Drive Power Sources
“all the turning of the iron for the cotton machinery built by Mr. Slater was done with hand chisels or tools in lathes turned by cranks with hand power”. David Wilkinson
Machine tools can be powered from a variety of sources. Human and animal power were used in the past, as was water power; however, following the development of high pressure steam engines in the mid 19th century, factories increasingly used steam power. Factories also used hydraulic and pneumatic power. Many small workshops continued to use water, human and animal power until electrification after 1900.
Today most machine tools are powered by electricity; however, hydraulic and pneumatic power are sometimes used, but this is uncommon.
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