Which industries used Watt engines by 1790?

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By 1790, the steam engines developed by James Watt and his partner Matthew Boulton had been adopted across a variety of industrial sectors. While early applications focused on pumping water from copper and tin mines in Cornwall and Staffordshire, the invention of the rotative engine enabled the use of steam power in manufacturing and processing facilities.123

By 1790, industries utilizing Watt engines included:

  • Mining: Used extensively for pumping water from mines.12
  • Textiles: Employed in cotton mills to operate rotary machinery.13
  • Milling: Applied to large-scale grain milling, such as at the Albion Mill in London.3
  • Manufacturing and Processing: Used in paper mills, flour mills, iron mills, and distilleries.2
  • Waterworks: Utilized for municipal water supply systems.2

Additionally, Boulton had begun applying steam power to coining machinery by 1786, with further developments in this field continuing into the 1790s.4