(SIGH) Ok, here I go again... trying to explain the issue... again... Maybe this will help... I invite everyone to actually go over to the Sergent site and read the TEXT on the main page of their site under the heading "Availability of Investment Cast Products." No... better yet, I'll do the work myself and copy and past it all below... so PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND ATTENTATIVELY :
Many customers have noticed that although our investment cast products are listed as "Stock Items" they are not always in stock. Recently, this issue has been more serious as we are and have been for some time experiencing manufacturing problems with items made by that process. Please understand that we are trying to work through these problems and expect to have significantly more higher volume production capability when these come back on line. These problems have also delayed introduction of new products such as the type H coupler. Technology used to manufacture our investment cast items is state of the art. Sergent Engineering uses high speed 3D printers to produce parts one at a time. This allows us to provide a wide variety of variations of the product that simply would not be financially plausible with other manufacturing technologies due to tooling cost. This has also allowed us to quickly produce some special products for customers' unique circumstances. While some other companies have used similar technology to produce master patterns for soft tooling, Sergent Engineering is probably the only model railroad company to use the technology on a production basis. Perhaps we now understand why this technology is rarely used on a production basis. This technology works great when it works. However when troubles arise, causes of problems are not typically simple to identify and correct. This is where we are today. Stock levels on investment cast products are dwindling and production capabilities for replacements are offline. We will not give up on this technology because the products that it makes available would be non existent otherwise. We also have several new designs that are just waiting for the printers to come back on line. Please watch this space for updates that will be provided when available. Now, please note the parts that I have made bold (assuming the Yahoo group does not strip it). Also note the underlined texts and red texts. With that pointed out, I hope that Bill (and others) can now see that this is most definitely NOT (as he assumes) an issue of money... it is, as I have repeatedly stated, a legitimate problem with their production machines. If it were just a money issue, then because of the fact that their HO market is so much more rewarding than what the S market was and/or will be, then I'm sure there would not be so many of his HO production out of production and unavailable. But you see, their HO products are also suffering... so it is NOT a money issue. Any questions? If so, let'er rip. John Degnan [email protected] [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: Bill Lane To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2012 05:17 AM Subject: {S-Scale List} Update From Sergent 2.0 I exchanged quite a few emails with John Degnan over the weekend over a few things some of which included the Sergent coupler. It is John's quest - his Holy Grail to get a better coupler. You have to give it to John; once he decides he wants something he does not give up. John's first mention of Sergent in the group archives was 2006. I really do feel for him that something that is fundamental and a such a small part could take so long to be made. I know he is waiting for a "better" Sergent coupler but I don't think the old one is available either. I don't have a vested interest in this as I am happy with the Kadee and SHS couplers. To be blunt I would like it to happen so it is DONE and we can move on from it. But further I thought if John could get the SAL boxcar done with Sergent couplers on it he just might explode with happiness. Here is what I publicly propose - maybe with or without Johns approval. Sergent has long passed the accepted "NASG Standard" an S Scaler should have to wait to get ___ announced project in hand. No matter who you slice it, this stuff always comes down to MONEY. John has been very cordial and patient with Sergent but has not "turned up the heat". It is time to get out the checkbook and possibly DONATE (yes I mean give money and get nothing tangible for it) an investment to Sergent get this thing past a constant "next year" status. How annoying!...This year is better if you can make it happen. Get the contact info from John and start your own "get it done" NOW campaign. They are just small parts that do not cost THAT much to make. What is the hold up? Git R DUN! Thank You, Bill Lane
