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A typical day

In the tool room by 7am. Study the CAD (computer-aided design) model and drawings, then machine, grind and fit the steel blocks and components of a die or mould. Much of the day is slow, careful work: grinding a surface flat to a few thousandths of a millimetre, fitting parts by hand with a file and marking compound, checking with gauges. Near a launch you spend days at the press running tryout parts and shaving steel until the part comes out right.