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We visit a large NORWEGIAN BICYCLE
FACTORY.
The bike - which this year features a 130-year history behind it - has in the past decades has evolved to become the
most popular
and most widespread of all means of communication. In this country expect a that one in five Norwegians own a bike, while every other Swedish and one in three Danish are so happy. Not least during the war with petrol rationing and restrictions grew the bike tremendously in popularity the world over - and the demand for bicycles in the war years shows that the popularity steadily rising. The modern bicycle was not in a day. It has in its development passed a number of stages and has had a highly variable appearance, since Karl von Drais in 1817 for the first time decided to put two wheels in a row in one plane on a vehicle which he called "running machine". Soon, the front wheel larger than the rear wheel, and sometimes the reverse. The frame came with, and underwent the strangest forms. But even before the turn of the century had the bike approached greatly to the appearance and the size it is today - the improvements since then, consists mostly of technical features. Around the same time began cycling industry's big boom.
The modern large enterprise Øglænd bicycle factory that we should pay a visit to, arises thus from 1906.Over 400 workers - most of them men - have their daily work in the major light stations in the modern factory in Sandnes - all municipal pride. It produced virtually all the parts needed to manufacture the bikes - frames, boards, screens, seats, hubs, spokes, nipples, screws eat. A little idea about the company's size is perhaps also when one hears that it has about 500 electric motors.
we start the tour in the great machine hall on the first floor, where one finds most interesting and most
maskinene. Long
rows of automatic
lathes are
in continuous
operation from
at.
7 am
until the
end of workday.
While a stream of cooling oil splash of tools and materials, fed two, four and six rods of steel or brass automatic way. The machines keep them stuck with their
steel
jaws, and tackling them with a rotating steel, drill and cut tools. And out of the machine guns with a couple of seconds screws, nuts, cones and all the small parts that go into a bike. Long steel shavings whirled to the side, while the finished parts falling into a
"box".
In this department, we also find a number of large presses, of very different size and design.
A 200-ton press that on a very simple way, they make two holes in the frame fork piece, 'as the upper and lower rod should be attached to. Furthermore, a 75-ton press that bends to the luggage carriers with magnetic release that the worker will not have a chance to get their hands broken. It rumbles and booms in the large heavy presses, and it snaps in
the small
presses. A beautiful music in the ears of technical
interest.
In another department in the first floor are welded frames - electric. The two parts to be welded together and placed simply in the welding apparatus, the power is on, and a couple of seconds later removed - fully completed. Soon bike frame finish, directed and controlled and applied plant number. Already during the war exceeded this number 500 000, and not be made
since then. In the same department work is done on all part in the manufacture of bicycle frames, forks, controls.
In the The
grinding area
- which is also located on the first floor - ground to see the parts before further processing, nickel plating, chrome plating or lacquering. A portion of the work performed as
hand grinding, but a number of grinding machines are also used. Here you can see a semi-automatic grinding machine that takes advantage of the large sprocket in cycling gear. And here see a grinding machine with a series of loosely suspended grinding machines, which ensures that even the twisted board is completely grinded.
The
production of wheels
and monitors
are no
less interesting.
Wheel material
comes in the
form of
profile steel
in coils
from the steel
works.
Coil up
in a rolling
machine,
and on its
course through
this band
get its
rim profile
and rounded
to the
diameter of
the rim should
have. The
entire coil
is after
rolling led
on to a cutting
machine that
cuts the
bend in
rim lengths,
which then
goes on
to the
electric welding
machines.
But still
need the
rim undergo
many operations
- grinding,
straightening
and hole
punching
- before
they can
be passed on
to paint
or nickel
plating department.
The
presentation of
the screens
is done much
the same way.
Coatings
is performed
by different
methods.
Some parts,
such as.
frames are
dipped in
large vats
with asphalt
varnish and
hung on
racks.
Other parts,
such as.
fork which
usually has
a chrome-plated
field,
is spray
painted.
Staff ring
takes place
on the other
hand to
hand with the ordinary
brush, and
places heavy
demands on
it to
mount the
narrow lines
pe rim
and frame.
For a long
tunnel -
where the
temperature is
up to
220 gr.
- There
is room for a
total of seven units,
each of which
contains
36 frames
or 72 wheels
or towards
200 screens.
In this
fire burned
look into
the paint
- and
the parts are
shiny again
approx.
1 hour later.
Chrome plating
process, it is
also
interesting e
follow. The
parts are
first a
careful prepared in
the electrolytic
bath, and
the put into
the nickel baths.
A few of
these are
large revolving
baths,
one with thousands
of liters
fluid content
which parts
go their
tour in.
After nickel
plating is
polished
sections
up to high
gloss and
then
to the chrome
plating bath,
where they
get their
chrome coating.
Eventually together so all the finished parts in mount
hall on the second floor. Some parts are then already assembled together, for example. hubs, brakes, seats, pedals and wheels. The assembly work is performed essentially by the industrious woman's hands, while
frame and bicycle assembly are reserved for men. The frame and parts together with bicycle installers who stands in a row, busy at their stands. During testing, inspection and still control, built the bikes up until they are fully completed and forwarded to the packing
department.
One
would not
get a
full impression
of
the
modern
bicycle
factory
on
a not
even
paying a
visit to
the motorcycle
division
and
take
a look
at the
production
of the
only motorcycle
- a
so-called <lightweight,
at 125
kb.cm.
The
production of the
individual parts,
frames,
wheels,
boards,
etc. is
done by
the same principles
and to
some extent also
in
the
same
machinery as
the
manufacture of bicycle
parts.
This
section
is
therefore
simply an
assembly
department.
The
operation here
is
nowhere
near
full,
but the
reason for
that is only
the
country's foreign
exchange situation.
The
engines must
in fact imported
from
abroad -
specifically the
UK -
and the
government can
not,
under current
conditions
perform sufficient
quantities
of foreign
currency
for such
imports.
<--
Scene
from
a race
rides
in
Christiania
in
1884,
with
the famous or
infamous
"Veltepettere".
The
rings were
at this
time
still
made
of iron
bands.
It
was
a
complete revolution
on bicycle
manufacture
area
when
the
Irish veterinarian
John
B.
Dunlop
in
1888 constructed
its
air
ring.
Dunlop
said
that he
got
the idea for the
invention of his
son
who had
taken
a rubber
hose from
his
laboratory,
pumped
it
up and put
it
on his three-wheeled
bicycle.
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