U.S. Navy Electronic Manufacturing Development Program Project Tinkertoy 47174 (1953)

Synopsis

As shown in this 1950s film "Project Tinkertoy"was the code-name for a development and proof of concept project undertaken by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) to create a process for automated manufacture of electronic equipment and for demonstrating it on a pilot production line. The needs for this program came out of the new Cold War and the Korean War, where certain vital electronic components were in very short supply. The pilot plant created by Tinkertoy had to be compatible with the principles of modular design and mechanized production of electronics, or MDE and MPE. The pilot plant was up and running by 1953. An estimate of the manufacturing cost was made and found to be 44 percent lower than conventional processes. While NBS’s modular design was not used directly in industry, the modular design and mechanized production concepts became the customary way of producing electronic equipment. The film begins with footage of the Loon Missile being launched off the submarine USS Cusk off Point Mugu, California. Modern weapons are guided electronically, fired electronically and exploded electronically. Modern warfare has developed to depend on electronics. At mark 1:05 is an electronic development plant. Present systems now with advanced techniques involve tedious hand assembly and components. These components are seen at mark 1;20. At mark 2:08 is the Navy applying electronics during WWII. The Navy went to the National Bureau of Standards, the Bureau assigned…

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Details

Running time

27 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage