Special purpose machinery is something that, as the name
suggests, is machinery used for a special purpose. In this article we'll
examine some unusual special purpose machinery and ask why it costs so much
when compared to mass produced machinery.
There are many instances in life when a special machine
needs to be constructed in order to perform a special function. It might be
that the machine is built to do the task and nothing else; this means the
machine would be redundant after the task is complete and would in all
likelihood go for scrapping - that is recycle the usable materials that
constitute it.
Firstly, let's tackle the question of cost. Designing,
testing and building special purpose machinery is very expensive when compared
to 'off the shelf' machinery. And 'off the shelf' machinery will have
manufacturing plants that have been set up to make the given item, and because
it will be sold to many buyers over a long period of time, savings will be made
and the cost of the product decreased. And special purpose machine design will have
development and manufacturing costs that need to be met very quickly as there
will be no continuing future sales; only the one and only sale for the special
purpose.
Now let's look at some examples of machinery that are made
for a single purpose. One very famous example in the UK is that of the
Eurotunnel - the tunnel that connects the United Kingdom to France. It was
constructed under 20 miles of sea between Folkestone and Calais. It took a very
long time to build and presented problems that had never been encountered
before, because no one had ever dug a tunnel this long under the sea before. It
remains the longest international tunnel, and the longest standard gauge
railway tunnel in the world.
In terms of special machinery, the Channel Tunnel needed
special boring machinery, which had to be assembled at the site of the tunnel
entrance, as the constituent parts were so big and heavy. This a prime example
of a piece of machinery that will be made, at great costs and then never be
used again.
The benefits, however, outweighed the cost, as we are now
able to get from London to Paris in 2.5 hours. The business is profitable too.
Special purpose machinery is important for projects such as
this, as they are the only way that certain things can be done.
Comments
Post a Comment