Abraham Darby

Abraham Darby was born about 1678. He invented Coke smelting in 1709. This process replaced charcoal with coal in metal foundries. This was a major advantage to Britain since coal was becoming more an more scarce and expensive also. He also made major discoveries in brass production that turned Britain into a major exporter of brass. He also designed sand casting which allows that mold to be reused thus costing the companies less money. Darby died on March 8, 1717