NEWS EDITION Vol. 1 5 , No. 1 3
INDUSTRIAL andENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
JULY 10, 1937
Vol. 29, Consecutive No. 26 Published by the A m e r i c a n C h e m i c a l Society H a r r i s o n E . H o w e , Editor Publication Office: Easton, Pa. Cablet Jiechem (Washington)
Editorial Officer R o o m 706, Mills Building, Washington, D. C Advertising Departments 332 West 42nd Street, N e w York, Ν. Ύ.
Telephone: Telephone:
National 0848 Bryant 9-4430
Rochester—the City o f Varied Industries The Meeting Place of the A. C. S., September 6 t o 10,1937
R
OCHESTER is a city favored b y t h e gods. t h e y established, was high, orders in creased and t h e establishments grew. T h e y I n t h e physical beauty of its setting, grew because of q u a l i t y , a n d to maintain with lake and bay a t its door, in i t s quality t h e factories required skilled help. healthful climate, in t h e fertility of its soil, Thus Rochester developed a population a n d in its a b u n d a n c e of water power, t h e of higher t h a n average intelligence b y a Flower C i t y has been blessed a s have few sort of natural industrial selection of o t h e r communities in this country. workers. Photographic supplies, surgical According to Herman L. Fairchild, pro instruments, optical goods, temperaturefessor emeritus of geology of t h e University measuring devices, food products, readyof Rochester, cities are t h e expression of made shoes a n d clothing, printing, litho h u m a n gregariousness a n d , therefore, are graphing, and machines to d o better a n d biologic phenomena. " T h e location or site faster t h e things h u m a n hands previously of Rochester," said Dr. Fairchild, "was had to d o , were n o t products to be made determined b y physiographic conditions. by t h o s e with blundering minds nor awk T h e mechanical energy resident in falling ward bodies. water, supplied b y t h e Genesee River, in vited t h e initial activity." Later, indus T h e pride of t h e founders and t h e pride trial developments, while aided by a of t h e workers in m a k i n g their prod plentiful supply of comparatively cheap ucts second t o none in all t h e world h a v e power, were not dominated b y it. C h e a p earned for Rochester t h e enviable slogan, or convenient natural resources alone "Rochester M a d e M e a n s Q u a l i t y . " T h i s usually result in t h e development of prideof accomplishment is not only re" h e a v y " industries. Of these, Rochester ected in t h e quality of t h e products of h a s none. these factories, b u t in t h e pleasant sites and cheerful surroundings of the plants, in I n d u s t r y here was founded a n d propa the pride of home ownership of t h e workers, gated b y t h a t intangible b u t m i g h t y force and in t h e coordinated responsibility of e m of progress, intelligence. It h a s been said ployer a n d employee. T h i s is illustrated in t h a t more p a t e n t s are issued t o Rochesterthe low labor turnover i n Rochester estab ians, per capita, t h a n to t h e people of a n y lishments, in t h e "Pioneer" clubs in many other c o m m u n i t y in t h e world. This has of t h e factories consisting of employees resulted in t h e development in Rochester who have been in t h e organization a of "fine" industries—of industries requir quarter of a c e n t u r y or longer, a n d in t h e ing dexterous fingers a n d active minds. enlightened a n d progressive social a n d M a n y of t h e early settlers in Rochester financial security plans which the e m were skilled craftsmen who left their homes ployees of m a n y Rochester industries e n in t h e old world or more crowded sections joyed long before t h e unfortunate results of t h e new in search of opportunity, less of t h e depression b r o u g h t a realization of competition, greater freedom. Because t h e needs of such measures t o t h e country t h e quality of t h e products these men a t large. made, in t h e little shops a n d plants which Rochester, t h e c i t y of varied industries, is proud to call to t h e attention of Ameri can chemists some of h e r industries which aid chemistry and which chemistry aids.
CADILLAC HOTEL
HATWARD HOTEL
HOTBL· ROCHESTER
285
Bausch & L o m b Optical Co. Bausch & L o m b is expanding its re search, program in t h e investigation of t h e chemistry and physics of glass surfaces and i n t h e development of new materials and processes for t h e optical industry b y opening a new laboratory for applied re search. Nearly 9000 square feet of space have been converted into a series of labo ratory units devoted t o research in t h e fields of metallurgy, experimental electro plating, spectr scopy, photomicrography, and physical testing. T h e cost of t h e work t o d a t e is approximately $40,000, a n d the program will require a 50 per cent in crease in t h e staff of g r a d u a t e chemical engineers a n d metallurgists. Considerable advance has already been reported i n t h e perfection of cements for optical purposes, in t h e s t u d y of abrasives and polishing materials for optical glass, and i n t h e investigation of corrosive a t mospheres a n d industrial gases on glass surfaces. O n e new laboratory unit, in charge of James E. Wilson, is engaged in applying metallurgical e q u i p m e n t t o t h e s t u d y of the s t r u c t u r e of t h e steels a n d alloys used in industry. T h i s laboratory will also a c t as a control for materials used in t h e plant and will assist t h e sales d e p a r t m e n t in supplying information sought b y customers. T h e laboratory for s p e c t r o g r a p h s analy sis, in addition to testing spectrographic equipment built b y Bausch & Lomb, will study the applications of spectroscopy t o many industrial problems.
FORD HOTEL·
286
INDUSTRIAL A N D E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY
VOL. 15, NO. 13
required in the final batch. The grog is used to form the skeleton of the pot, with the plastic clay filling the voids between the grains and cementing them D E K K I L SVMMKTHY IN THE FLNtogether. A small percentage of finely I.HIIKO P O T ground feldspar rock acts as a flux when the pot is heated to high temperatures, and helps to cement the particles of grog and plastic clay into a very dense body of close texture resistant to the corrosive action of the molten glass. This ground and screened batch is passed over a magnetic separator to re move iron and then into a "pug mill," which mixes the ingredients with water and kneads them into a thick homogeneous mass. This process eliminates air and in creases the plasticity of the material. After mixing, the clay is stored wet and b>mr A n EH G L A S S IH C * I T INTO allowed to age for about 3 months, in SyfAREH A N D W E I G H E D , K A < H S«i(.*ARE creasing its plasticity and strength, and IB H E A T E D T O T H E M E L T I N G P O I N T A N D then is sometimes put through the pug K E X S E U INTO T H E F O R M OK A I . E N » B L A N K mill as many as nine times to ensure homogeneity. The pots are built a little at a time. The bottom is tamped down and the sides are built up layer by layer, allowing usually 2 days between layers, or long enough to Hefore polishing, all abrasive material is Another development of the chemical allow each layer to stiffen sufficiently to washed off the tenses ami they are inspec laboratory has boon in connection with a support the weight of the next. The new transparent resin for use in protective ted for grinding defects, such as scratches complete operation requires 2 weeks. or holes. The polishing tool, covered with glasses. This material has high lightThe completed pot is allowed to dry felt, has a curvature exactly opposite that transmission efficiency and in many ways from 5 to 6 months under very carefully of the block. Kongo and water are the appears superior to any substance pre regulated conditions of temperature, hu polishing media. viously available as a laminating medium midity, ami air circulation. One of the If the lenses pass inspection on the for lenses. most critical operations is preheating in a polishing block, all traces of pitch and The manufacturing laboratory will con furnace known as a "pot arch" in which rouge are removed, and the semifinished tinue supervision of making such products il is gradually brought to a temperature of lensesRO to the finished lens stock rooms. as pitches, waxes, resins, polishing felts, 2000° F. over a period of 4 or 5 days. One of the most interesting processes and nearly 600 other materials. Such a pot may serve for from 10 to open to guests of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL OPTICAL GLASS. Optical glass, specified 15 batches of ordinary crown glass or as one of the 23 vital raw materials in the SOCIETY will be the fusing of the new pan- for two batches of a heavy barium type. opt ik type» of bifocal lens. The process of event of war, was placed on a commercial In the case of glass for optical instruments, fitting the reading segment and fusing it production basis in the United States in where large chunks are desired, the glass in special electric ovens is all carried on in 1915. after years of experiment by William is annealed in the pot, which is then air-conditioned rooms where every effort Bausch. chipped away from the glass. is made to maintain a very low dust count. In the spring of 1917, the United States POTS. Rochester's renown as an optical Government sought the assistance of the Eastman Kodak Co. glass-producing center is dependent on the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie ability t o make pots—not ordinary pots, Rochester is identified, the world over, Institution in making a survey of the as "the Kodak City." In a sense that is but semiporcelain crucibles requiring facilities in the United States for producing a misnomer, for the city contains 123 some 8 months for proper curing. such glass. A group of silicate chemists, manufacturing businesses' large enough sent to the Bausch & Lomb plant to study Thirteen varieties of clay are required to employ 50 or more persons. T h e the processes there, were instrumental in in the pot-making batch. The require Eastman Kodak Co. is, nevertheless, far obtaining raw materials of suitable chemi ments for these pots are very rigid, since and away Rochester's largest business cal purity and assisted in modifying and they must be able t o withstand the in applying scientific control t o existing proc tense heat of the melt esses. Seventy per cent of the war re ing furnace without de quirements of the Government were turned forming, to resist the out in this plant. corrosive action of the molten glass withoutOPHTHALMIC GLASS. Among the proc dissolving, and to with esses which members of the AMERICAN stand sudden changes CHEMICAL SOCIETY may see at Rochester in temperature without is t he production of ophthalmic glass. This cracking when they glass is made from the same raw materials emerge from the fur as the finest optical glass and the same nace into the cold air. careful controls are applied to its manu facture. The distinction comes in the After securing rawmethod of annealing. Optical glass is materials that are as annealed in the pot. Ophthalmic glass is free as possible from poured in a molten mass on a heated castsuch impurities as iron iron table and rolled into sheets, which are and sulfur, and low in sent through a series of annealing ovens, carbonaceous matter, inspected for refractive index, strains, the i n g r e d i e n t s are bubbles, striae, and other defects, and cut correct ly proport ioned into blocks which must not vary more for the c o n t r o l o f than half a gram in weight. These pieces chemical and physical of glass are then pressed with the approxi properties. mate curves designed for the lens when In the operation of completed, and after inspection are de grinding and screening livered to the stock room to await requi the grog and plastic sition from the grinding departments. clay are ground to sizes The next operation, called blocking, and accurately graded consists of cementing lenses on a curved to obtain the correct block covered with a black pitch and resin. percentage of the vari When the pitch cools, grinding is begun. ous sizes of particles
Ι'ρρντ. POT H IN THE AC;INO ΡΟΤΜΛΚΕΚ WORK ROOM. WITH HI» HANDS* ΠΟΕΗ \NI> ALL Λ
