Many historians of technology consider that true machine tools were born when the toolpath first became guided by … See more

Forerunners of machine tools included bow drills and potter's wheels, which had existed in ancient Egypt prior to 2500 BC, and lathes, known to have existed in multiple regions of Europe since at least 1000 to 500 BC. But it was not unt… See more

[A]ll 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 s… See more

Machine tools can be operated manually, or under automatic control. Early machines used flywheels to stabilize their motion and had complex systems of gears and levers to control the machine and the piece being worked on. … See more

Examples of machine tools are:
• Broaching machine
• Drill press
• Gear shaper
• Hobbing machine… See more

The worldwide market for machine tools was approximately $81 billion in production in 2014 according to a survey by market research firm Gardner Research. The largest producer of machine tools was China with … See more