Why does tooling get destroyed?

[FK]

Consider the number of models that Spyderco has introduced and discontinued.

In addition, in today's production most of what we are discussing is not tool and die hardware but computer programs for CNC type of machines.

Regards,
FK

[Woodpuppy]

Tooling can be “destroyed” through wearing out or by accident; it doesn’t necessarily have to be intentionally destroyed. Like others have said, it doesn’t seem like the tooling for knives could take up that much space.

One other thought, perhaps some designer collaboration contracts require the tooling be destroyed after production ceases?

[Tucson Tom]

There are sort of two questions here. One is why tooling doesn't get saved forever (the answer being there is a cost to store things, take a look in my workshop if you don't think so). The other is why tooling gets destroyed. The second is more interesting. If something like that is being discarded, it almost has to be destroyed if you don't want it coming back to life in unexpected places. But that is not really what is being asked.

Part of me wants to take the "save everything" stance -- another part is OK with the idea that something is made for so long and that is it. If you want it, you will have to search and pay the price on the used market. It is sort of nice when something becomes rare and special rather than endlessly available. The whole idea of things being endlessly available is really an illusion anyway. I'm not upset that I can't go buy an Edsel.

[Tucson Tom]

They proceeded to then tell me

Ha ha. I wish I knew where you find all these things. Thanks for improving my already pretty good day.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Thanks. Some more comments:

Doc, that is a good point about the counterfeiters. Here is a scary hypothetical example for you: How would you all react if suddenly we began to see the market get flooded with circa 1990s-era Enduras and Delica Spyderco counterfeits? Spyderco probably had those melted down or something by now.

I do wish they were able to save everything and keep it stored somewhere. Imagine a giant "Vintage Spyderco Warehouse" the size of several airplane hangars that are packed floor to roof with blueprints, tool and die, jigs, and patterns and whatever else is used for each model of knife.

[yablanowitz]

Buy a giant warehouse with your own money. Buy the shelving and bins needed to store things like injection molding dies. Buy the material handling equipment to store and retrieve those things at a moment's notice. Hire workers to do that, and security guards to make sure nothing goes missing, and supervisors to keep the guards honest. Make arrangements to pay them all for as long as needed (i.e. forever). Once you have all that in place, go around offering to store old tooling (at your own expense of course) just to ensure it will always be available. You probably should add a cryogenic storage facility as well so you can store people who can actually utilize the tooling when it comes out of storage.

If nothing else, it would be a great way to eliminate the collector market, since nothing would ever go up in value, what with new replacements always being available.

[VashHash]

I know the vagabond tooling was actually modified to make the aqua salt fixed blades.

Another company used to cast titanium handles and eventually the molds just couldn't do it anymore. They were getting lots of voids in the finished product.

[archangel]

It may not be that big (could be though), but imagine that Spyderco has introduced around 250 folders, plus so many fixed blades.

Limited storage space, plus the fact that tools wear out, are probably the main reasons.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

What do they likely do with the old tooling? Have it melted down and remade into other tool patterns or sold off?

[flasharry]

I discussed this with a friend of mine who is a master machinist.. He said that nowadays, at least in his area of work, (high end muiti-axis CNC systems)
that all one needs to keep is the master digital CAD/CAM file. However he did say that in some manufacturing areas, tooling still is the preferred method, and that keeping old tooling (especially as its probably worn a bit away from original spec, after use - this was followed by a discussion on how CNC systems to some degree can compensate for tool wear, but it is better to replace the cutting tool within its rated life ) is not cost effective. Most old machine tooling he suggests, ends up as broken up and recycled as scrap.

[The Mastiff]

Just how big can tooling be? I never gave it much thought, but I assumed it wasn't all that big.

In the knife industry probably not all that big. We aren't talking about airplane bodies and wings but it would still add up. I'm not sure how expensive it breaks down to for storage and maintenance costs but if you are sure you aren't bringing the product back repurpose what you can, and scrap and recycle the remainder. I believe molds for FRN are likely to be the most expensive item and would be worth hanging onto if it can be used.

[silvershade255]

It's all about eliminating waste. Tools, molds, dies, etc for a discontinued product aren't producing any value. Even if it doesn't take up much space, that's still space that could be used for something that is adding value.