1300 BCE
Ancient lathe turning
Bow- and pole-lathes — among the oldest machine tools — let craftsmen turn symmetrical wood and bone, ancestors of all turning machinery. Source — Wikipedia, "Lathe":
Chronological Storyline (13 Milestones)
1776 CE
Adam Smith: the division of labour
In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith’s pin-factory shows how dividing work into specialised steps multiplies output — the logic behind the factory. Source — Wikipedia, "The Wealth of Nations":
1785 CE
Blanc demonstrates interchangeable parts
Gunsmith Honoré Blanc assembles muskets from interchangeable, standardised parts, demonstrating the principle to officials in France. Source — Wikipedia, "Interchangeable parts":
1798 CE
Whitney and the American System
Eli Whitney’s US musket contract popularises interchangeable parts, seeding the "American system of manufacturing." Source — Wikipedia, "Eli Whitney":
1800 CE
Maudslay's screw-cutting lathe
Henry Maudslay’s all-metal screw-cutting lathe, with slide-rest and lead-screw, makes truly uniform screw threads — a foundation of precision machining. Source — Wikipedia, "Henry Maudslay":
Dec 1, 1913 CE
Ford's moving assembly line
Ford installs a moving assembly line at Highland Park, cutting Model T build time from over 12 hours to about 93 minutes. Source — Wikipedia, "Assembly line":
1948 CE
Toyota Production System (lean)
Taiichi Ohno begins developing the Toyota Production System — just-in-time and jidoka — the basis of modern lean manufacturing. Source — Wikipedia, "Toyota Production System":
1952 CE
MIT demonstrates NC machine tool
MIT demonstrates the first numerically controlled (NC) milling machine, letting punched instructions, not hands, guide the cutter. Source — Wikipedia, "Numerical control":
1961 CE
Unimate: first industrial robot
The Unimate hydraulic arm goes to work on a General Motors line — the first industrial robot, founding factory automation. Source — Wikipedia, "Unimate":
1972 CE
CNC machining goes mainstream
Cheaper minicomputers turn NC into computer numerical control (CNC), bringing programmable precision machining to ordinary shops. Source — Wikipedia, "Numerical control":
1984 CE
Hull invents stereolithography (SLA)
Chuck Hull invents stereolithography, curing liquid resin layer-by-layer with UV light — the first practical 3D printing / additive manufacturing. Source — Wikipedia, "3D printing":
1989 CE
Crump patents FDM 3D printing
Scott Crump patents fused deposition modelling (FDM) and co-founds Stratasys, the extrusion method behind most desktop 3D printers. Source — Wikipedia, "Fused filament fabrication":
2015 CE
Metal 3D-printed jet engine parts
GE Aviation certifies a 3D-printed metal fuel nozzle for the LEAP engine, marking additive manufacturing’s arrival in mass-produced aerospace parts. Source — Wikipedia, "3D printing":