I realize this topic has frequently come up regarding the availability of raw materials, consumables, hardware, etc.
However I am curious what everyone is experiencing in terms of availability and pricing of raw materials i.e. Aluminum, Steel, and other metals.
I am not a shop a owner, I am simply a machinist at a medium size shop catering mostly to Aerospace, with some tool and die work sprinkled in.
I surmise that prices have increased anywhere from 30-100% on average in the last two years. Currently, the availability of material has gotten extremely dire. Lead times have gotten longer and longer. With big chunks of aluminum, 7075, as well as 7050 taking very long times to procure. We have no shortage of work at my shop in fact we have a multi-year backlog. However, all of that is irrelevant if you can't make chips.
I started noticing these supply chain issues before Covid in 2019. Things got progressively worse from 2020 onward. At the height of the pandemic things were never as bad as they are now. I find this strange considering we are (most likely) on the tail end of this pandemic and restrictions have been lifted in the majority of places.
Is it the mills that aren't producing, the inability to source raw feedstock, energy prices, labor shortage, transportation and logistics issues, or big buyers purchasing everything in sight ? Most likely it is a combination of all these factors. I am curious what other people have to say.
However I am curious what everyone is experiencing in terms of availability and pricing of raw materials i.e. Aluminum, Steel, and other metals.
I am not a shop a owner, I am simply a machinist at a medium size shop catering mostly to Aerospace, with some tool and die work sprinkled in.
I surmise that prices have increased anywhere from 30-100% on average in the last two years. Currently, the availability of material has gotten extremely dire. Lead times have gotten longer and longer. With big chunks of aluminum, 7075, as well as 7050 taking very long times to procure. We have no shortage of work at my shop in fact we have a multi-year backlog. However, all of that is irrelevant if you can't make chips.
I started noticing these supply chain issues before Covid in 2019. Things got progressively worse from 2020 onward. At the height of the pandemic things were never as bad as they are now. I find this strange considering we are (most likely) on the tail end of this pandemic and restrictions have been lifted in the majority of places.
Is it the mills that aren't producing, the inability to source raw feedstock, energy prices, labor shortage, transportation and logistics issues, or big buyers purchasing everything in sight ? Most likely it is a combination of all these factors. I am curious what other people have to say.