Are there high-end machine tools in the United States?

Date：2021/3/18

U.S. machine tool history

The development of machine tools in the United States was half a century later than that in the United Kingdom. In the second half of the 18th century, the United States was still an agricultural country. All the machines and various machine tools needed for the development of its textile industry need to be purchased from the UK. Since the second half of the 19th century, the United States has come from behind, and machine tool technology has gradually replaced Britain. The key is that the United States has the courage to research and innovate and has taken three major steps to develop new technologies.

The first step: due to the need for mass production of military Mauser guns, researched tolerances and parts interchangeability technology, formulated tolerance standards, created a precedent for efficient and mass production in the world, and developed a batch of special-purpose machine tools with unique styles. In this process, in 1898, worker Taylor developed a tungsten-chromium alloy high-speed steel tool. The cutting line speed was increased to 50m/min, and the labor productivity of American factories generally increased by 60%.

The second step: Ford in the United States invented the automobile (1896). With the development of the automobile industry, the automation technology for mass production was researched. The United States first developed a variety of high-efficiency automatic machine tools controlled by machinery, electricity, and hydraulics in the world: in 1932, it developed modular machine tools; in 1934, it developed the world's first modular machine tool automatic line: to realize the development needs of the automotive industry in mass automated production Various supporting parts, such as bearings, motors, etc.: In 1948, the United States built the world's first automatic line (set) with an annual output of 30 million sets of bearings; by 1978, the United States had 6084 various automatic production lines. The rapid development of high-efficiency automated production in large quantities has greatly enhanced its manufacturing and industrialization capabilities.


The third step: After mass production of high-efficiency automatic machine tools and automatic production lines for the automobile, bearing, motor and other industries, due to the needs of aircraft manufacturing complex parts and processing special materials, a large number of principle and applied technical tests have been carried out. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States developed the world's first numerical control (NC) machine tool: In 1958, it developed a machining center (MC) with automatic tool change and multi-process compound processing. With the rapid development of microelectronics and computer technology, through learning and imitation, NC machine tools have been widely promoted and applied all over the world. With the mass production of automobiles and the rapid development of automation, CNC machine tools have become the most advanced modern machine tools in the world today. During the two world wars, the United States, as far away as the Americas, supplied a large amount of ordnance and weapons needed for the war, and the machine tool industry gained rapid growth and development.

In absorbing British machine tool manufacturing experience, the United States has fully carried out innovative research and developed a large number of precise and efficient machine tools. At the same time, the invention of high-speed steel has injected strong impetus into the improvement of American productivity. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States developed the first three-axis milling machine with a controller in 1952, marking the birth of the world's first CNC machine tool. In 1958, the CNC machining center was developed, which is ahead of other developed countries in the world. Since then, due to the strong support of the government and the continuous improvement of national defense requirements for high-precision manufacturing, the machine tool industry in the United States has always maintained close contact with the application market, based on the aviation industry, construction equipment manufacturing, and medical industries, making CNC The product is more practical. For example, with the development of the automobile manufacturing industry, the automated production line technology and flexible line technology in the United States have been greatly improved, and related production line products are still in the world's leading position. There are many well-known enterprises in the industry.

In the 1970s, the CNC machine tool industry in the United States placed too much emphasis on the scientific research of high-precision technology, and neglected the application and innovation of technology, which made scientific research and practical application out of touch. Because it could not be converted into products, productivity could not be formed, resulting in slow growth of CNC machine tool output. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Japan was overtaken by the backward Japan. Japan used American technology to develop and innovate. In addition, Japan's cheap cars squeezed the American auto industry, making Japanese machine tools occupy most of the market. However, since the 1990s, CNC machine tools in the United States began to focus on practicality, and through the expansion of domestic demand, the entire industry began to fully recover.