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21-610: John Wesley Hyatt was a printer by trade and a prolific inventor who secured over 250 patents, the first issued in 1861 for a knife grinder. His chemical experiments led to the invention of celluloid . In 1888 he was working on a mill for crushing sugar cane, but lacked adequate bearings. His solution was a roller bearing where the rollers were made from coiled strips of steel, which he patented. The helical-shaped rollers made from flat spring steel were more flexible than solid-cylinder rollers, did not heat up and lock due to friction, and lasted longer. Later Hyatt introduced refinements, with

42-624: A degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . He had been struggling to find a job, and was recommended to Hyatt by John E. Searles, president of the American Sugar Refining Company , a friend of his father and a major investor in Hyatt. Sloan wrote later, Well, I am bound to admit the first sight of my opportunity was disappointing... Not far from a city dump on a weed-grown, marshy plain

63-498: A hardened form of nitrocellulose . Parkesine had been invented by the Englishman Alexander Parkes in 1862, and is considered the first true plastic, although it was not a success as a commercial or industrial product. Liquid nitrocellulose, or collodion , had been used as early as 1851 by another English inventor, Frederick Scott Archer , in photographic applications; it had also been used extensively as

84-574: A major investor in the company, as a draftsman. In 1905 he made Sloan president. The company was sold to General Motors in 1916, and Sloan went on to become president of GM. Covert Motor Vehicle Company B. V. Covert and Company was a manufacturer of automobiles in Lockport, New York , from 1901 to 1907. The company started as a manufacturer of steam-powered cars, but later switched to gas-powered vehicles. Some Coverts were exported to England as Covert-Jacksons . The 1904 Covert

105-590: A quick-drying film to protect the fingertips of printers . Hyatt's eventual result was a commercially viable way of producing solid, stable nitrocellulose, which he patented in the United States in 1869 as "Celluloid" (US patent 50359; now a genericized trademark ). In 1870, Hyatt formed the Albany Dental Plate Company to produce, among other things, billiard balls, false teeth, and piano keys. Hyatt’s Celluloid Manufacturing Company

126-621: The Hyatt brand was owned by General Bearing Company of New York- a division of SKF bearing company. John Wesley Hyatt John Wesley Hyatt (November 28, 1837 – May 10, 1920) was an American inventor. He is mainly known for simplifying the production of celluloid . Hyatt, a Perkin Medal recipient, is included in the National Inventors Hall of Fame . He had nearly 238 patents to his credit, including improvements to sugar cane mills and water filtration devices. Hyatt

147-715: The United Motors Company. Hyatt supplied bearings to the Lincoln Steel and Forge Company for use with the axles of coal mine car frames, Lincoln's highly successful main product. Henry Ford became a major customer. By 1916 the Ford Motor Company had almost half the market for new automobiles, selling 577,036 vehicles that year. Hyatt also became a critical supplier of bearings to component manufacturers who supplied General Motors. James D. Mooney , later to become head of General Motors Overseas,

168-574: The bearings assembled within a closed cage. Seeing broad potential for the invention, he founded the Hyatt Roller Bearing Company in 1892. The company was originally based in Newark, New Jersey , but soon moved to Harrison, New Jersey . In 1895 the company had about 25 employees and sold about $ 2,000 of roller bearings each month. That year Hyatt hired the 20-year-old Alfred P. Sloan as a draftsman. Sloan had recently obtained

189-619: The first injection moulding machine, sugarcane milling, juice extraction, roller bearings , and a multiple-stitch sewing machine . Hyatt was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in 1974. John Wesley Hyatt founded the Hyatt Roller Bearing Company in 1892 in Harrison, New Jersey . The company's customers included General Motors and the Ford Motor Company . In 1895 he hired Alfred P. Sloan , son of

210-538: The first shipment of Hyatt's bearings since they were not accurate to within 0.001 inches (0.025 mm). Given the importance of the contract for immediate revenue and for Hyatt's reputation as a quality supplier, Sloan at once travelled to Detroit to discuss the problem. At first Sloan defended his products, but then listened as Leland forcibly explained the importance of uniform precision in automobile parts. He said "Mr. Sloan, Cadillacs are made to run, not just to sell." Sloan now asked for Leland's advice. He later said, "I

231-546: The test vehicles were successful. Sloan was appointed president of Hyatt in 1901, and oversaw rapid and profitable growth of the company. Sloan and his family invested over $ 50,000 in the company. Hyatt moved to new premises and became a large, modern industrial operation. Sloan was awarded patents for shafting hangers and hanger boxes, and for improvements to these inventions. Sloan learned an important lesson early in his tenure from Henry M. Leland , general manager of Cadillac , then an independent company. Leland refused to accept

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252-407: Was a small, inexpensive touring car model. It could seat two passengers and sold for US$ 750. The vertically mounted single-cylinder engine, situated at the front of the car, produced 6 hp (4.5 kW). A two-speed sliding transmission was fitted. The angle iron-framed car weighed 750 lb (340 kg). It was one of the least expensive conventional touring cars on the market, but used

273-404: Was an old weather-worn building, like an overgrown barn. In its indefinite yard there was a small mound of coal and a great mound of reddish-gray cinders and ashes; also a disorderly accumulation of discarded machinery ... Once the factory had been painted brown. Only one word describes it: "dirty." Smoke from the dump carried an acric odor. Eventually across the wall nearest the railroad track there

294-532: Was born in Starkey, New York , and began working as a printer when he was 16. Later, he invented a simpler celluloid production process, receiving several hundred patents . Among the most well-known of his inventions was that of a substitute for ivory to produce billiard balls . An award of $ 10,000 had been instituted by Michael Phelan in 1863 due to the cost of ivory and concerns on its shortage. Aided by his brother Isaiah, Hyatt experimented with Parkesine ,

315-592: Was determined to be as fanatical as he in obtaining precision in our work. An entirely different standard had been established for Hyatt Roller Bearings." Soon Hyatt bearings were used in axles and transmissions by a number of manufacturers. Hyatt supplied bearings to the Covert Motor Vehicle Company , founded by B. V. Covert, who also co-founded the Harrison Radiator Company . Later Sloan would bring Harrison Radiator into

336-619: Was established in Albany, New York in 1872 and moved to Newark, New Jersey , in 1873. Hyatt's celluloid discovery went into court in a patent dispute with English inventor, Daniel Spill , who had patented essentially the same compound in the UK as "Xylonite". Spill and Hyatt clashed in court between 1877 and 1884. The eventual decision was that the true inventor of celluloid was Parkes, but that all manufacturing of celluloid could continue, including Hyatt's. Hyatt's other patented inventions include

357-590: Was hired by Hyatt and worked there before enrolling in the army in 1917 during World War I . In 1916 General Motors purchased Hyatt for $ 13.5 million as part of a drive by William C. Durant , co-founder and president of General Motors, to bring key suppliers in-house. Other suppliers were acquired at this time and assembled in the "United Motors" parts and accessories company with Alfred Sloan as president. They were Hyatt, New Departure Manufacturing (bearings), Westom-Mott Axle, Remy Electric Company, Periman Rim Company, and Dayton Engineering Laboratories. United Motors

378-533: Was lettered in black this legend: HYATT ROLLER BEARING COMPANY. Although the company was mismanaged and financially insecure, Sloan saw that the spirally-wound flexible roller bearing product had real potential. At that time industrial parts were not machined precisely, so the flexibility of the Hyatt bearing was a valuable quality. However, Sloan left Hyatt in 1897 to take a better-paying job with which he could afford to marry his fiancée, Irene Jackson. He joined another start-up company named Hygienic Refrigerator, which

399-510: Was made sales manager. Under the new discipline imposed by Sloan and Steenstrup the company made a profit of $ 12,000 in the first six months, more than exceeding expectations. In the summer of 1900 the company received a breakthrough order of 120 bearings for the rear axles of 30 automobiles from the Olds Motor Works of Ransom E. Olds . The Olds Motor Works had plans to build over 1,000 vehicles in 1901, and would use Hyatt bearings if

420-886: Was merged into General Motors in 1918. Sloan would become president of GM in 1923. As of 1934 Hyatt Roller Bearings were being used in industrial equipment for mining, oil fields, textiles, steel mills, road building, power transmission, farm machinery and railroad cars as well in automobiles. The New Departure Division and the Hyatt Bearing Division were merged into the New Departure-Hyatt Bearing Division in 1965. In October 1987, General Bearing purchased Hyatt Bearing from General Motors. In 1986 this division stopped making commercial ball bearings but continued to manufacture high-precision bearings for aircraft engines. After further divisional mergers, bearing manufacture ceased in 1993. As of 2013

441-570: Was trying to develop an electric refrigerator. Hyatt bearings for automobiles were first produced in 1896 for use in the Haynes-Apperson car of Elwood Haynes . In 1899 John Searles, the largest investor in Hyatt, decided to cut his losses. Sloan's father joined forces with another investor to buy out Searles for $ 5,000. They gave Sloan the job of turning the company around, with a six-month deadline. Sloan became general manager in charge of production. The company bookkeeper, Pete Steenstrup,

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