Machine Tool Industry Did It Make a Difference?.
Did the making of machines help manufacturing? As you read on keep this point in mind and see if you can find the answer yourself.
David Wilkinson the founder of the machine tool industry is responsible for a great amount of discoveries. As a child he was already known as a mechanical genius as he worked in his fathers blacksmith shop full time. At the age of 23 he and another mechanic invented the steamboat. Also when Sam Slater hired him to build the parts for textile machinery he was able to help with the American Revolution.
Wilkinson and Slater went into the textile business and really boosted the manufacturing industry. Not only did Wilkinson help perfect the textile machines; he also designed and built the sliding rest lathe for cutting screws. With this he was able to cut the screws more accurately and consistently and ensuring more standard product. Why is this important? Screws that were exact to others were used in the manufacturing of machines. Having a standard cut screw allowed for products to become more uniform.
With Wilkinson and other mechanics inventing machines that took over humans place they were able to make things faster. As time went on manufacturing exploded because they were able to make things three times faster with machines then with people hand crafting everything.
Another example of the machine tool industry was the creation of standard parts used in the musket industry by Eli Whitney. Whitney discovered that hand made components used for guns were unreliable. If a part broke another could not be made to exact fit. Whitney discovered the machine tool industry that created interchangeable parts that could fit on any gun made to a certain specification.
So in conclusion today and into the future we can really see how the machine tool industry helped the manufacturing industry. Making things that seemed impossible possible.