It's a mix of that, plus the the money and knowledge to do it safely on a large scale. Look into how they are made. To fill and cap them, they are assembled in small rooms just big enough for one person. These rooms are usually built on the side of the facility with a weak wall facing out so if it blows it doesn't harm anyone else. They seem like large coffins. The facility is usually out in the boonies as zoning in cities usually doesn't allow for high explosive use. Also apparently this is a job mostly filled with women as they tend to have more dexterity and concentration. So to increase production you need women living outside cities that are willing to work in dangerous and depressing conditions. Hard sell for most I'm sure. Looked into it a few years back as it seemed a business that will never run out of customers. It's not surprising you don't see new people in the market, only old dogs.
Things like making the components are of course made by semi automated presses but the actual assembly is controlled by hand. There was a large effort in the 90's and early 2000's to figure out how to automated the entire process. These all ultimately failed and were abandoned. The stuff is a high explosive, shit could go sideways easy in an automated machine with moving parts.
Why is that? Are primers just regulatory nightmares to produce?
It's a mix of that, plus the the money and knowledge to do it safely on a large scale. Look into how they are made. To fill and cap them, they are assembled in small rooms just big enough for one person. These rooms are usually built on the side of the facility with a weak wall facing out so if it blows it doesn't harm anyone else. They seem like large coffins. The facility is usually out in the boonies as zoning in cities usually doesn't allow for high explosive use. Also apparently this is a job mostly filled with women as they tend to have more dexterity and concentration. So to increase production you need women living outside cities that are willing to work in dangerous and depressing conditions. Hard sell for most I'm sure. Looked into it a few years back as it seemed a business that will never run out of customers. It's not surprising you don't see new people in the market, only old dogs.
I find it hard to believe any component of primers are still made by hand. The sheer volume of primers used must number in the billions every year.
Things like making the components are of course made by semi automated presses but the actual assembly is controlled by hand. There was a large effort in the 90's and early 2000's to figure out how to automated the entire process. These all ultimately failed and were abandoned. The stuff is a high explosive, shit could go sideways easy in an automated machine with moving parts.