Interchangeable parts were an incredible tool back in the industrial revolution.

1. Interchangeable Parts
Carlos Pérez
11 “A”

2. What are interchangeable parts?
• The concept behind interchangeable parts lies in creating nearly identical
parts that can be easily mass produced, and if necessary, replaced. These
parts are then fitted together to create various products like firearms,
furniture, clocks, and a host of other complex objects.

3. Interchangeable Parts Origin
• It is next to impossible to point the exact origin of interchangeable parts.
The truth is they were a product of the Industrial Revolution. During the
Industrial Revolution, machines took over most of the manufacturing work
from men, and factories replaced craftsmen’s workshops. The event that laid
the groundwork for this monumental change was the introduction of
interchangeable parts, that were for all practical purposes identical, into the
firearms industry.

4. Eli Whitney
• Interchangeable parts, popularized in America when Eli Whitney used them
to assemble muskets in the first years of the 19th century, Whitney proved to
be an effective businessman and manager, he allowed relatively unskilled
workers to produce large numbers of weapons quickly and at lower cost, and
made repair and replacement of parts infinitely easier.

5. The Impact of Interchangeable Parts
• The Interchangeable parts divided labor efficiently among his largely
unskilled work force and building precision equipment that enabled the
production of large numbers of identical parts quickly and at a relatively low
cost.