Machine tool builder: Difference between revisions

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The industry then grew into the earliest corporate builders such as [[Brown & Sharpe]], the [[Warner & Swasey Company]], and the [[Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems|original Pratt & Whitney company]]. In all of these cases, there were product manufacturers who started building machine tools to suit their own inhouse needs, and eventually found that machine tools had become product lines in their own right. (In cases such as B&S and P&W, they became the main or sole product lines.)

In contrast, [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]] and [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] are good examples of product manufacturers that made significant advances in machine tool building while serving their own inhouse needs, but never became "machine tool builders" in the sense of having machine tools become the products that they sold. National-Acme was an example of a manufacturer and a machine tool builder merging into one company and selling both the machines and the products that they made ([[automatic lathe|screw machines]] and fasteners).<ref name="Rose1990pp564-565">{{Harvnb|Rose|1990}}, [httphttps://books.google.com/books?id=IT1NVT1vEwUC&lpg=PA564&ots=ZjyLeSiwXo&dq=Reinhold%20Hakewessel&pg=PA564#v=onepage&q&f=false pp. 564–565].</ref><ref name="Ro|lt1965pp169-170">{{Harvnb|Rolt|1965|pp=169–170}}.</ref> [[Hyundai Group|Hyundai]] and [[Mitsubishi]] are [[chaebol]] and [[keiretsu]] conglomerates (respectively), and their interests cover from ore mine to end user (in actuality if not always nominally).

Until the 1970s, machine tool builder corporations could generally be said to have nationality, and thus it made sense to talk about an American machine tool builder, a German one, or a Japanese one. Since the 1970s, the industry has [[globalization|globalized]] to the point that assigning nationality to the corporations becomes progressively more meaningless as one travels down the timeline leading up to the present day; currently, most machine tool builders are (or are [[Subsidiary|subsidiaries]] of) [[multinational corporation]]s or [[Conglomerate (company)|conglomerates]]. With these companies it is enough to say "multinational corporation based in country X", "multinational corporation founded in country X", etc. Subcategories such as "American machine tool builders" or "Japanese machine tool builders" would be senseless because, for example, companies like [[Hardinge, Inc.|Hardinge]] and [[Yamazaki Mazak Corporation|Yamazaki Mazak]] today have significant operations in many countries.

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Major trade shows of the industry include IMTS ([[International Manufacturing Technology Show]], formerly called the International Machine Tool Show) and [[EMO (trade show)|EMO]] (French ''Exposition Mondiale de la Machine Outil'', English "Machine Tool World Exposition"). There are also many smaller trade shows concentrating on specific geographical regions (for example, the Western US, the mid-Atlantic US, the Ruhr Valley, or the Tokyo region) or on specific industries (such as shows tailored especially to the [[moldmaker|moldmaking]] industry).

== WorksHistorical onstudies of machine toolstool building ==

EarlyIn the early 20th century, [[Joseph Wickham Roe]] (1916) wrote a seminal classic of machine tool history, ''English and American Tool Builders'' (1916),<ref name="Roe1916">{{Harvnb|Roe|1916}}.</ref> which is extensively cited by later works,. TwentyAbout 20 years later Roe (1937) published a biography of a[[James machineHartness]] tool(1937)<ref buildername="Roe1937">{{Harvnb|Roe|1937}}</ref> that also contains some general history of the industry. AlsoIn Colvin (1947), wrote[[Fred H. Colvin]] published a memoir, ''Sixty Years with Men and Machines'',<ref name="Colvin1947">{{Harvnb|Colvin|1947}}.</ref> that contains quite a bit of general history of the industry.

[[L. T. C. Rolt]]'s 1965 monograph, ''A Short History of Machine Tools'',<ref name="Rolt1965">{{Harvnb|Rolt|1965}}.</ref> is a widely read classic, as are the series of monographs that Robert S. Woodbury published during the 1960s, which were collected into a volume in 1972 as ''Studies in the History of Machine Tools''.<ref name="Woodbury1972">{{Harvnb|Woodbury|1972}}.</ref>

In the second part of the 20th century Moore (1970) wrote about the Moore family firm, the Moore Special Tool Company, who independently invented the [[jig borer]] (contemporaneously with its Swiss invention), and Moore's monograph is a seminal classic of the principles of machine tool design and construction that yield the highest possible [[accuracy and precision]] in machine tools (second only to that of [[metrology|metrological]] machines). The Moore firm epitomized the art and science of the [[tool and die maker]].

In the1970, second part of the 20th century[[Wayne Moore (1970swimmer)|Wayne R. Moore]] wrote about the Moore family firm, the Moore Special Tool Company, who independently invented the [[jig borer]] (contemporaneously with its Swiss invention), and. Moore's monograph, ''Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy'',<ref name="Moore1970">{{Harvnb|Moore|1970}}.</ref> is a seminal classic of the principles of machine tool design and construction that yield the highest possible [[accuracy and precision]] in machine tools (second only to that of [[metrology|metrological]] machines). The Moore firm epitomized the art and science of the [[tool and die maker]].

Noble (1984) is one of the most detailed histories of the machine tool industry from World War II through the early 1980s, relayed in the context of the social impact of evolving automation via NC and CNC. And Hounshell (1984) wrote one of the most detailed histories of the machine tool industry from the late 18th century through 1932. Not comprehensive in terms of firm names and sales statistics (like Floud focuses on), but extremely detailed in exploring the development and spread of practicable interchangeability, and the thinking behind the intermediate steps. Extensively cited by later works.

[[David F. Noble]]'s ''Forces of Production'' (1984)<ref name="Noble1984">{{Harvnb|Noble|1984}}.</ref> is one of the most detailed histories of the machine tool industry from World War II through the early 1980s, relayed in the context of the social impact of evolving automation via NC and CNC. AndAlso Hounshellin (1984), wrote[[David A. Hounshell]] published ''From the American System to Mass Production'',<ref name="Hounshell1984">{{Harvnb|Hounshell|1984}}.</ref> one of the most detailed histories of the machine tool industry from the late 18th century through 1932. NotIt comprehensivedoes innot termsconcentrate ofon listing firm names and sales statistics (likewhich Floud's 1976 monograph<ref name="Floud1976">{{Harvnb|Floud|2006}}.</ref> focuses on), but rather is extremely detailed in exploring the development and spread of practicable interchangeability, and the thinking behind the intermediate steps. ExtensivelyIt is extensively cited by later works.

More recently Holland (1989) wrote a history most specifically of Burgmaster, which specialized in turret drills; but in telling Burgmaster's story, and that of its acquirer Houdaille, Holland provides a history of the machine tool industry in general between World War II and the 1980s that ranks with Noble's coverage of the same era (Noble 1984) as a seminal history. Later republished under the title ''From Industry to Alchemy: Burgmaster, a Machine Tool Company.

MoreIn recently1989, Holland (1989) wrotepublished a history, ''When the Machine Stopped'',<ref name="Holland1989"/> that is most specifically ofabout Burgmaster, (which specialized in turret drills); but in telling Burgmaster's story, and that of its acquirer [[Houdaille Industries|Houdaille]], Holland provides a history of the machine tool industry in general between World War II and the 1980s that ranks with Noble's coverage of the same era (Noble 1984)<ref name="Noble1984"/> as a seminal history. LaterIt was later republished under the title ''From Industry to Alchemy: Burgmaster, a Machine Tool Company''.

== See also ==

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{{Reflist}}

== Further readingBibliography ==

{{sfn whitelist |CITEREFNoble1984}}

* {{Colvin1947}}

* {{citation | last = Floud | first = Roderick C. | authorlink = | year = 2006 | origyearorig-year = 1976 | title = The British Machine Tool Industry, 1850-1914

| publisher = Cambridge University Press | ___location = Cambridge, England | url = http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70251252 | isbn = 978-0-521-02555-3 | lccn = 2006275684 | oclc = 70251252 }}.

* {{Holland1989}}

* {{Hounshell1984}}

* {{Citation |last=Moore |first=Wayne R. |author-link=Wayne Moore (swimmer) |title=Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy |publisher=Moore Special Tool Co. |___location=Bridgeport, Connecticut, USAUS |year=1970 |edition=1st |lccn=73127307 }}.

* {{Noble1984}}

* {{Roe1916}}

* {{citation | last = Roe | first = Joseph Wickham | title = English and American Tool Builders | publisher = Yale University Press | year = 1916 | ___location = New Haven, Connecticut | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=X-EJAAAAIAAJ&printsec=titlepage | lccn = 16011753}}. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 ({{LCCN|27024075}}); and by Lindsay Publications, Inc., Bradley, Illinois, (ISBN 978-0-917914-73-7).

* {{Roe1937}}

* {{Rolt1965}}

* {{Citation | last = Rose | first = William | year = 1990 | title = Cleveland: the making of a city | publisher = Kent State University Press | isbn = 978-0-87338-428-5 | url=httphttps://books.google.com/books?id=IT1NVT1vEwUC&lpg=PA564&dqq=Reinhold%20Hakewessel&pg=PA564#v=onepage&q&f=false }}

* {{Citation |last=Jerome |first=Harry |year= 1934 |title=Mechanization in Industry |journal=NBER |publisher=US National Bureau of Economic Research |___location= Cambridge, Massachusetts, USAUS |url=httphttps://www.nber.org/books/jero34-1 |postscript=.}}

* Ryder, Thomas and Son, ''Machines to Make Machines 1865 to 1968'', a centenary booklet, (Derby: Bemrose & Sons, 1968)

* {{citation | last = Woodbury | first = Robert S. | year = 1972 | authorlink = | title = Studies in the History of Machine Tools | publisher = MIT Press | ___location = Cambridge, Massachusetts, USAUS, and London, England | isbn = 978-0-262-73033-4 | lccn = 72006354 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/studiesinhistory00robe }}

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