Ford developed & refined previous techniques (mostly those used at the Springfield armoury, IIRC) to produce the first true assembly line.
Nooo, as I said the RN invented production lines and mass mechanical production way before the american civil war and before Ford was a glint in the milkmans eye FNG
Turning out wooden blocks can scarcely be compared in scope and complexity to building automobiles by the millions. ps.. I haven't been able to find a source for the RN production lines you refer to, would you have one handy?
This one is great and has pictures, shows the machines, the products and explained how they worked. I see no difference except the product between this and the springfield armoury that followed and the Ford Factory that is quoted as being the first production line. http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/stories/enlightenment_and_measurement/05.ST.02/?scene=3 As usual we brits got their first, and the US got the credit via better marketing and publicity. FNG
as usual? first- this story is known The scope is different, buildings and buildings from raw steel and rubber- to finished product.. Second, go back through this list and find other 'instances' Mr Edison is waiting to hear from you..
FNG wrote: Thanks for the interesting link. I learned something new Note however the reasons in the article as to why it didn't catch on in England. It wasn't better marketing and publicity by the US but the recognition of how best the innovation could actually be exploited and developed combined with a society not fettered by outmoded class distinctions and labor unrest (somethings never change it seems) There is no doubt also that the assembly line that turned out automobiles with parts suppliers and assemblers cordinating an extremely complex process was a quantum leap ahead of a wooden block asssembly line.
but by your own comments the Ford lines where a quantum leap from the Springfield armoury yet the principals were the same. Modern car manufatoring has little in common with the Ford line yet they share the same development line. It's like saying the first computer was a dual P4 as it has nothing in common with collosus. Another invention we failed to do anything with by the way. The fact is a product was being made by dedicated machines and unskilled opperators (unskilled as in not craftsmen like carpentors etc) on a production line where individual components were mass produced and then put togethor to make identical finished products. I see no difference in the concept from a block pulley to a Plasma TV set. FNG
FNG wrote: No. I didn't mention the Springfield Armory at all in my comments as I wasn't sufficiently familar with their production facility to comment upon it. I did state this: and learning of the Portsmouth block building process hasn't changed my opinion in that respect. Babbages's difference engine, while remarkable, bears little resemblance to a modern digital computer in design and capability. One can claim that the Lexus is just an improvement upon the ox cart as well..but it's kinda silly to compare the two.
My Moderator Indoctrination overcomes my Nationalism here - Please note that ths kind of comment is not entirely suitable, as it can easily be seen as rather xenophobic and offensive. The lightbulb. Sir Joseph Swann (British) invented the first lightbulb. Edison invented the first commercially successful lightbulb, as he used a metal filament which did not burn out as fast as those that Swann used. http://inventors.about.com/library/inve ... light2.htm
Sorry wasn't meant to be a dig at the US about the marketing. It's a comment about the poor skills of the brits that some of our best inventions are globally marketed and made succesful by US firms. Which is actually a complement to their forward thinking and investment skills. Not a dig to say they are stolen or anything, sorry if anyone is offended. FNG
I think I remember something about the fella who invented that folding work bench. He (I believe is a Brit) couldn't get anybody in the UK interested in his table. He made a "last hope" visit to Black & Decker and they loved it. Now there are thousands of these benches around.
I can name a convienant invention, .... toilet paper. Gone are the days of using your hand , and having to shake with your foreharm. :lol:
Writing. I simply can't believe analphabetism is still around in Western countries. How do they survive?
The ability to write, because, I can choose the better beer. I Am Canadian, you were expecting someone else?