Henry Maudslay

Henry Maudslay
Portrait by Pierre Louis ('Henri') Grevedon 1827
Born22 August 1771 (1771-08-22)
Died14 February 1831 (1831-02-15) (aged 59)
Lambeth, London, England
NationalityEnglish
OccupationEngineer
Engineering career
Significant advanceMachine tool technology

Henry Maudslay (pronunciation and spelling) (22 August 1771 – 14 February 1831) was an English machine tool innovator, tool and die maker, and inventor. He is considered a founding father of machine tool technology. His inventions were an important foundation for the Industrial Revolution.

Maudslay's invention of a metal lathe to cut metal, circa 1800, enabled the manufacture of standard screw thread sizes. Standard screw thread sizes allowed interchangeable parts and the development of mass production.