The Washington times., 1916-04-08
LONG STRIDES MADE
T IN MOTOR INDUSTRY
Labor Saving Machines Re-
duoe Cost Of Car to the
I Consumer.
BY c. A. PFEFFER,
Chalmers Motor Co.

IN measuring the tremendous stride
made In manufacturing methods during
the past ten years. I know of no more
graphic gauge than the automobile
catalogues issued even so recently as
1910 and those OF the present day.
We nnd the motorist OF 1910 paying
5000 and more for motor car, and
then making an additional outlay of
several hundred dollars for accessories.
Looking back II would seem as though
the automobile buyer had been woe
fully overcharged. And yet. such was
not the case.
Motor car makers were not nearly
90 prosperous then as they are today,
mainly because wasteful manufacturing
methods cut deeply into the annual
dividends.
To the great number OF visitors who
annually inspect the Chalmers factory,
the most interesting departments OF the
entire plant, are those employing self
operating type. Chief among the won
ders OF production are Automatic"
machines which seen Ip possess an un-
canny power. coupled with absosS:e ac-
curacy.
Into the automobile screw machines
is fed bar steel: out of them comes the
finished product-magneto couplings.
springs. bolts. rocker arms. screws. and
similar parts: In fact. one-fourth OF
all the small parts which go into az
automobile.
As many as thirteen operations ere
performed by these machines on a Hh-
gle part. The machines are self-oper-
ating to the extent that one man can
divide his attention among six ma
chimes. 1t Is difficult to estimate now
many men would be necessary Under
old-fashioned methods to keep up with
the daily production Of battery Of
automatics.
Machinery OF this type is now being
used by the big munitions factories In
the manufacture of Bhrapnel, proving
that the high cost of killing - also
being reduced.
In milling and lathe work, the mo-
torist again witnesses methods whereby
the hrst cost OF his car Is lessened.
Several OF the largest Ingersoll milling
machines have capacity OF 100 COM
plete cylinder blocks per day.
These machines carry ten blocks of
cylinders, performing three operations
at the same time. A spindle drill, Just
installed. bores forty-four holes In the
aluminium fange for the running board
IN one operation. All OF these machines
which renders their work correct to the
1-1000 of an inch.
To obtain the best results in fender
work, the Chalmers Company has in
stalled a fender press which cost $780,
900. Formerly to secure the handsome
curved tenders now In vogue II was
necessary to have skilled artisans ham,
nertng away at sheet metal for hours
at time. On this new fender press.
the attendant merely places a sheet OF
metal under the hammer. and n weight
Il 175 tons descends. pressing the metal
into die. and turning out a fender OF
unsurpassed beauty.
IT 10 work of this kind and the labor.
saving devices of the modern motor
car maker that has placed automobiles
on the present price plane. Without
exaggerating, ! can say that the aver
age six-cylinder car. selling today foI
$1,000, would have cost five times tina
amount only six years back. The pros
pectiVe buyer OF today has many rea
sons to be thankful that he is expend
ing his money at a time when II will
bring him the biggest possible return
in value received.