At this year’s IMTS, the American Precision Museum, located in Windsor, VT, is showcasing the history of precision manufacturing via a collection of fine historic American machine tools in Booth E-4783. A working machine shop will be at the center of its booth!
At this year’s IMTS, the American Precision Museum, located in Windsor, VT, is showcasing the history of precision manufacturing via a collection of fine historic American machine tools in Booth E-4783. This exhibit tells the story of the emergence of precision manufacturing in the Robbins & Lawrence (the museum’s Vermont location) era, when interchangeable parts were first actualized in large quantities for gun-making production, notes Sheila Brannan, Visitor Services. “From the end of the Civil War through the first half of the twentieth century, precision machine tools were put to use making a wide range of consumer goods,” Brannan comments. “You see the products of precision manufacturing everywhere. The industry that began in small New England shops has become international. What is its future? What are the connections between innovation and production, between technology and prosperity?”
At the center of the booth is the museum’s Working Machine Shop, staffed by student interns and supported by retired machinist volunteers. This project, now in its fifth year, is a partnership with the River Valley Technical Center (RVTC) in Springfield, VT, Brannan explains.” From the beginning, the Working Machine Shop has been a major attraction for museum visitors, and the educational opportunities go both ways,” she says. “The students learn from our visiting engineers and machinists; and in turn, through their demonstrations, make the machinery come to life for museum visitors using the historic machine tools from the museum’s collection and CNC trainers on loan from RVTC.”
I will be adding this to my must-visits next week!
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