Windsor in Windsor County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)
Robbins and Lawrence Armory and Machine Shop
1848 Windsor, Vermont
International Mechanical Engineering Heritage Site
Photographed by Michael Herrick, July 17, 2021
1. International Mechanical Engineering Heritage Site Marker
Inscription.
Robbins and Lawrence Armory and Machine Shop. 1848 Windsor, Vermont.
Where interchangeable manufacturing became a reality. In fulfilling a contract for 25,000 U.S. Army rifles (Model 1841) and a like quantity for the British government, Robbins and Lawrence was the first to achieve interchangeability of parts on a fully practical level, providing the basis for all subsequent mass production of machine products. This was made possible by the systematic improvement and refinement of existing standard and special-purpose machine tools, enabling them to perform with the precision essential for repeatability and thus interchangeability. Simultaneously the firm introduced the milling machine and the turret lathe into routine commercial usage for production manufacturing. The social implications of this technological revolution have been universal.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers - 1987.
Where interchangeable manufacturing became a reality
In fulfilling a contract for 25,000 U.S. Army rifles (Model 1841) and a like quantity for the British government, Robbins & Lawrence was the first to achieve interchangeability of parts on a fully practical level, providing the basis for all subsequent mass production of machine products. This was made possible by the systematic improvement and refinement of existing standard and special-purpose machine tools, enabling them to perform with the precision essential for repeatability and thus interchangeability. Simultaneously the firm introduced the milling machine and the turret lathe into routine commercial usage for production manufacturing. The social implications of this technological revolution have been universal.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers - 1987
Marker is in Windsor, Vermont, in Windsor County. It is at the intersection of Main Street (U.S. 5) and Maple Street, on the right when traveling south on Main Street. Located on the American Precision Museum building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 196 Main Street, Windsor VT 05089, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Vermont’s Connecticut River Valley and in the Green Mountains. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 26, 2021, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 291 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 26, 2021, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.
