The Iron Age 1929-08-01: Vol 124 Iss 5

THE IRON AGE New York. August 1, 1929 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 124, No. 5 Two Weeks War Against Waste Whirlwind Campaign Among Employees of Pontiac Plant Brought 3558 Suggestions, a Third of Them of Value and Pointing to Annual Savings of $542,000 WAR against waste in a whirlwind campaign last ranging from a $50 first prize down to ten sixth prizes ing two weeks was made recently by the Oakland of $5 each. Motor Car Co., Pontiac, Mich. Ammunition en To increase interest in eliminating waste and in thi loyed included forceful speaking by plant executives, contest, numerous display boards, for which prizes were osters and display boards galore, a special daily news offered, were placed throughout the plant, illustrating paper as well as machine guns, martial music and othe graphically loss due to waste. At the top of the display means of arousing a waste prevention spirit among the boards were 2ffective slogans Posters in color were rkers and of bringing out suggestions of ways to cut »wiaced in all departments and for these prizes were given production costs and eliminating waste. as well as a prize for the best 500-word article on waste As an incentive, $1,247 in prizes were offered. The in elimination nsive campaign brought out 3558 suggestions for stop The campaign against waste was led by Gordon ping waste and improving production methods. When a Lefebvre, vice-president in charge of operations and chair- tart was made in check man of the Permanent ’ Waste Committee of the Saat R eae ae Oakland company. Mr. Le | i over the suggestions, it was felt that if 3 per cent the suggestions proved | febvre sounded the call to f tangible value the cam- e arms in a declaration of paign would have proved ec aration 0 ar | war here reproduced successful. However, about Extensive preparations » per cent of the sugges- WHEREAS:—There have grown up with this industry, | were made for the cam ns were found to be val- and entrenched themselves firmly within its lewful | paign by various commit ae Sle Cai i a Nik iable, and these, it is ry domains, ae erie ve di turbi dha gee ee and Lee \ member of the gen WHEREAS:—Said elements are in continual and persis- aimed, will result in an an- tent conflict with our march of progress, and | | eral committee made a trip / sé Ub YU ’ | nual saving of $542,000. WHEREAS:—Said elements having flourished undisturbed | to Washington to confer , ; | | 1 Numerous other sugges- | have grown to the point where they now threaten the with the Department of ons have not yet been defi- peace and security of a ful and Commerce officials and to orderly pursuit of our labors, and have constituted ” nitely passed on, having themselves a menace to our future brosperity, and | secure suggestions as to the ‘ j emseive wace to OU fi pros pe y, é | ii : ‘en referred to the en- WHEREAS:—They have established themselves in defi- | || best method of conducting gineering department to de- ance of all regular and authorized laws governing the | | the campaign. Assistance 2 ; ; i i termine whether they are ene er een Saree mas os | | was rendered by the Com- . a Ire > 2 ‘ —T hat ’ » ; ees > practical. The company WHEREFORE, Be It REsoLvep That we, the officers | l mittee on Elimination of ed | and employees of the Oakland Motor Car ( om pany, | Wast Industry ¢ | spent approximately $16,000 this sixth day of May, nineteen hundred twenty-nine aste in ndaustry oi: the in conducting its war through our regularly constituted representatives in | | Federated American En against waste and regards convention duly assembled, do bereby declare war upon i gineering Societies, and ¢ : A os 2 Gees ols C , " l this as a very profitable in- the aforesaid ope uders Namely, Extravagance, In companies that had con- s ' efficiency and Waste; and do pledge all our physical, | | clini milar campaign vestment. : : | | ducted = simils ‘ aigns — : and such financial resources as may be necessary to | | ; The prize money was di- wage to successful conclusion this war against them, | | were asked to give their ex vided into about 100 indi- to the end that we may again be free and undisturbed 1 | periences and make recom vidual prizes. A grand in the happy pursuit of our labors, and the permanent mendations , lO ; } he Fj by I f r , i . prize of $100 was offered possession of the f eer momss acrne from a | | The intensive campaign ; successful prosecution of this war. | ‘ oom é : the employee who sent in t Sioned | continued for two weeks. i igned ' the best suggestion. In ad- G. LEFEBVRE, Noonday meetings were dition, the plant was di- General Chairman | held in the plant cafeteria, vided into five sectors and during which short talks 19 prizes aggregating $220 canning were made by various ex- — ecutives Alfred P. Sloan, were offered in each sector, ( Ua I I als , “it a Z ge ¢ g Pi uring War oo Waste Campaign KEEP SENDING IN WASTE SUGGESTIONS, FITCH URGES * MANY MORE PRIZES 1 NEW WASTE ELIMI] WON'T You GET IN— sirn_? | Poor Way to Be ‘Taken fq a& e af aque | —— he) A _ a alee tne | A SPECIAL Four-Page Newspaper Was Pub : . . i ishea Daily ror the lw YX eeks ot the Waste Elin inating Campaign 264 fdugust 1, 1929, The Iron Age Head Winning Board Districts ine publication ol a newspaper, the “Reflector,” » This w: ssued daily for the two weeks, and a few additional issu palg! ne of the effective features of the campaign. here were published later to announce the results. This fou a egulat page paper covered from day to day the various activiti waste of n connection with the campaign and contained articl waste prevention by executives and department hea It also carried numerous illustrations, including reprod sued a bull tions of photographs taken in the plant showing wast lifferent departments, photograpns of posters and eaders in the campaign, as well as numer n The suggestion that won the first prize was a plan e Philfuel for the block test of motors in place of ga gas This suggestion contained full deta nstalling the equipment necessary WAR ATTRACTS MUCH INTEREST ae REFLECTOR «gers ‘Y PUBLISHED FOR OAKLAND PONTIAC EMPLOYEES 7 > r == —=— = — WAR WINNERS KANE Campaign Nets Half MillionC. J. Fl ynnof SAVING EACH Takes $100 Grand Prize Standards Dept. YEAR TO RUN Wins High Award TO HUGE SUM a Substitution Of G-4 Philfuels For Gasoline On Block Test ® PLANS RECEIVE What Ho! Lads Listen To This : : Chester J | ar ; 7 . ANTI-WASTE IDEAS NEED BE | win voor ONLY SIMPLE AND PRACTICAL | = : . among , oa? oa — 3 F x nent « THANKS FOR i “ pe. ~ er YOUR HELP ae ea = ty ae «iia cleat 8M, > nin ai Fk tl Pian: 0 ll pt . ait byt Right pT SeeeeSeoesaseeeoeeeeesaseasesseesecseneseseceseeeoeeoesESeDeEeeSEeeeeeESEDSseLeeeseeeecseseseseceneeeseseseseseseseseeeseecsees | Waste Eliminating Suggestions Offered at Outset of Campaign : | ®~]| ECT P J Liol j :| ¢ LECTRIC lights and gas fires burning Use of high-priced expense materials 3] needlessly (gas hres could in many cases low priced. | be equipped with pilot lights). i : - $+ & Wrong use of mallets, files, high speed ; Motors and tools running idly a re ae : * Rw & { : Excessive consumption of waste and : Leaky air hose, water and steam pipes expense materials : Accumulation of unnecessary of : Acetylene torches burning needlessly (co ild amounts of materials, which should be =| in some cases be equipped with automatic shut back to stores 3 | =| off). =| : | . . Detective workn inship : Scrapping of good material (work with in ' : spection). Removal of unused equipment ot all kinds : $ . * * > : Excessive amounts of tools in workmen’: Repair of cracks and crevices in : drawers. noors, etc.. which rorm recept icles ror holding : mall items such a crews, nut washers, ete PIPPI ei iti iii iii iti ii titi titi tit tii tit tit) babbitt, etc. ration ir ne ear reduced the erage httings, for j 1 steel, other excessive « redited benc hes, CORR RE RE RESE ESE SEERES RSET ESET ERSTE T EERE EE Eee ‘ Bearing Bronzes Best Suited to Lack of Lubricant ESEARCH paper N GR of the United States Bureau al had. in general ‘ nfluence upon the p1 ; pa} of Standards deals with bearing bronzes ide wit tie f the bronze The chang observed included a ts and without zinc. It was written by H. J. French and E. M toward higher hardne nd resistance to defor: Staples of the bureau. It includes study of the wea tion under repeated blows, to lower friction and lowe ng properties, hardness, structure, toughness and vea n the absence of | However, the effects of n istance to deformation at temperatures up to 600 deg dditions up t t per cent ar mall and may be insig Kahr Based on this study, the bronze t t pal nv nge n properties rea rner of the copper-tin-lead system have ! ‘ f ariat r ! tice according to the character of service } est adapted. Bronzes with less than 4 per cent tin were ! 7 , sé ’ 9 “~ ° insuitable for general bearing service. The have Don ts tor Chain Users resistance to deformation and wear rapidly in the Bod . ] | ¢ 1 Tolde n welded chain recently ued by Americar sence of lubrication. Bronzes with less than abou pel . hain Co., Ine., Br dgeport, Conn., ntains the following cent lead seem to be suited only for such service as has tne . ° . ele f I nings t a ] lubrication maintained. 3ronzes containing mors ha per cent lead were found best able, of any of the groups, to operate for short periods without lubricant. Wit! : ncreasing lead percentages, up to 15, the bronzes shows bettering characteristics in this respect, Dut 1 a dates meg dh =“ 1 ge gerber A preciable advantages appear in raising ‘ead a! ' per cent. Addition of 4 per cent of zinc to the ‘ The Iron Age, August 1, 1929-—265 the use of this gaseous fue Lhe estimate s a ‘,enera | ( poratiol tandard na ng of 64% cents per motor tested or $2.597 pe ont! plification was referred t n one of the article t based on a production of 1600 motors per day The cost var campaign publication This stated that in 1925 tl of the equipment required was placed at $32,943, which executives of the corporation, realizing that 70 per cen would be amortized in about 1212 months. of an automobile is composed of minor parts, instituted In the display board contest there were 115 entries study of the additional savings that might be accomplished The winning board on one side bore the slogan, “Not a through further reductior n the variety of these part part of the car, but a part of the cost,” below which wer At that time the average automobile built by Genera lisplayed various small parts that had been scrapped bi Motors contained 13.000 different part One type of ause of defects. On the other side was the slogan, “Us¢ was used for one purpose and a ghtly different type f t right stop the waste.” Below this were ster iriou another Different thread vere used on different re supphes, such as tools, emery cloth, lamps elting f As result f this investigation the General Motors ¢ OLLING livery speeds and in Tt} linarlliy proauced of long tengths I ecentl f } * Nn. ' ; 4 100 0) 4 t) 4 ng }u gs a { ft igre sce Y r} a nar; } 4 SLX rf | 4-1n the Finishing ihe strip is de ‘ qd on edge In é ACK ground are ' +1 rou ghing mili and mh a 266 August I, j rurnace 1929, The Iron OLLS on Continuous Principle Up to 2400 Ft. a Minute and In Coils Up to 2000 Lb. in Weight iv x t Arch Co. is used on this furnace. The furnace is fired with producer gas from a Morgan new type producer cated near the furnace. The producer, it has been proved, may be depended on to gasify 6000 lb. of coal per r. The furnace has a capacity of 60 tons of 2-in. thick with illets or slabs per hr. rey \ Morgan up-and-down cut shear is placed between furnace and the roughing mill. This shear is fed by set of motor-driven pinch rolls when it is necessary cut the billets into short lengths; otherwise, the billets ire pushed from the furnace directly into the roughing roughing mill consists of five trains of 18-in. INCH Rolls and An Up- and-Down Shear May Be Seen (view at left) At the Discharge End of the Furnace Which is Enclosed on Sides and Ends with Rolled Steel Plates ho > ipe Ee Sete Hi gh-S peed Stri)) | ; DAL ARR NI 8 . i 5 2 Ne A miei ena les cl Ra ER it ft Sth i Ns = pinnsemetncetinblaide cst > Mill at Sharon, Pa. EGULATION of Driving Motors and Means to Prevent Scratching the Product Among the Features rolls, which are driven by a variable-speed direct-current motor through reducing and helical bevel gears. The bevel gears are inclosed in oil-tight welded steel base: and covers. In the roughing group, four Morgan edging mills with 16-in. and 12-in. rolls are installed. All edging mills are driven by separate motors. Hydraulic wate sprays of 1000 lb. pressure are employed in the roughing mill for the removal of all furnace scale and to insure a good surface. After the roughing mill a Morgan stean fiying shear is installed for cropping the front ends of the strip. The finishing mill consists of six trains of 14-ir Each of these is driven by an individual variable-spe OTOR- GEN - ERATOR Set Is in Foreground, Finishing Mill Motors in Left Center and Roughing Mill Motor and Gear Drive in Back- ground direct-current moto Double armature motors are used on the first three trains. The six motors are mounted on one large bed plats Novel features are employed in handling the strip, and in the guides and looping devices, to. prevent scratching the product during the rolling operations and terward when being delivered to the if loading and pickling departments The strip is delivered from the last finishing mill through a twisted trough to either of two vibrators, which in turn deliver the strip on edge in serpentine form upon slowly moving conveyors. The front end of the piece is then placed in motor-driven pinch rolls that feed it into ir for cropping, and then into the reel for coiling The cropping shear may also be used for dividing the trip so that light weight coils may be made without reshearing. When the coil is completed, a motor-driven pulloff places the coi] on a conveyor which carries the oils into the loading building where they are assembled n trucks There are two complete sets of vibrator mveyors, shears, coilers and delivery conveyor The power for tl mill is received at 2300 volts, 60 cycles, 3-phase, and is converted to direct current of 600 Its in two 4500-kw. motor-generator sets with a 250-kw 0 lirect-connected exciter on each set One ex ter ised for excitation and control purposes, and the N the Control Platform Are the Motor Controllers, Meters and Speed In dicators. The roller on mill floor give: orders through a mt rophone and_ loud speaker The Iron Age, August 1, 1929—267 antes T pulpit, the roller talking into a microphone locate [There is also a 250-volt plant service lin on the operating floor. being All the mill motors are equipped with speed regulat ng I 1 Ward-Leonard n¢ 1uipment that holds the speeds of the different ising one of the direct-current gen- motors constant regardless of the load being carried b: gement is separately the different motors. The speed regulators for the edg vith the operatior ng mill motors are regulated in conjunction with the | g iging mil roughing mill motor, so that as the speed of the roughing 1] nami mill is changed the speed of the edging mill motor 1utomatically changed. This avoids separate adjustment the edging mill motors every time there is a change itor Gets Instructions through Loud Speaker speed required for the roughing mill. The speed of eact} are edging mill can, however, be adjusted separately wher equired [The vibrator motors are also equipped w \] snes ru yrs ir! aste) The 1 was designed and built by the Morgan Cor ; met i n ( Worcester, Mass. The electrical equipment rheostat f vas furnished by the General Electric Co., Schenectad uM rh Sharor npany’s construction force | he ere n of buildings, the installation of four c e? latior f the nachinet and the mounting of the German Views on Use of Open-Hearth Decarburizers In the second article under the general heading “Cor Which the Effects of Decarburizing Agents De- In pend,” E. Killing says in substane Highs I i or t h mecl ‘ The ff ; ] in appr ut id 2 xid 3 du r 7 a . - * > = . . [Temperature Measurement by Means of Color Transition HAT appears to be a new principle in optical pyr live amounts of red and green in the radiation, witl : ncorporate n instrumer ecent consequent lateral shift of the white line along the wedg« 208 by Dr. G. Naeser It is claimed that an accurac y of plus or minus lL: Known, the radiation from a “black body deg. C. is obtained between 900 and 2000 deg. This the variou primary ci rs, the relative could doubtless be in reased considerably. One possibk depending y } emner IT f he difficulty is that of partial color-blindness of the oper This the isis f the conventional schem« ator—if the eye is more sensitive to red than to green, en the white will apparently be displaced toward the green Ww pyrometer contains first a filter which trar end of the wedge. This may be taken care of, says Dr , ee ind green. Th« Naeser, by sighting first with one eye and then with th then passed through a wedge-shaped filter in ithe vavelength—the greer $ rbed mor h increasing . than : her. As = siete ne Edgar Allen Steel Co., Inc., 741 Washington Street - satanic " lors a line of whit New York, exclusive representative in the United Stat« i n juai absorption of red — a of Edgar Allen & Co., Ltd., Sheffield, England, has opened f perature | luk i chang’ Y tne rela- an office at 704 Fisher Building, Detroit, and will ca complete stocks of Allen tool steels in that city. fugust 1, 1929, The Iron A 7 ‘ a © Se eee ee ee nw asitl es einai Conveyors Reduce Assembly Costs Studebaker Corporation Cuts Labor Expense 15 Per Cent and Doubles Output by Using Conveyors for Sub- Assembly and Final Assembly Operations N doubling its capacity for producing automobiles, [here are many other features indicating increased the Studebaker Corporation has rearranged skill and efficiency with which mechanical conveyors are plant at South Bend, Ind., so that the major par being used. Where space is needed for manufacturing of the sub-assembly and final assembly work is done on operations, overhead conveyors are raised to a_ point ‘onveyors. While mechanical handling of materials ha which become the rule rather than the exception in the aut ‘ does not interfere with the operation of machine tools or other equipment. At other points, where ma mobile industry, chief interest lies in the new uses and terial carried by the conveyor must be within reach of the increasing flexibility of the systems which are i: workmen or where conveyors cross one another, the mor stalled to meet the special needs of each manufacture) rail carrier dips conveniently At the Studebaker plant there are innovations in handling parts which should attract more than passing Versatility Shown in Design of Hooks attention. Motors, for example, are carried on an ove1 Aside from the flexibility of the conveyors, great ve1 head conveyor 2810 ft. from the motor building to the satility has beer hown in the design of special hook final assembly lines, where they are lowered into the and carriers on which parts are placed for movement ‘hassis. This conveyor is capable of handling 177,00 ilong the nveyor line These hooks have been made b. of work at one time and of delivering 100 motors ar so that parts can be attached to them with a minimum hour to four final assembly lines, motors being distribu f time and effort and can be transported without damage ted along the conveyor at 10-ft. intervals. The conveying system is by no means confined to Another unusual installation is an overhead chai verhead conveyors, for the roller type also has been onveyor for transporting all chassis sheet metal part nstalled in connection with certain operations. Cylinde1 from the enameling and lacquer departments throug! blocks, for example, are machined on tools adjoining foun three floors of three buildings to the final assembly line irallel roller conveyors 800 ft. long. Differing from This conveyor is 2200 ft. long the practice in some other automobile plants, Studebake1 O Avoid Interfering with Manufacturing Operations, Motors Being Carried by Overhead Chain Con veyor to Main Car Assembly Lines Move From One Floor to Another Along Wall Just Outside Build- ing. Protection against accidental fall is afforded by metal screen running beneath conveyor The Iron Age, August 1, 1929—269 af i Ee a Are Set Crosswise on Short Slat Conveyor with Flywheel End Overhanging So That Transmission Can Be Assembled (Above). Frames are carried at 15-deg. angle from first to second floor of assembly building on double-chain slat type conveyor (left). Springs and axles are added (below) while frame is in L pside dow n position on slat conveyor with struc- tural uprights 30-in. high tenses ed _ i aerilinae a +- sina) HEELS Are Carried on Special Racks on Overhead Chain Conveyor to Assembly Line (above) Garnish moldings and instrument boards (below) are delivered to body assembly line by over- head conveyor engineers have not routed conveyors under machine tools I rder to have machining done without removing the nde locks from the conveyors; instead a rope hoist nployed to lift cylinder blocks from conveyors on to hine tools, and in this way delays are avoided when ire gy repall d ng at right angles vlinder machining nnected to them are four roller conveyors motors are assembled. It is here that connect valves, camshafts, pistons and crankshafts are the cylinder block. During their progress along the line, motors are upside down for part. of the journey, righted in a “barrel turnove1 For boring the the flywheel housing, motors are taken off the I ran¢ are set in a specially-designed stan At tl nd tl 4 motors are placed rane on a chain conveyor equipped with steel plate riers, Which carry motors at a 30-deg. angle. The imework of this conveyor 1s narrow so that operators get at the motors easily. The use of the conveyor minated the necessity of constructing rotating r the motors and has proved economical. It i that the flywheel, clutch, cylinder head, timing gear, ng gear cover, starter, generator, water pump, ign m, manifolding and carburetor are assembled Motors Transferred to Run-In Stands Motors are transferred from the chain conveyor to run- by crane, where they are cleaned and driven kerosene, and from there to dynamometer stands lynamometer test. From the dynamometer stands are picked up by crane and set crosswise on a slat conveyor with the flywheel end overhanging that the transmission can be assembled. Transmis ! me to the assembly line on an overhead chai 272 fugust 1, 1929, The Iron Age ~ conveyor, Which crosses all four main motor assembly lines. The slat conveyor runs to the edge of the crane bay, where motors are removed by crane and hung on the motor delivery conveyor, which carries them to the main assembly lines. The transfer work is done while the motor delivery conveyor is in motion. Motors on the delivery conveyor go through a paint spray booth, where they receive a coat of paint, and then begin the journey to the main car assembly lines. Dur- ing this trip they are routed so as to avoid interfering with manufacturing operations. At some points they move from one floor to another on the overhead conveyo: along the wall just outside the building. In such cases protection against accidental fall is afforded by means of a metal screen running beneath the conveyor. This conveyor carries eight-cylinder motors weighing 1200 lb. including transmission, at a speed ranging from 4.16 ft. O Save Floor Space in As- sembly Build- ing, Bodies Are | “Nosed” by a Spe- | cially Designed | Mechanical Device | and Are Stored in | That Position to || Await Movement to Main Assembly || Lines to 16.6 ft. a min. It is operated by a 5-hp. motor and has a dual mechanical drive. In the piston department, pistons are handled on a roller conveyor which in every respect, except size, re- sembles a standard roller conveyor. It is just wide enough to accommodate a piston, and its rollers are made of %-in. standard pipe. It was designed and built by the company. Crankshafts are delivered from the ma- chining department to the motor assembly lines on an overhead chain conveyor on which they are hung endwise. All Conveyors Lead to Main Assembly Lines The main car assembly lines are the central point to which all parts are delivered, and consequently all con- veyors used for carrying these parts have the assembly lines as their destination. Front axles are machined on the fourth floor of the machine department building, the work flowing from the west to the east end, while rear axles are machined on the third floor. At the east end ie tae i OR Boring Face of Flywheel Housing, Motors Are Taken Off Conveyor by Crane and Are Set in Special & Boring Stand the fourth floor, front axles are hung on an overhead ‘onveyor which passes down to the third floor, where rear axles are added. The conveyor then goes through a spray booth and axles receive a prime coat of paint From the spray booth the conveyor travels down a bridge to the second floor, where it serves the axle storage de partment, and thence moves to the four final assembly : lines. Tire rims, tires and wheels are handled by overhead ; chain conveyor from storage through assembly, and fil ished wheels are carried to the final car assembly lines on another overhead conveyor 840 ft. long moving at a At the end of the lacquer depart 4 rate of 24 ft. a min. ment, finished hoods are hung endwise from the inside if the louver on an overhead chain conveyor and thence are delivered to the proper point along the final car as- sembly lines. The conveyor for chassis sheet metal parts, already eferred to, transports front and rear fenders, side splash + a j ISTONS' Are Handled on Roller Conveyor Just Wide Enough to Accommodate a Piston. Rollers are oes me te made of %%4- in. standard pipe radiator dust pans, gas tank covers and trunk lacquer de guards, racks from the enameling department or the partment through the floor to the final car assembly lines on the second floor torage department on the third In the course of its journey it travels in three floors of three buildings. Passage through the storage depart ment makes possible the removal there of rejected part and the substitution in the blank spaces of new part taken from storage If the conveyor delivering ma terial to the assembly lines too rapidly, parts are take off in the torage department to await demand Frames Assembled on Slat Type Conveyor On the first floor of the final car assembly building automobile frames, which are purchased from an out side source, move by hand along a metal table where running board brackets are fastened to the frames. At the end of the table the frames are lifted by an electric hoist on to a conveyor, which carries them at an angle of The Iron Age, August 1, 1929—273 15 deg. to the second floor. Here springs and axles are added while the frames are upside down and the con- veyor passes through a spray booth where the frames are given a coat of paint. At the end of the conveyor, frames are turned over into an upright position by means a mechanically-operated hook. The frame conveyor 1s of the double-chain slat type with structural uprights 30 in. high to carry the frames. There are four parallel final assembly lines, which are served by conveyors somewhat similar in construc to the frame conveyor. These conveyors have chas- sis stations between which are steel flights where opera- tors can work. They are designed to accommodate any engeth chassis having a wheel base ranging from 109 in. 135 i It is along these two final assembly lines that the body, wheels, sheet metal parts, bumpers, and othe small parts are added. Cars move down the first two and back along the third and fourth, actually be- ng carried backward in the latter case. During the last along the third and fourth lines, the motor of the is started and it is backed under its own power off nveyor and on to an automatic elevator, which low to the first floor. At the point where cars move I their own power, an overhead exhaust system pee! provided to remove Tumes, Cars Move Down “Doll-Up Line” On the first floor the cars are towed on a “‘doll-up” nveyor by drag chain, where they are rigidly inspected nd polished and where any minor blemishes are removed. Installation of conveyors has resulted in expanding he use of old buildings and in concentrating manufac turing operations in a floor space in which heretofore it vas impossible to produce more than 400 instead of the % 274— dugust l, 1929, The Iron Age present 900 cars a day. Moreover, labor costs have be: cut down about 15 per cent. The conveyors on which motors are assembled ar then are transported to the final assembly lines were & signed and installed by the Jervis B. Webb Co., Detroi The frame conveyor and the conveyors for the final a sembly lines are the products of Mechanical Handlin; Systems, Inc., Detroit, while the conveyor deliverin; sheet metal parts from the enameling and lacquer d partments to the final assembly lines was built by tl Anchor Steel & Engineering Co., Detroit. Action of Inhibitors in Pickling Solutions ERTAIN inhibitors reduce the rate of solution of met als in acid solutions. F. N. Speller, metallurgica engineer, National Tube Co., in an address Dec. 28 1928, before the American Association for the Advanc« ment of Science said that this is due to an increase the hydrogen overpotential, which is generally assumé¢ to be due to formation of a film of discharged inhibito substances adsorbed on the cathodic areas. The theo1 of inhibitor action has been well stated as follows: When immersed in acid, iron goes into solution at th: anode areas, forming ions and discharging hydroge) ions at the cathode areas. These cathode areas may be said to occur principally in the narrow spaces of thi grain boundaries in steel, or between the metal and slay in wrought iron. Most inhibitors are either bases, suc} as quinoline, or positively charged colloids, and wher these are present they travel to the cathode areas wit! the hydrogen. When the positively charged heavy par ticles are discharged, they cannot escape by gaseous evolution and accordingly are adsorbed on the surface building up a protective layer. Clamshell Bucket Takes 10 Tons of Coal at a Time CLAMSHELL bucket of 161%-yd. ca- pacity has been shipped by the G. H. Williams Co., Erie, Pa., to the Donner Steel Co., Buffalo. At one grab it picks up 10 gross tons of coal. Alongside it, in the pic- ture, is shown a Williams *@-yd. clamshell. From the bottom of the scoop to the top of the head, the big coal bucket measures 18 ft. 9 in. in height. When it is lowered, open, upon a pile of coal, its scoops have a spread of 19 ft. The area covered by the spreading scoops is 133 sq. ft. It was designed especially to increase the capacity of a crane already in use on the docks of the Donner Steel Co. The de- signers are proud of the fact that it weighs only 28,000 Ib. The bucket is of the four-rope type, which gives the operator positive control, even on a high bridge crane, where the bucket must be lowered a considerable distance. The twin-power-arm design serves to prevent cable twisting, and also eliminates “side leads” of closing cable. The closing line sheaves on each of the twin-power arms work always in the one plane, giving a straight-line pull. This is calculated to save wear on sheaves, flanges and bearings, as well as cable. 7 = 25 dae chs erento Alaa ttt by a a nn es 1 naib te. a a eae Retin i A ots Assessing Obsolescence of Patterns Methods of Determining When They Are No Longer Likely to Be Required —Periodic Survey Suggested ERHAPS the most common procedure has been to Another method is to have the engineering depart cull out obsolete patterns whenever the storage spac¢ ment or the sales department make the final decision as has become cramped. This method does not provide to the disposition of the patterns. Every ten years the an efficient solution to the problem. A review of the more Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co. reviews all of its patterns effective methods reported by some of the companies which have been inactive during that period, and des- cooperating in this survey may be helpful. troys those decided upon after proper consideration by its : oer engineering department. Drives to Eliminate Patterns Builders Iron Foundry examines its patterns at least Falk Corporation has on occasions made _ periodic once a vear, at which time it diseards all those which drives to eliminate some of its patterns. It found that are obsolete. In this process, the salesmen are con invariably after this procedure it ran into difficulties, as sulted on those patterns in which they may be most In its customers shortly afterward ordered castings from terested [The effort is on the side of having too few the patterns which were discarded. rather than two many patterns, but in practice the firm De Laval Steam Turbine Co., on its last drive to has found a good many that do not pay by their use for eliminate some of its obsolete patterns, destroyed a large the space occupied. pattern. Six months later this pattern was called for Sometimes there are in an organization one or two and had to be replaced at a cost of $1,500. members fully qualified to take action on the patterns; National Cash Register Co. disposes of its obsoleté where such is the case, their decision is final. An ex patterns, because the company finds that the cost of re ample of this may be found in the practice of a large making the few patterns which may be called for later mid-western company which goes over its patterns an is less than the storage costs would be if all were nually; ill obsolete patterns are immediately crapped. retained. The responsibility for the decision is left to the man One of the plants of Ingersoll-Rand Co. has found it n charge of patterns and the a tant to the president, better business occasionally to replace a pattern whicl who is thoroughly conversant with the sales and service has been destroyed than to invest thousands of dollars need in storage facilities for patterns that are not moving. Retaining All Patterus The greatest care is exercised before any pattern de > ere ‘ y Ts wes whe f eC! ] if the lati “— of : stroyed, and it has been found necessary to replace only rl instar where, because of the nature of a a few product or the policy of a company, all patterns are re Definite Time Interval ined, ign ley ild ordinarily be classe is obsolete. Skinner Engine Co. has found it has to Some companies have adopted a definite time interval suai: tenis saube: See qnaimen wldek.t i: to 38 : inactivity of the pattern before it is to be destroyed. ears aw It feels, therefore, obliged to keep all it This procedure is re xr” precarious, although t ha . S proce lure is rather precarious, alth E terns, and no obsolete classification is attempted 4 proved a satisfactory solution to the problem in individual . = , : . Busch-Sulzer Brothe1 Diesel Engine Co. maintain instances . vances. . ee tterr ? mmercela product i long i the er E. W. Bliss Co. destroys all patterns which have not ' ; * : . : ne ire I ry f Ch nece tats extensive patter been used in five years. The company also gives con ; ; . : oo mm " torage. But since the longer a machine is in service the sideration to the advisability of destroying some whicl : bas ; ; - . more likely replacement parts will become necessary, the there is reason to believe will not be used again, ever ; . mpany does 1 believe it idvisable for it to destroy though they may not be five years old. ia » 9 14 ; atte even » Veal old R. D. Nuttall Co. disposes of all patterns not used by ae : sues z Riley Stoker Corporation has been engaged in the it for ten years. Before destroying a pattern, however, : : . . See toker business for almost 50 years, and has in that time the company makes a careful study to ascertain if there : , ‘bili : ate ate iccumulated a great many pattern As long as a stoker IS not a possibility of revising it to meet later require ; ; ; *“- . B f the firm’s manufacture is in service, it feels duty bound ments. | : c ; fied ; ; supply renewal parts whenever required I. P. Morris Corporation recéntly established the rul- ' a s ; ' Waterbury Tool Co. keeps the patterns of its regular - ing that patterns not used for five years are to be des- : ’ : ie a: product indefinitely, as do both Murray Iron Works Co troyed. On some of the largest of its turbines, on which : . ; : ind De La Vergne Machine Co., since they believe it is the pattern cost is relatively small as compared with the . : ‘ ; to their advantage to be able to supply repair parts for ultimate cost of the product, and for which there is not : 3 : : : : their respective machines whenever called upon to do so likely to be any demand for duplication or replacemen e : eta Some firms retain certain classes of patterns, but for at least two years, the patterns are destroyed as a tcc a lestroy others, the procedure depending, as before sug- soon as all castings made therefrom are machined and : pi me ; ‘ e ; gested, upon the nature of the product. There are many tested. The firm has found, after a period of six months : , ; : : ; “1 instances where only specific parts of a unit would under : in which this ruling has been in effect, that there has ae ordinary circumstances need replacement within the life resulted a reduction in pattern storage area of 75 to f the unit. In these cases, it would obviously be of no 80 per cent. particular advantage to retain and store all the patterns This is the concluding installment of the articl Or ete for the complete unit and Inactive Patterns,” the first portion of which appeared ’ . : THE IRON AGE of July 25, page 215 United States Radiator Corporation, for instance, The Iron Age, August 1, 1929—275 W severa Jobbir o ‘ nar Viethod ceciassificati 276 fugust 1, 1929. The Iron ive tel are stocked in a separate space and kept for the ilvage value. This space occupies about one-fifth pace required for the active patterns. Fairbanks, Morse & Co. remove their patterns to thi vice department pattern storage aS soon as a prod ntinued. The warehouse is checked two or th ear, and as many patterns are disposed of Card System \ tem which Nas many valuable features is a ndex of all patterns When properly applied, thi rted to be of inestimable value in solving the obsol: ter! roblen Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. maintain hop a card index of all patterns. On ¢ > ‘ the date the pattern is taken out ol e and used in the foundry, as well as the date irned t torage. The cards act as a guide to the the patterns, and lists are prepared several the i] howing patterns which have not be ' ; ng period of approximately five years. Th f hen forwarded to the various engineering nts f their recommendations as to wheth¢e r? { e retained in storage or destroyed It yt necessarily follow that any pattern wl y juril period I five ears : eines vi Ke ne decisior ' ! i ifficient rrospective i ense of continued torage. The pe ! not tl e consideratio1 ’ ‘ } t etors Y ) er ng alu f the ittern against the f iny’ ybligation t naugurated a card system f 1 Phe rl f card which tl vn it £ It will be noted ti , + tne ) tern COVE?! ) ! ne ) yr metal, and st ! ! | so gives data ; = . ! ! tern, so that anyone wishing nd referring t he rd record ¥ I } ? e patter? if l t | ften tl en used era § if I en il terva tne ’ ’ | o whic ’ I VI I ! i ed t ( Y I il? a mewnat I natior ntained on the card ! ner a The ! ( I Periodic Survey nies make periodic surveys of t! evermine wnict re ob let several met is are in ust On anew se rion itterns to ascertai1 I sui ne eitne. a spec wi milia Vit he yvatterns i ¢ I I I met! ! f the sales an ring i@partme! VI re fu equainted ton nvolved ; N I Cash Regist ( K¢ en innua I I all its patter? not i ial use, and whi not bee ised during the previous six mont} are then laid aside, and all patterns for which there en no call during the year are passed upon by the Inspection Committe This committee consists of the nen in charge of the pattern, foundry, general machin¢ m and tool supply departments. They are fa- vith the requirements and are in a position t » ¢ letermine whether the patterns will be used in the future rT apped when the committee so ae ies The method, used ‘ompany plac Patter general super n its tern shop foreman, pattern records and storage man, at procedure tollowed bY M rgan ( nst ( sting fy) " the i. I — e +} Pp ‘ i A . «a aa Vill a‘ i ia rah L el aut is oa Liat <A 4 presents an interesting example of the applicat n of this nittee fron 9294 to Ma 12 28 indicate a total ¢ In conjunction with a card systen The 8959 patterns : ng tha entail es full responsibility for its patterr n Committee, which is comp intendent, chief draftsman, a dé Sec sione the treasurer of the company. The committi least once a month. It takes into considerat ‘ At the recent Expositio1 f Chemical Indust factors in determining the obsolescence of New York, the first metallic columbium made in th Notificatic ; nited States w exhibited by Dr. C. W. Balke, chemica hange ir esig ; rector f Fanste: Products Ce Nortl ( hicag 1] 2 mmOTELy m,. it Ww he remembered. i rare metal n “ FLOOR RACK t ap SECT N F F of t j viding space for recording many Fe. IG. | tor Patterns in Storage of the front DESCRIPTION f Re are Link-Belt Co he card duplicates the lower half (here shown), thus p of stances use Isbell-Porter Co. Use Th rd {at right) to Keep Record Stored Patterns ‘ y “ Patter : a ana See + 2900 natter ‘ | ' ' } nert ' attern record cards vering l és reviewed by the Pattern Committe Not I ! ! 1 mixtur f on the cards through the use of tv ibber st rol In « tr te the meta reading “Scrapped” and the other “1 ga ter stamp indicates the decision of the committee t t! een patented ‘gett ! icuum tube hold scrapping the ittern unt a t i l l A i vorKed | | ’ case wher pattern comes before t i ‘ ! rn " consideration, dating stam} earing nal ne ‘ is readil t tsell imprinted next to the tam} nowing¢ f I roce Howeve decision. aby je t ny great a int of ’ Following the meeting, the record il atterT eat in att pnere tw ecome ‘ which have been declared obsolete by the Pat ‘ KE I I it i I nce ide by Siemer I tee are turned over to a secretary, who prepa! f ne ar e¢ f t esented, it 18 asserted J be sent to all customers who have previo t ng etal 1! é rid. The exhibit consisted made from the patterns in questior These er everal r f th heet irs, rods ar ut with a statement that the patterns ¢ I lared obsolete, and giving the customers a! I Ther e workable as imbite in the bla to purchase spares or castings from the patter? vith f South Dakota, and the ore il ind in severé ‘ 30 davs after the date of notice Tt ro< iré ner . on the Nor Ame can Continent In aie *= in large measure the possibility of scrapping patter! ne eta bout one-seventh the price of platinun ; 3 one d and receiving a! rdet the lf the ‘ aay, The Iron Age, August 1, 1929—277 Building Machines of Welded Steel Has Advantages for Equipment Infrequently Ordered, and as Step in Developing New Lines—Cast Construction Economical for Machines Produced in Quantity BY D. M. LUEHRS GREAT deal has _ been iblished in the tech- Attempts have been made by some promoters of ni press relating to tl ibstitution of welded- welding to substitute welded-steel construction wherever t f t-iron and cast-steel construction cast metal is used. That is an impractical proposition. Mi rk described, such as shears, concrete The company with which the writer is connected has been rur een of compara building machine tools and other machinery of welded and has involved very little attempt steel since 1914 and has had numerous opportunities to gn r ist metals, to produce really determine where welded steel leaves off and cast con- g cing é as highly efficient equipment. struction begins. unaware Welded steel construction is ideal for special ma an be Lie n the constructior chines, only one or two of which are to be built. It t hing f pleas- is also of advantage in building the first standard ma- brackets chine of a-new design, or for building standard equip- 1 can mer especially of large size, for which orders are re- ved only once or twice a year. In the case of the special machine there is always more or less development work during the entire con- struction period. Machine designers are not infallible and numerous alterations usually have to be made in the gn. {t costs practically as much to build a set of Ca ) Sta é i & h fk IG. 2 This Special Milling Machine Combines Welded and Cast Construction. The base, hydraulic platen or table, hydraulic vises, hold-downs and mill- ing arbors are of welded steel, but because the same set of patterns could be used for both the right and left-hand head and tailstocks, steel castings were used for those parts. The tailstock castings are electrically welded to the tubular overarms that tie the head and tailstock together 278—August 1, 1929, The Iron Age + " | 1G. 3.—(Below) Welded Steel Was Used Economically in This Ma | chine, Especially for the Overarm Sup . porting the Wire Straightener, the | Rack Frame Guides and Gear Boxes The machine was designed for feeding wire, straightening and cutting it to length and welding it to form che rectangular oven rack for gas ranges The door frames and doors and the two handwheels shown on the machine are castings aa } (Above) The Welded Steel Base of This Machine, for Finishing Operations on the Gas Range Oven Racks, is 5-Fr. Wide and 12-Fr. Long Of welded steel also are the gear boxes that support the roll straightener, the housings and parts, ind the rotary shear The two triangular base supports for the wire brushes are iden tical in design and were therefore made of \ stings The door frames being of stand \ ird size are of cast steel, welded into holes urned into the stee I ites | | | | | called for to fit the machine to particular requiremen making it necessary to add msiderable pattern con struction to the job. Examples of welded-steel construction are shown in the accompanying illustrations. Fig. 1 is an 8-ft. diameter in ) dexing table; Fig. 2, a special milling machine represent- patterns and core boxes as it does to perform the weld- ing a combination of cast and welded-construction; and ing operations on the machine itself. Patterns deterior Fig. 3 is a machine for feeding wire, straightening and ate rapidly, require fire-proof storage, and unless an cutting it to length and finally welding it into a rect other machine is going to be built from the same pattern angular gas range oven rack. Fig 4 is a ma hine for within six or eight months, patterns can be eliminated finishing operations on the gas stove oven-racks. The with considerable speeding up in production and a re captions for these illustrations give further data on duction in the weight and cost of the material. Other each machine. 5 advantages include increased stiffness and_ strength, In building these machine bases, the plates are planed ' smoother finish, requiring less paint, and the elimination and scarfed on a plate planer. The molding around the of the necessity for “aging” the material. base is also planed and one edge rounded, on the plate In developing a standard machine of new design, planer. All welds are caulked immediately after welding welded-steel construction offers the same advantages. In to remove any strains that may be set up by the weld- i addition, it permits the welding on of brackets and pads ing heat. We find no difficulty in obtaining welds free “ and the making of changes without scrapping and r from porosity, and have never had a weld fail making the patterns and castings. Having completed Proper equipment, proper welding wire and a high ) the development work and having determined just how grade experienced welder are the prime essentials to | the proposed machine will function, it is, of course, more success in obtaining good welded steel construction. economical to put the machine into patterns and get the castings in the regular way. Modern heat-treating largely takes care of the aging problem. 4 directory of mine operators and statistical data When a large machine tool is to be built only two pertaining to shipments of iron ore are contained in a or three times a year, deterioration and repairs to pat- booklet published by the Lake Superior Iron Ore Associa- terns become quite costly. Large castings art relatively tion, Cleveland. Included in the data are annual ship- hard to handle and of necessity must be thicker, henc ments from each mine in the period 1909-1928 inclusive, heavier and more costly, in order to obtain the same annual receipts at lake ports, ore on dock at Lake Erie strength as with the steel construction. With very larg: ports, annual shipments from other than Lake Superior equipment of this class, changes in design are frequently mines and annual imports by countries. The Iron Age, August 1, 1929—279 { iT 280 Ke > % tor New Low-Sulphur Iron for Ingot Molds to Avoid Cracking of Molds from Sudden Expansion and Slower Contraction Oxides Blamed for Permanent Growth SE EVELOPMENT of an ingot High percentages of sulphur in cast iron tend to in nold in to resis as ease its brittleness and lead to cracking at both high ich as possible, the fail and low temperatures. Hence, Vulc-lron is treated to ire ds through heat reduce its sulphur content. It averages 0.035 per cent checking and cracking has ulphur nd is guaranteed under 0.05 per cent sulphur a n the purpose of the nly Bessemer iron is used in the cupola, with a percent Vulean Mold & Iron ¢ ize of low-phosphorous steel scrap and of cast iron scraj Latrobe, Pa., in bringing the latter entirely of the company’s old molds, returned ut a new ‘ for thi