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Scaling as in just let the machines run longer, normal hours to 24/7 or whatever is necessary, there's more room for a nuanced production if less people are involved right? For clarification I didn't mean scaling as in buying more machines, which I agree would likely require prohibitive investment.

Of course keeping a few machines in the wings is probably cheaper than overtime and unemployment.

[edit] I'd also like to know how difficult it would be to just switch the machine over to making cheaper, non-medical grade masks as demand changes?

[9HZZRfNlpR]

It doesn't work with specialized machinery like it does with servers aka "cloud". Machines that are reliable 24/7 workhorses cost money, when the demand is down you cannot share them over the internet so others can do something useful with them.

I suppose it's more realistic with cnc or 3d printing but even then it's not that simple mission, this small company wouldn't most likely try or want to be "aws but for x robots" : )

I suppose if you think about 3d printers, plastic molding, cnc, then we are slowly going to this direction.

[54351623]

I didn't mean renting them out but rather switch to masks that I assume have a higher demand with lower production standards.

I'd be willing to bet that you are right though and that the machines currently being used wouldn't be capable of producing much besides masks.