And that right there is the problem with trying to build a new product, if you don't have the infrastructure already in place to do it all(or most of it anyway). We're not talking little $20 widgets. We're talking trying to put together a machine for a market price of around $300K, that needs to be "High end" and you need to be profitable at it, so ideally it doesn't cost you $500K to make it(but the first few are gonna cost a LOT more than that in reality, likely well over a million)
From the initial post it isn't even a "beyond anything else already on the market" machine, just a regular machine in the 300K range with a USA sticker on it. Should all the parts for it be made in the USA? hopefully most of it. How many sources in the USA are left that are able to properly machine all the parts for CNC equipment, large castings and such, and are used to it enough that they can do it very economically on a low quantity order? Are they going to charge you $200/hr for 5hrs, of are they going to quote you 10K take it or go elsewhere? cause there's a LOT of that and sometimes you have no choice but to pay the crazy price. Good luck getting a deal on your controllers, motors, and such things you can't manufacture, if you're only buying a few of them.
Your market may be 10-50 unlikely 100units a year considering all the competition already in place with a name backing it. I have no doubt at all that many of the High End manufacturers have made certain models in their history, which have sold in low quantities that they quite likely never have broken even on, or certainly wouldn't have if they didn't have all the manufacturing equipment already in place making the bread and butter $$. Some of them can write it off to R&D and that is that, maybe it'll get recycled into something else in 10-20years and pay off then... Imagine how much $ was put into linear motors to apply it to cnc's, before it might have started to pay off for someone? And sometimes its on models that they may only sell what 5 of a year. Car manufacturers sure have made such models.
So, ok maybe you start like HAAS and in 20-50years you've accumulated enough equipment, capital, contacts, slowly making your way up and you can now do your dream project. You can afford to do it!!!. Sure it happens, that's how most companies have been made. And over time there will always be more of such companies, all over the world. I mean HAAS could probably even build a good high end machine now using their resources, put it under a new fresh name if they want to form a new reputation for that line, hope it sells and is worth the investment, and survive in the event if wasn't. But who else in the USA right now can? or will it take another 20-50yrs? ( I won't be buying machines by then
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BUT if today you decided that you will make in the USA a machine to compete with the already established manufacturers, forget about having built a company for the last 30yrs with a few billion in capital. You start TODAY, and maybe you want that product done in 5years(engineering, testing, etc). HOW would you ever get the $$$ to set up the infrastructure from scratch? we've already established that having it all outsourced isn't likely to be cost effective, and if you did you'd likely be stuck going to the exact same sources as everyone else who doesn't have the infrastructure is already using, in Taiwan and china. Hardinge seems to tell that story pretty well. And if it is so easy, how come NONE of the used to be high end manufacturers who had the infrastructure, didn't even manage to adapt? what happened? It was all there. Maybe the imports got better? nobody stopped them from coming in, US machines got pushed out like car manufacturers are going now? I just bought a new car, its made in Japan, it offered more than I could find in anything else. Sure would be ideal if the competition just vanished, but its not going to happen.
When I look at a cnc machine say in the 100-300K range. I actually think that many of them are very low priced in regards to how much of a machine you get. How much engineering, how many components each had to be made, assembled, handled, shipped, etc. You need to produce a heck of a lot of them to be able to sell a 4020 size VMC in the low $100k's(if not under a 100K) and make $ on it. I've seen way more than a 100K go into a part a person could lift, and everyone hoping it was gonna work in the end...