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			Edward Goodrich Acheson Born Mar 9 1856 - Died Jul 6 1931 Production of Artificial Crystalline Carbonaceous Materials; Article of Carborundum and Process of the Manufacture Thereof Carborundum Patent Number(s) 492,767; 615,648 Inducted 1997 Edward Acheson's discovery of carborundum, a highly effective abrasive used in manufacturing, was an important influence in advancing the industrial era. In the mid 1890s, Acheson discovered that overheating carborundum produced almost pure graphite. This graphite was another major discovery for him, and it became extremely valuable and helpful as a lubricant. Invention Impact In 1926, the U.S. Patent Office named carborundum as one of the 22 patents most responsible for the industrial age. Not long after that, it was noted that without carborundum, the mass production manufacturing of precision-ground, interchangeable metal parts would be practically impossible. Inventor Bio Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, Acheson worked with Thomas Edison before establishing his own lab. There, he began experimenting in search of a good industrial abrasive. When he tried intensively heating a mixture of carbon and clay, he found that the mixture yielded silicon carbide, or carborundum. Acheson was key in successfully establishing at least five industrial corporations dependent on electrothermal processes. He received a total of 70 patents relating to abrasives, graphite products, reduction of oxides, and refractories.