Collection of Manufacturing Technology

The collection includes numerous machine tools, measuring instruments, models and equipment relating to the field of Mechanical Technology.

Introduction

From a museological perspective, the Collection is structured into sections with both educational-didactic and historical-technological value. The didactic section includes machine tools, measuring instruments, models, and workshop equipment used in technical training throughout the 20th century. It also features decommissioned tools, mechanical components, motion transmission devices, and technical documentation of historical interest.

The Collection supports courses in Manufacturing Technology and the History of Industry and is visited by students and school groups as part of the Department’s outreach and orientation activities. The historical core houses lathes, milling machines, drills, and saws—either restored or under cataloguing—that bear witness to the evolution of material removal processes.

History

The Historical Collection of Machine Tools is housed in the former Institute of Manufacturing Technology, active since 1931 and now part of the Department of Engineering at the University of Palermo. It documents research on cutting processes, tools, machines, and automation. Some items come from industrial decommissions and historic laboratories, highlighting the connection between academic training and local technological development.

Gallery