How SIP of Switzerland Built the Jig Borer That Silenced Every Toolroom in America

Before CNC, before CMMs, before digital displays made precision feel like typing in the right numbers, there was a machine that measured error not in thousandths, but in microns. Its name was SIP. This is the story of how a Swiss instrument maker from Geneva turned the simple act of placing a hole into an industrial art form, and why toolmakers still speak its name with both reverence and anxiety. Sources consulted and referenced in our research: Wikipedia, Société Genevoise d'Instruments de Physique: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soci%C3... Practical Machinist, SIP Jig Borer Discussions and History: https://www.practicalmachinist.com/fo.... VintageMachinery.org, Société Genevoise (SIP) Manufacturer Index: http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/... Encyclopedia of Machine Tools, Jig Boring Machine History: https://www.lathes.co.uk/sip/ Swiss Precision Industry Archive, Geneva Instrument Makers: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business... Copyright © 2026 The Gear Archive. All rights reserved.