Textile machinery

Leonardo designed several models of textile machines, such as the automatic spinning wheel and the mechanical loom. These models demonstrate his efforts to automate and improve textile production, increasing both the speed and precision of the work.

Leonardo devoted great attention to the study of the complex and articulated production cycle of the textile industry, designing machines for twisting and winding thread, for spinning and weaving. His projects are sometimes precise improvements aimed at the partial or complete mechanization of the main phases of the manufacturing cycle, while other times they boldly anticipate the factory system and mass production.

Also interested in the various finishing operations of fabrics, Leonardo designed machines for raising and shearing cloth; the automatic beating machine (battiloro) is an original invention to automate the process of beating precious metals used in the production of gold and silk threads and fabrics.

Works of the collection

7 works belongs to this collection

Textile machinery

Works of the collection

From gold to brocade

Spinning wheel with flyer-driven spindle

Automatic weaving loom

Crank-operated thread-twisting machine

Four-spindle continuous spinning machine

Stop device for automatic silk thread doubling mechanism

Gold beater