We’re Tooling Next Generations with the American Precision Museum

It all started in 1846 at the former Robbins & Lawrence Armory in Windsor, Vermont. At the time, the U.S. government had a defense need that required interchangeable parts. While interchangeable parts already existed and were widely used, the Armory had actually developed the first ever precision interchangeable parts—a significant differentiation. They were created with a focus on tolerance and repeatable parts, with a goal to take the craftsman’s hand off the process and let machines do the work. Robbins & Lawrence were able to successfully fill the original and additional orders and were eventually invited to London, England, to introduce this new concept overseas. It was truly revolutionary and would become coined by the British as the American System of Manufacturing. Adding to its long list of firsts with precision interchangeable parts, Robbins & Lawrence became the first U.S. manufacturer to export machine tools to England after showcasing them on their visit.

Today, the Robbins & Lawrence Armory has been renovated to become the American Precision Museum—home to one of the largest collections of historically significant machine tools in the country.

Joining forces with such an iconic part of manufacturing history offers a unique opportunity to tell our influential role in the story of the industry, specifically for carbide tools, and reach a wider audience for Kennametal and APM’s shared vision to inspire and educate next generations of machinists. Right now, APM visitors can view and explore our tooling solutions in the museum’s makerspace.

We’re confident in saying the opportunities are endless in what we can accomplish with APM, and being so aligned in our goals and values is what makes that so easy. We look forward to contributing to historical exhibits and storytelling with Philip McKenna’s influential story and more about our role from a legacy that was truly decades in the making. We’re also eager to explore educational opportunities with APM, who has an existing presence in over 45 schools with its STEM+M(Manufacturing) Pathways program.

You won’t want to miss what we have coming up with APM.