<P> Methods for industrial production of interchangeable parts in the United States were first developed in the nineteenth century . The term American system of manufacturing was sometimes applied to them at the time, in distinction from earlier methods . Within a few decades such methods were in use in various countries, so American system is now a term of historical reference rather than current industrial nomenclature . </P> <P> Evidence of the use of interchangeable parts can be traced back over two thousand years to Carthage in the First Punic War . Carthaginian ships had standardized, interchangeable parts that even came with assembly instructions akin to "tab a into slot b" marked on them . </P> <P> In East Asia during the Warring States period and later the Qin Dynasty, bronze crossbow triggers and locking mechanisms were mass - produced and made to be interchangeable . </P> <P> In the late 18th century, French General Jean - Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval promoted standardized weapons in what became known as the Système Gribeauval after it was issued as a royal order in 1765 . (Its focus at the time was artillery more than muskets or handguns .) One of the accomplishments of the system was that solid cast cannons were bored to precise tolerances, which allowed the walls to be thinner than cannons poured with hollow cores . However, because cores were often off center, the wall thickness determined the size of the bore . Standardized boring allowed cannons to be shorter without sacrificing accuracy and range because of the tighter fit of the shells . It also allowed standardization of the shells . </P>

Who was the first to have invented weapons with interchangeable parts
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