In fulfilling a contract for 25,000 U.S. Army rifles (Model 1841) and a like quantity for the British government, Robbins and Lawrence were the first to achieve interchangeability of parts on a fully practical level, contributing greatly to all subsequent mass production of machine products. This was made possible by the systematic improvement and refinement of existing standard and special-purpose machine tools, enabling them to perform with the close-limit precision essential for "repeatability" and thus interchangeability (see the American Precision Museum).
Lawrence
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landmark_node_/public/American%20Precision.jpg?itok=CaM0SjBm)
YearAdded:
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Liz West (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: American Precision MuseumEra_date_from: 1966
1987
![Lawrence Experiment Station](/sites/default/files/styles/landmark_node_/public/landmarks/images/Lawrence_Experiment_Station.jpg?itok=zeJdJZqs)
Some of the station's notable achievements:
The first method for detecting radioactive particles in water supplies
A successful system of slow-sand filter beds for drinking water
The landmark demonstration that microorganisms carried within filter media could degrade sewage
YearAdded:
Image Credit: Public Domain (Author's Choice)Image Caption: Lawrence Experiment StationEra_date_from: 1886
1975
Innovations
![Lawrence Experiment Station](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/landmarks/images/Lawrence_Experiment_Station.jpg?itok=Pv7-o9BJ)
Some of the station's notable achievements:
The first method for detecting radioactive particles in water supplies
A successful system of slow-sand filter beds for drinking water
The landmark demonstration that microorganisms carried within filter media could degrade…
![](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/American%20Precision.jpg?itok=msqctoVQ)
In fulfilling a contract for 25,000 U.S. Army rifles (Model 1841) and a like quantity for the British government, Robbins and Lawrence were the first to achieve interchangeability of parts on a fully practical level, contributing greatly to all subsequent mass production of machine products. This… Read More