Bessemer Converter
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the open hearth fu...
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Manufacturing & Materials · 26 entries
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the open hearth fu...
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A bloomery reduces iron ore with charcoal to produce a spongy mass of iron and slag. Air supplied through a tuyere sustains the furnace, after wh...
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A blast furnace smelts iron ore using fuel, flux and a continuous blast of air. Its tall shaft allows materials to descend as hot gases rise, pro...
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An electric arc furnace melts metal using heat from an electrical arc. It became important in steelmaking, especially where scrap metal could be...
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An open-hearth furnace refines steel in a shallow hearth heated by flames and regenerative air systems. Its large batches and accessible melt hel...
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A puddling furnace allowed workers to refine pig iron by stirring it in a reverberatory furnace. The process reduced carbon and produced balls of...
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A trip hammer uses cams on a rotating shaft to lift and release a heavy hammer head. Driven by water or other power, it supplied repeated blows f...
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A steam hammer connects a heavy falling hammer to a steam-driven piston. It brought controllable, powerful blows to forging work, from small oper...
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A rolling mill passes metal between rotating rolls to change its thickness or cross-section. Repeated passes can turn heated metal into plate, sh...
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A lathe rotates a workpiece while a cutting tool shapes its surface. The relationship between spindle rotation and tool movement makes it a found...
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A screw-cutting lathe links the spindle to a leadscrew so the tool advances at a controlled rate. This coordination allows a repeatable thread to...
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A metalworking lathe holds and rotates metal while a supported tool removes material. Slides, feed mechanisms and accurate spindle bearings made...
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A milling machine removes material with a rotating cutter as the workpiece moves relative to it. Adjustable tables and tool feeds make flat faces...
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A metal planer carries a workpiece back and forth beneath a cutting tool. Its long reciprocating table made it useful for machining large, flat s...
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A shaper moves a cutting tool back and forth over a workpiece held on an adjustable table. The cutting stroke removes a small amount of material,...
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A drill press guides a rotating drill toward work held on a table or fixture. A rigid column and controlled feed improve alignment and repeatabil...
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A grinding machine removes small amounts of material with a rotating abrasive wheel. It is used where surface finish, hardness or dimensional acc...
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A gear hobbing machine coordinates the rotation of a toothed cutting tool and a gear blank. The continuous cutting action generates evenly spaced...
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A turret lathe carries several tools in an indexing holder. Bringing each tool into position in sequence reduces setup time when producing repeat...
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An automatic lathe sequences tool movements and feeds with mechanical controls or later electronic systems. It was developed for repetitive produ...
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A hydraulic press transmits force through a confined liquid between pistons. Different piston areas allow a relatively small input force to gener...
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An arbor press uses a lever and geared ram to apply controlled force at a bench. It is useful for fitting shafts, bushes and bearings or performi...
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A die-casting machine forces molten metal into a reusable metal mould. Clamping, injection and ejection mechanisms coordinate rapid production of...
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An injection moulding machine heats material and forces it into a closed mould. After the material sets, the mould opens and ejects the part, all...
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Numerical control directs a machine tool through encoded movement instructions. Early punched-tape systems connected computation with manufacturi...
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Unimate used a programmable mechanical arm to perform repetitive industrial handling tasks. Its early work in vehicle manufacturing helped establ...
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