Model of de Gennes' loom, 1678

Made:
Paris

Model of de Gennes' loom, 1678.

De Gennes' loom, which he described as 'A new engin [sic] to make linen-cloth without the help of artificer' was an early attempt to automate the movement of the shuttle taking the weft thread back and forth across the loom, interweaving with the warp threads, and was thus a step towards a power loom. It was not a success, being slower than the hand motion. It was made some twelve years after the more successful fly shuttle mechanism invented by John Kay.

Details

Category:
Textiles Machinery
Object Number:
1963-343
Materials:
wood, brass and steel
Measurements:
overall: 830 x 1130 x 560 mm
type:
mechanical loom
credit:
Manchester College of Science & Technology.