Page 90 - Copshaholm Curriculum Book_2015

Production
And

Manufacturing

Interchangeable Parts

In the early 1800’s, Eli Whitney came up with an idea that had a great impact on the
way goods were produced.

Before his idea of interchangeable parts, skilled workers who made each item by hand
from start to finish produced most goods. For example, a gunsmith worked long and
hard on each gun he made. First the stock was made, then the barrel, and also the
trigger. Each gun came out a little different, so if a part on a gun broke, the gunsmith
would have to make a new part for that particular gun. This took a lot of time.

Whitney’s idea was to build a machine that made each separate part of the gun. That
way, all the parts would be exactly alike. Each barrel would be the same length, and
stocks would be the same size and shape. If something broke, it could be easily
replaced.

Whitney’s idea of interchangeable parts made it possible to put together and repair
things quickly. This idea began with guns but soon spread to other industries.

The Assembly Line

In 1913, Henry Ford introduced the idea of the assembly line. In his automobile factory,
he had an assembly line where the frame of each car moved along on a moving belt.
Workers on each side of the belt added parts to the car. This allowed Ford to make
cars faster. He was then able to sell them for less than his competitors.