As humans evolved, we developed devices to make tasks easier for us. The general terms that we use to describe these devices include tools, equipment, and machine. While all these terms are often used interchangeably, there are slight nuances between them. In this post, we’ll define what tools, equipment, and machines are with examples of each of them in order to better them.
Tools
The word “tool” is used to describe general items that people use to do work in any situation. The usage of the word connotes a generic object that can be used for a variety of purposes. A tool is typically a single object designed in a way that makes it suitable for multiple purposes.
Look at it this way. Say you have a broken blender and you want to pry it open by loosening the screw that holds the parts together. You could use a screwdriver, which is the standard tool for a task like this. However, if you do not have a screwdriver around, you may end up using a pocket knife. In this case, the pocket knife is the tool with which you unscrew the bolt.
From this example, it is obvious that any object you use to solve a problem is a tool. It doesn’t matter if the object is built for that specific purpose or not. A chimpanzee making use of a stick to get a fruit from a tree is using that stick as a tool. Similarly, a prehistoric man lighting a fire with a stone is using that stone as a tool. The same stone can also be fashioned into a club for breaking nuts or as a weapon for fighting off wild animals.
Going by this generic definition, it might be safe to say that every machine or equipment is a tool in some way. However, more specifically, people use the word “tools” to refer to handheld items used to do work or solve problems.
What is a machine?
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A machine is an object or device used to transform the direction of a force or increase its magnitude. The term implies a more precise design and application than the more generic usage of “tools”. Ancient scientists classified simple machines into levers, pulleys, inclined planes, wedges, and screws based on the principle of mechanical advantage. The idea of a device like this is to amplify the force applied on one end to do significant work on the other end. By this definition, simple tools such as a hammer and wheelbarrow are types of levers. Similarly, an ax is a wedge while a corkscrew is a type of inclined plane.
These days, the modern definition of a machine would apply to any device powered by mechanical, chemical, thermal, or electrical energy. Machines now consist of several mechanized parts that use energy to achieve a particular goal. Modern machines are specifically designed and assembled to be used for a specific purpose. This would imply that while all machines are tools, not all tools are machines. Examples of machines include concrete cement mixers, power cutting machines, welder generators, inverters, and so on. A lighting tower hire or air conditioner hire for your construction project would also qualify as a machine.
Equipment?
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Equipment is a general time with a broader definition compared to tools and equipment. It refers to a set of tools needed to perform a specific task. People often use the word equipment as the plural form of tool. In this case, a collection of tools will be called equipment.
However, tools differ from equipment in some respect. The word equipment can be used to describe objects or items that are not used to do work. For instance, a set of safety devices such as gloves, helmets, or goggles are often referred to as safety equipment.
Another common usage of equipment is when people want to refer to gear. A mountaineer for instance will refer to the set of tools he uses for mountain climbing as his equipment. Individually, they’re tools, but the entire collection is a set of equipment that prevents him from getting injured during his activities. They are machines or tools that a person needs to complete a given task. At a construction site, for instance, the set of machines that the engineers use for different stages of the project would be described as construction equipment. Examples of these include Excavator hire, Mixing & Pouring equipment, Concrete Finishing equipment, Cutting and Compaction equipment, and Surface Preparation
Conclusion
For every construction project, you’ll need to hire a variety of tools, machines, and equipment to get the job done. Whether it’s as simple as a scaffolding hire or a bigger machine like a sweeper hire, you need machines and equipment like this for the success of your project.
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FAQs
Modern machines are specifically designed and assembled to be used for a specific purpose. This would imply that while all machines are tools, not all tools are machines. Examples of machines include concrete cement mixers, power cutting machines, welder generators, inverters, and so on.
What is the difference between a machine and a machine tool? ›
Machine is a mechanism which has some set of kinematic movements used to perform defined set of operations over our workpiece. Machine tools are used by machine for performing those machining operations. E.g.: drill is machine and drilling bit ( wooden or mechanical according to our workpiece ) is machine tool.
What is the difference between equipment and device machine? ›
An instrument is a device with which you take non-destructive measurements of the workpiece(s). A machine is a device which has a mechanical advantage to help you abrade the workpiece. An apparatus is a construction made to support any method of tooling a workpiece. Equipment is everything in the above inclusive.
What is the difference between hand tools machine tools and equipment? ›
Machine tools are powered by electricity or an internal combustion engine, and they're used to cut, shape, or smooth metal. Hand tools, on the other hand, are not powered by electricity or an engine; instead, they're operated by human power.
What is machine tools and equipment? ›
A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping.
What is the difference between supplies tools and equipment? ›
Pieces of equipment are tools used to transform raw materials into finished goods, and are usually reused over and over again, whereas supplies are used to support business operations, and are often exhaustible and have a limited lifespan after they've served their purpose.
What is the difference between machinery and equipment with examples? ›
Machinery refers to large, often complex machines or systems used for specific tasks in industries like manufacturing, construction, or agriculture. Equipment, however, typically includes smaller tools or devices that aid in the operation of machinery or are used for specific tasks.
What is a machine simple answer? ›
A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force.
What is a machine tool simple definition? ›
A machine tool is a power-driven machine, for example a lathe, miller, or grinder, that is used for cutting, shaping, and finishing materials. They sell lathes, grinders, and other machine tools. A lathe is a type of machine tool which can be used for shaping metal or wood.
Is a telephone a machine or not? ›
Machine - an apparatus using or applying mechanical power and having several parts, each with a definite function and together performing a particular task. While a mobile phone may have mechanical parts; such as the haptic feedback or vibrating motors; they aren't necessary for the basic function of the phone.
Examples of this are drill presses, cement mixers (agitators), ready-mix concrete trucks, hot steel rolling machines, rock crushers, and band saws. Also included is machinery and equipment used to repair, maintain, or install tangible personal property.
Is a machine considered equipment? ›
Keep in mind that all machines can be classified as equipment, but not all equipment can be classified as a machine.
What is tools vs machine vs equipment? ›
Equipment is a general term for gear that is not a 'tool' or 'machinery' and is used for a specific task or trade. 'Machinery' is the heavy or larger tools that are needed to carry out work. 'Mobile machinery' (or 'portable machinery') can be carried for use on a job on-site.
What is the difference between tool and simple machine? ›
machine is a device that uses energy to perform tasks or operations automatically, while a tool is a handheld device or instrument that helps a person perform a specific task manually.
What is the difference between a machine and a machining tool? ›
The term “machine” generally refers to any equipment that performs work, while a “machining center” is a specific type of CNC machine tool designed to perform multiple machining operations.
Is an equipment a machine? ›
Equipment has a wider definition and refers to things needed for a certain task. So this may mean machines, but can also include other tools and even clothing. For example, "mountaineering equipment" would include ropes and carabiners.
What is considered a machine tool? ›
Machine tools that form parts by removing metal chips from a workpiece include lathes, shapers and planers, drilling machines, milling machines, grinders, and power saws.
What are examples of equipment? ›
Examples of professional equipment
- personal computers.
- telefax equipment.
- typewriters.
- cameras of all kinds (film and electronic cameras)
- sound or image transmitting, recording or reproducing apparatus (tape and video recorders and video reproducers, microphones, mixing consoles, loudspeakers)
They retain the basic characteristics of their 19th- and early 20th-century ancestors and are still classed as one of the following: (1) turning machines (lathes and boring mills), (2) shapers and planers, (3) drilling machines, (4) milling machines, (5) grinding machines, (6) power saws, and (7) presses.
