Patent in 1899 for a mechanical direct reading
micrometer. The product was manufactured on a large scale and marketed
successfully by the two partners. Today, Brown & Sharpe continues to
make external micrometers with the same features. Shown here are some
early examples of Brown & Sharpe’s precision hand tools; many such ex am
ples can still be found in good working order some 100 years later.
Today, new and innovative products like the MICROMASTER® line of digital
micrometers con tinue this amazing tradition. The first micrometer was
patented by the French inventor Jean Laurent Palmer in 1848 as “calibre
à vis et à vernier circulaire” (screw caliper with a circular vernier)
The introduction of the micrometer to the industrial world came about by
the visit of two American engineers, Joseph R. Brown and Lucian Sharpe
to the Paris Exhibition in 1867. At that time, their attention was drawn
to Palmer’s invention, which greatly interested them. After making some
improvements to the design, Brown & Sharpe received a U.S. |
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