherline’s IP and it’s a form of theft. An estimated 70-80% of the parts can probably be made in China. If you would like a breakdown I can provide it.
Sherline, for example, specifies spindle nose runout of 0.0005 inch or less and spindle end play around 0.0002 inch or less, using two 20-mm ball bearings with adjustable preload. That’s only about 13 µm runout. A Chinese factory can absolutely manufacture that.
Manufacturers such as SIEG took conventional lathe architecture and mass-produced it.
There is nothing original going on there lots of copying
But isn't this completely fine ? The US became an industrial powerhouse by doing the same. Even barred foreign inventors from obtaining parents in the US. The U.S. Patent Act of 1793 was explicitly structured to favor domestic industrial growth at the expense of foreign inventors. Provided total legal immunity within the U.S. for commercializing pirated ideas. Only when the US became #1, did international protection of its patents became a priority.
China merely followed the American approach towards industrial success.
The idea that ideas can be stolen and that doing so is wrong is fairly new and somewhat "unnatural". So the ethics of "stealing ideas" are not entirely well-defined. I think the only thing that almost everyone agrees on is that the person who had an idea first (or at least popularized it) should get recognition for it.
Huh? Patent systems go back hundreds of years! Yes nobody owns the idea of the lathe. We need to get past that. But for centuries, societies have recognized that someone who spends time and money developing a particular invention or manufacturing process can have legit rights to it
Its more: "Do as we say, not as we do". Lots of traditional techniques were appropriated and patented by the West and your nation deliberately ignored patents during its industrialization phase. But when the East that threw off the shackles of colonialism does so, oh my god, it is theft.
"Steal to get ahead, but suppress others who steal after you are ahead"
US removed the choke of colonialism 250 years ago and ignored patents freely until well into the 20th century. And even today, a foreign patent isn't automatically enforceable in America.
India had to fight extremely hard in USPTO to stop Indian turmeric from being patented. Perhaps you folks should go into Chinese offices and fight for years to be equitable.
firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
applfanboysbgon · · focus · HN ↗
firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
Sherline, for example, specifies spindle nose runout of 0.0005 inch or less and spindle end play around 0.0002 inch or less, using two 20-mm ball bearings with adjustable preload. That’s only about 13 µm runout. A Chinese factory can absolutely manufacture that.
Manufacturers such as SIEG took conventional lathe architecture and mass-produced it.
There is nothing original going on there lots of copying
lenkite · · focus · HN ↗
China merely followed the American approach towards industrial success.
firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
ahartmetz · · focus · HN ↗
firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
lenkite · · focus · HN ↗
"Steal to get ahead, but suppress others who steal after you are ahead"
firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗
lenkite · · focus · HN ↗
India had to fight extremely hard in USPTO to stop Indian turmeric from being patented. Perhaps you folks should go into Chinese offices and fight for years to be equitable.
firesteelrain · · focus · HN ↗