The modern alchemical engineer thinks little of the design of gripper arms themselves, save when cursing length limits, and it is through the diligence of our forebears that transmutation can be so widespread. Grippers, pistons, and track are now so reliable and can move molecules so large that we rarely ever think about the mechanical limitations, to the point where reaching one is a now a curious novelty instead of a serious cause for complaint. But this was not always the case. Maximos Critelli himself may have had to be concerned about the mechanical age of a gripper arm--its total arm-hours of wear--when using it in a machine. This measurement was also applied to tracks at the time, comparably applicable.

I've built a machine to be run on antique engines. Some still have much useful life left in them, if one is careful to minimize track-arm-hours. Tarcles, let's call them.

- Alchemist Kazyan, /u/StillNotABrick