Modernizing Manufacturing at Tri-Form, Inc (TFI). Ex McMaster-Carr.

Pittsburgh, PA
The more robotics engineers I talk to, the more I think the opportunity isn’t just precision bearings—it’s delivering complete bearing subassemblies with custom shafts, housings, spacers, seals, and hardware. Maybe it’s us. 🤔
Morgan Stanley: Bearings The Big Picture: Bearings as a Core Robotics Play > Architecture-Agnostic Growth: Bearings offer a diversified way to invest in the robotics sector because they are required regardless of a robot's ultimate design or form factor. > Massive Market Expansion: Morgan Stanley forecasts a massive ~300x growth in the robot bearings market through the year 2050. > Low Risk of Obsolescence: Bearings face very low substitution, in-sourcing, or obsolescence risks—you simply cannot design moving machines around them. > OpenAI Endorsement: In a recent Request for Proposal (RFP) for U.S.-based hardware manufacturing capacity, OpenAI listed precision bearings as 1 of 6 critical components in its robotics category. Content Scales with Robot Complexity > Bearings 101: Every single motor in a robot requires at least one or more bearings to reduce friction and support rotating parts. > Degrees of Freedom (DoF): As robots get more complex, the number of bearings multiplies. Small quadcopter drone: Requires 8–12 bearings. Humanoid robot: Requires 70 or more bearings. > Pricing Variability: Depending on the specific use-case, individual bearings can range from under $1 to as much as $100 Global Bearings Market Dynamics > Consolidated Supply: The top 6 global manufacturers control over 50% of the global roller market, with Chinese manufacturers making up about 25%. > Current Demand Split: Roughly 40% of the overall market goes to industrial equipment OEMs, 30% to automotive, and 30 to distribution channels
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First time at @reindsummit and my takeaway is simple: substance over hype. Execution over buzzwords. Meeting a lot of people doing genuinely impressive things, but would never know it from how they talk - refreshingly low ego crowd. Hope to be back in the years to come!
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“I realized I was going to end up like so many people, spending their entire lives moving money around. But this is America, where we make things. So I quit.” -@AntonioGracias
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gm we are going to win
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Heading to Reindustrialize. If you’re building onshore in aerospace, defense, energy, robotics, etc. and need a machining&fab partner with McMaster-level responsiveness, let’s connect. We are AS9100-certified supporting prototypes (qty 1) through production volumes. @reindsummit
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ONE WEEK OUT
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Marc Andreessen just revealed the Elon Musk philosophy that completely broke his brain: "The best product in the world shouldn't even need a logo." We all know Elon is relentless about quality. As Marc puts it: "Do you want the best car in the world or not, right? Like that's Elon's mentality... And it's working very well." But at a recent event, Elon took this mindset to a completely different level. He dropped a perspective so jarring that Marc initially thought it was a joke. Elon’s thesis? "You shouldn't even have to have your name on the product. It's just obvious. Everybody knows." The logic is brutal but simple. If you build the undeniable, undisputed best thing in the world, everybody uses it. And because everybody uses it, you don't need to slap your branding all over it to prove it's yours. Think about that. We spend endless hours agonizing over marketing, tweaking brand colors, and putting our logos on every square inch of what we build. But the ultimate flex isn't a flashy logo. The ultimate flex is building something so undeniably brilliant that its mere existence is the brand.
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Great clip. Markets don’t lie. They’re pulling a generation of builders back toward infrastructure, energy, defense—toward things that actually move the world. Reindustrialization isn’t a trend, it’s a necessity. #LetsBuild
TFTC
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CAD models and drawings rarely tell the full story. We visited one of our customers this week, and seeing their inspection systems assembled in person revealed a few opportunities to simplify the sub-assemblies. #manufacturing #PrecisionMachining #TFITuesday
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A tribute to those we have lost over the past year in Pittsburgh sports... #Oscars #InMemoriam
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Sending our thoughts and prayers to @RyanShazier, his family, the @steelers, and our Pittsburgh sports family. We're all behind you.
#50 Ryan Shazier has been taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a back injury. At this point, his status is unavailable.
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Long snapper Jake Olson made his debut for USC today. He's been blind since age 12. 🙏 nitter.net/BleacherReport/status/…
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Three months ago today... Schultz → Crosby → Kunitz → Stanley Cup Final
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How did @_TJWatt's first preseason game go? We'll let you be the judge... 😏
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Today's James Harrison offseason workout included pushing 1,800 pounds. Reminder: He's 39 years old.
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Re-live the magic. ✨ A new episode of In The Room airs TONIGHT after the Pirates game on @ROOTSPORTSPIT.
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We're officially in Chicago for the #NHLDraft! Make sure to watch Round 1 tonight at 7:00PM ET on NBCSN!
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Geno: Hey Phil, we're gonna win! Phil: I know. Geno: But Phil! Hey Phil! Phil: Please stop.
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Repost @Letang_58: "She's back where she belongs!!! PITTSBURGH BABY"
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