Remembering a teacher

In the previous issue’s Manager’s Desk, Keith Jennings, president of Crow Corp., wrote about the trials and tribulations when long-time shop employees become seriously ill or die. 

The stark reality for all humans is that the Grim Reaper will eventually pay a visit, completing the circle of life.

Nonetheless, I was saddened to hear about the passing of David A. Dornfeld, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, who died of a heart attack on March 27 at age 66. Although I never met him, I considered him to have a brilliant mind and be a great editorial source—someone who returned my phone calls and had something intelligent to say. 

For example, in one of my interviews with Dornfeld, he spoke about automated finishing operations. He recalled talking to engineers at an aircraft-engine manufacturer who were investigating edge finishing on complicated but repeatable operations—ones, he said, “where you can’t rely on the usual slop of a robot or a soft brush. You’ve got to actually try to control the geometry that you’re creating. 

“The bottom line is, of course, anything you can get under control in terms of the design and of the tolerances and specifications on the part make it inherently much easier to automate because you have less variability, which means it is less likely to be inappropriately gripped in a gripper or seated in a fixture or carrying device that presents it to the next stage of the process,” he continued. “That’s where the Japanese have always been sort of experts at these kinds of things.”

While not earthshattering, it’s well-spoken and makes sense, as can be said of his other thoughts—page after page of them in my interview transcriptions.

Apparently Dornfeld had an affinity for Japan and Japanese culture. In an obituary for Dornfeld (tinyurl.com/Berkeley-Dornfeld), Daniel McGlynn of UC Berkeley wrote, “In 1986, Dornfeld, along with mechanical engineering professor Masayoshi Tomizuka, organized a meeting in Japan called the Japan USA Symposium on Flexible Manufacturing, which continues biannually to this day.”

Dornfeld also penned a book in 2008, titled “The Path of Precision: Machine Tools and the Products They Create,” to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Japanese machine tool builder Mori Seiki Co. Ltd. 

“Manufacturing is, on the one hand, a very simple and straightforward conceptual conversion of shapes to yield a final product,” he stated in the forward. “On the other hand, it is an incredibly complex evolution of shapes, materials and surfaces. … The book tries to cover this range so that an appreciation for the sophistication of manufacturing and machine tools is gained without trying to teach a graduate course on the topic.” 

After I read the handsomely illustrated book, I felt he achieved that.

When contemplating my remaining time, my thoughts wander to advice found on the label of some beer bottles from Lagunitas Brewing Co. “Life is uncertain. Don’t sip.” I’ll think of those words while raising a glass in memory of David Dornfield.