In 1768, Richard Arkwright invented the spinning frame, Also Known As the WATER FRAME, that could produce stronger threads for yarns. The first models were powered by waterwheels so the device came to be first known as the water frame. It was the first powered, automatic, and continuous textile machine and enabled the move away from small home manufacturing towards factory production. Arkwright built his first textile mill in Cromford, England in 1774. Richard Arkwright was successful, however, he later lost his patent rights for the spinning frame and that opened the door for a proliferation of textile mills.
