Made in America: Manufacturing
Daily Activities at Made in America: Manufacturing
Our vast collection of artifacts large and small documents American manufacturing ingenuity from the 18th to 20th centuries. You’ll encounter the McCoy Lubricator, an historic Ingersoll Rand Planer—even participate in a hands-on event and assist in the assembly of a Model T—and more.
Highlights
Henry's Assembly Line
Try your hand at working on an assembly line building a miniature Model T. See how Henry Ford revolutionized modern manufacturing in this exciting activity.
What better way to learn about the innovation of the assembly line than to participate in one? In this hands-on activity, you’ll work with other guests to assemble a miniature wooden Model T using the station and moving assembly line methods. The activity duration is approximately 20 minutes.
Steam Engine Lubricator, 1882
Artifact
Lubricator
Date Made
1882
Summary
African American mechanical engineer Elijah McCoy patented this version of his of lubricator in 1882. The many moving parts on a steam locomotive required constant lubrication, and crews had to apply oil regularly. McCoy's lubricator automatically deposited metered amounts of oil, reducing the need for manual lubrication.
Creators
Place of Creation
Object ID
31.2039.2
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Steam Engine Lubricator, 1882
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Exploded Ford Model T, Originally Manufactured in 1924
Artifact
Automobile
Summary
There were more than 10,000 parts in a Model T. Henry Ford's moving assembly line required that each one of those parts be manufactured to exacting tolerances and be fully interchangeable with any other of its kind. By splitting a car's construction into a series of distinct small steps, the assembly line yielded enormous gains in productivity.
Creators
Place of Creation
Object ID
R92.0.1
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Exploded Ford Model T, Originally Manufactured in 1924
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Ingersoll Milling Machine Used at Ford Motor Company Highland Park Plant, 1912
Artifact
Milling machine
Date Made
1912
Summary
The Model T's distinction as a landmark car design can be traced in large part to machines like this -- a high capacity precision machine tool that performed just two production steps on the car engine's cylinder block. The Model T as a design achievement is inseparable from many hundreds of engineering, materials, and production innovations.
Creators
Place of Creation
Object ID
31.671.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Ingersoll Milling Machine Used at Ford Motor Company Highland Park Plant, 1912
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Made in America: Manufacturing
Check out some of the amazing inventions you'll see first-hand when you take a journey through our Made in America: Manufacturing exhibit in Henry Ford Museum.
McCoy Lubricator
African American inventor Elijah McCoy received more than 50 patents, including one for this device to keep moving steam locomotive parts oiled.
