U.S. mechanical engineer and machine-tool manufacturer. Amos Whitney began his apprenticeship as a machinist when he was 13, following in his father's footsteps. In the late 1850s he met and befriended Francis A. Pratt, a co-worker at the Phoenix Iron Works, and in 1860 they opened their own machine shop, Pratt and Whitney. The shop first manufactured automatic silk winders, but soon expanded into guns and gun-making machinery. Five years after opening the shop, Whitney was able to quit his day job and work full-time there. In the company's quest for perfectly interchangeable parts, Pratt & Whitney became famous for funding the research, design, and construction of the Rogers-Bond comparator, which ascertained the exact length of the foot to 1/50,000th of an inch. This allowed the mass production of precision interchangeable parts, and facilitated the development of large-scale industrial manufacturing. In 1901 Amos retired.
U.S. mechanical engineer and machine-tool manufacturer. Amos Whitney began his apprenticeship as a machinist when he was 13, following in his father's footsteps. In the late 1850s he met and befriended Francis A. Pratt, a co-worker at the Phoenix Iron Works, and in 1860 they opened their own machine shop, Pratt and Whitney. The shop first manufactured automatic silk winders, but soon expanded into guns and gun-making machinery. Five years after opening the shop, Whitney was able to quit his day job and work full-time there. In the company's quest for perfectly interchangeable parts, Pratt & Whitney became famous for funding the research, design, and construction of the Rogers-Bond comparator, which ascertained the exact length of the foot to 1/50,000th of an inch. This allowed the mass production of precision interchangeable parts, and facilitated the development of large-scale industrial manufacturing. In 1901 Amos retired.
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