Industry knowledge:
How Were Screws Used in Ancient Times
One of the initial uses of the screw principle was the extraction of juice from grapes and oil from olives. The screw was then developed to be used in devices for raising water for land irrigation and removing water from ships. Screws were also adapted for use in paper and printing presses.
Though screws have always been useful, it would take centuries before the use of screws became widespread. This delay in extensive use was due to the difficulty of making these tools.
When the first successful screw-cutting lathe was made, long screws could be cut from others. This allowed for correctly sized screws to be mass-produced and for precision screws to be used in the building of steam engines. After that time, screws could also be used in the construction of bridges, canals and roads.