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Unit 11 Automating Manufacturing Systems
One of the earliest attempts in factory automation
came around 1800. At that time there was a grow-
ing need for blocks (pulleys) to raise and lower
sails, move heavy cargo, and position cannons on
ships. See Figure 34-2. A typical warship of that
age required over 1400 blocks. At that time, each
block was individually made by artisans working
on lathes, drills, and other machines. In England,
Henry Maudslay undertook the task to produce
blocks using an automated production line. After
six years of hard work, the world saw its first
large-scale, mass production, manufacturing line.
However, mass production did not extend to
other industries for another 50 years. Furthermore,
its adoption was not in England, but in America.
Such a movement, marked by revolutionary
changes in production, is called an industrial
revolution. This industrial revolution ushered the
Western world into what became known as the
industrial age.
Even earlier roots of factory automation trace
back to mechanized toys. They were developed
to entertain members of high society. One such
toy, a wooden model of a pigeon designed by
Archytas of Tarentum, dates back to about
350 B.C.
Soon after 350 B.C., Hero of Alexandria began
to experiment with pneumatics and hydraulics.
He developed a number of water-driven mechanisms including automatic
Efficient Design Efficient Manufacture World-Class Product
Figure 34-1. Manufacturers must develop efficient designs and manufacturing processes to produce world-
class products. (American Petroleum Institute, Reynolds Metals Co., Deere and Co.)
Figure 34-2. This is the Cutty Sark, an early sailing
ship that brought tea from India.