The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1943-07-15
New Plan Helps
Gun Production
unnroved Methods Increase
Output and Lower
Costs by Half.

DAVENPORT, IOWA. A new
..hod of breach riaing OF machine
IN barrels at the Rock Island ar
suu gu, has increased production and
s sens costs, it was reported to the
sarican Society of Mechanical En-
n ;nssrs by william Baumbach. chief
s,rerintendent of production.
su The improved method, Mr.. Baum
~ said. was perfected as the re-
II, If experiments begun in 1886.
500 ..For the past year and a half"
:. said .the broaching method has
- nroved very successful and very adj
pr.nt.eeous over the old method and
". anest results as to accuracy and
su;sb have been accomplished. In
...t the preached barrels produced
~ Rock Island are considered SUI
s.rior to any other barrels manu-
factured today.
@Machines are being operated by
vomen at present, and a production
ms5 to 40 barrels per hour is con-
SANITY maintained.
How Results Are Achieved.
.sT1he breach as developed by Rock
leland is not particularly a novel
,ool but a series of hook tools placed
n line in bar as breach. The
novel idea is that this breach pro-
auces its own spiral without any
mechanical device or cam action.
The success Of the breach is, OF
course. in the manufacture or upkeep
n these breaches which requires
skill, high-grade finish and constant
Sharpness in order to get the best
results.
ITO date, 100000 barrels have
been preached successfully. The
greatest factor involved in this
broach method is that four machines
are being used to produce 1900 bar
rels per day at a cost Of $500;
whereas, formerly 40 machines were
required to get the same production
at cost Of $1,000 each, or $3.50, 600.
Another important factor Is the
floor space-it takes only 40 square
feet to use the four machines,
against 800 square feet required"
Gen. E. M. Shinkle, general man.
aser Of Iowa Ordnance plant at Bur-
lington, told the engineers that with
In the last two years the number Of
employees In government plants
making ammunition has risen from
1000 to 100000. ...a.
Making Ammunition.
1.-TWO years ago." General Shinkle
said, two government arsenals only
were concerned with ammunition,
and not more than 1000 employees
in the United States were directly
engaged In the design, development
and production Of ammunition for
cannon and airplanes.
Some two years later plants for
loading ammunition, including plants
for the manufacture of TINT and
other necessary and special raw ma
terials have value of more than
$4,000, 000,0 900. they employ more
than 200,0 900 persons, and the annual
operating cost approaches $2,000,-
100000. It is evident that this was
not case Of the development OF an
infant industry, but rather the crea-
ton in a period Of a few months Of
giant industry from an embryo
H. E. Linsley Of the Wright Aero
nautical corporation, reported that
three years Of war production have
created revolution in the manu-
featuring methods in the aircraft
engine industry"
Engineers are playing a most
vital part in producing the weapons
which will bring US the final vic
tory" he continued. I'm the post
war period they will be called upon
to continue their efforts by convert
ing war factories back to the manu-
facture of peace-time products, and
doing this in such a way that foreign
competition for world market can
be successfully met without reduc-
uon OF American living standards"