This 1953 film directed by Matt Farrell for the National Tool and Die Manufacturers Association looks at the importance of tool and die manufacturing for the functioning of American Industry at large. It begins with the contributions that American Industry has made to everyday life and how tools and die were used to manufacture these goods. This is followed by an overview of the apprentice system and some of the skills that toolmakers need to learn such as operation of machinery, meticulous measurement, and reading blueprints. This is followed by footage of the creation and operation of some tools and the development of cutting edge die for the accurate manufacturing of plastics.
0:17 “National Tools and Die Manufacturers Association”, 0:27 “Tool and Die Making – Keystone of Mass Production!”, 0:44 a message about the importance of manufacturing for society, 1:36 shots of modern industrial facilities and machines, 2:20 a machine making razor blades, 3:00 different appliances like fridges, stoves, and televisions, 3:36 tool and die shops including the J.A.K. Tool Co., 3:56 a man cleaning a mold for a fan blade followed by the mold in operation, 4:39 woman placing the fan blade on a fan, 5:17 a machine creating sealed beam headlight parts, 5:45 a press forming steel car body tops, 6:33 a machine creating zippers, 6:51 men operating a hot forge, 7:28 engineers working on a McDonnell F2H Banshee fighter jet, 8:02 and a Pershing tank, the K1 picket submarine surfacing, 8:17 men loading and firing anti-aircraft gun, 8:52 men building television sets, 9:21 a man at home turning on his television to a boxing match, 9:44 a toolmaker and his apprentice looking over a plan, 10:08 the apprentice working with a machine, 11:11 men working in a tool and die shop, 11:28 apprentice being instructed and then operating a drill press, shaper, a milling machine, and grinders, 12:07 apprentice heat treating metal, 12:17 apprentice learning how to read a blueprint and do math, 12:33 apprentice working independently on a tool, 13:15 the apprentice receiving his degree, 13:58 toolmakers in a shop using fixtures, 14:26 a fixture to check the accuracy of ball bearings, 14:38 a man operating a drill jig, 14:50 a man measuring with complicated equipment and overview of his gauge blocks, 16:15 man drilling holes into steel, 16:36 a man operating a printing machine that recreates molds, 17.05 a forming press in operation, 17:25 the of the press in operation, 17:46 plastic being molded, 18:09 a toolmaker preparing a die, 18:55 a boss looking over a blueprint with his employee, 19:27 finished die being prepared for shipping, 19:40 Annual Journal of the National Tool and Die Manufacturers Association, 20:06 toolmakers working in their shops on different projects, 21:34 Editor Joseph Faro, Director Matt Farrell, 21:44 Farrell and Gage Films Inc. 1953