AT THE BASE OF METAL WORKING: THE BOLT
Despite the bolt being a symbol of industrial production, its origins as a threaded bolt with nut date back to 1568, when the primordial machine for carving screw threads was first developed in France. Then, in England, 73 years later, precisely in 1641, significant improvements were made to production cycles, making large-scale distribution much simpler. Almost two centuries later, another two milestones and important event changed the history of the bolt.
In 1818, in Connecticut, Rugg invented two machines for the production of bolts, and with the revolutionary arrival of electricity, processing was accelerated, leading production to be 6 times faster. In 1859, again in Connecticut, Clark officially defined the bolt as we know it today, registering a patent for the production of screws directly from round bars as opposed to starting from a square-section bar made round by inserting it in a lathe.
In all these years, the development of the bolt has intensely evolved, going from production in iron with subsequent cracks and rust, to production with tempered, heat-treated materials making it almost eternal and indestructible, even when exposed to weathering.
Have you ever thought about how many sectors are affected by this apparently simple object?
In the production sector alone, we could mention engineering, energy, and petrochemical sectors, and renewable energies such as wind; but the fields of use are endless, suffice it to think of theme parks, transport, structures for large events, for all of which the bolt is the essential junction.
So, in conclusion, almost 500 years later, this small and simple element is yet to find a worthy replacement.
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