MASS production and commercial competition have combined to lend great importance to modifications of motor-vehicle design and so have developed new types of engineers known as tool engineers and production engineers, who take the ideals of automotive engineers and convert them into practicalities, so that the design becomes an ideal manufacturing project that makes it possible to produce a car economically.
Special tools are required for many of the machining operations, and for the designing of these the more intelligent and skilled of the workmen are developed into tool-makers for the making of fixtures, jigs, dies, gages, cutters, and punches. Gradually the better tool-makers became tool designers and transferred their work from the bench to the drawing-board, becoming twin brothers of the automotive engineer. Of late, the designing and building of special equipment and allied work have entered into the duties of the tool designer.
The author describes some of the tool engineer's duties and responsibilities, indicates by a table the magnitude of the machine equipment of a modern automobile plant, and illustrates some of the special machines and processes.
