Chicago Pneumatic
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| Private | |
| Industry | Mechanical or Industrial Engineering |
| Founded | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. (1894) |
| Founder | John W. Duntley |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | |
| Parent | Atlas Copco AB |
| Subsidiaries | KTS Co., Ltd. |
| Website | www |
Chicago Pneumatic, also known as "CP", is an industrial manufacturer providing power tools, air compressors, generators, light towers and hydraulic equipment. Products are sold in more than 150 countries through a worldwide distribution network. CP is active on markets such as tools for industrial production, vehicle service, maintenance repair operation for mining, construction, infrastructure equipment.
Chicago Pneumatic is a brand name in the pneumatic tool industry with a history traced back to 1889. John W. Duntley had in mind the idea of sourcing and selling construction tools "that weren’t yet available". In 1894, he established the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, with an office in Chicago. The first plant to begin manufacturing product specifically for CP was the Boyer Machine Shop in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1901, Duntley met steel magnate Charles M. Schwab, who invested heavily in the company. On December 28, the company was incorporated and the first single-valve pneumatic hammer was patented.
1904 was the year of expansion for CP. Offices were opened in England, Canada, and Germany; and new lines of products had been developed such as air tools and rock drills.
In 1912, CP began to produce an horizontal 2-cycle semi-Diesel oil engine to power CP compressors. One year later, CP finalized the Simplate valve; it deleted valve gear, offered controllability with high speeds and brought more capacity.
In 1925, CP manufactured the Benz Diesel engine that was used in various racing cars in Europe at that time. The same year, CP began manufacturing rotary oil-well drilling equipment.
In 1939, CP designed and manufactured the world’s first impact wrench, both pneumatic and electric versions.
CP developed the “hot dimpling machine” in response to war effort demands, a device heating rivets to 1000 °F and using 100,000 pounds/inch² of pressure to squeeze the rivet head into its final shape.
In 1943, The Saturday Evening Post published a cover picture by Norman Rockwell portraying a female aircraft worker, Rosie the Riveter, eating her lunch with a CP riveting hammer in her lap.
The 1950s and 1960s were an era of performance research. CP drill bits broke depth records approaching 20,000 feet and were used in oil prospecting. The portable broach puller for aircraft rivets was introduced in 1957. A Chicago Pneumatic electric motor played a role in the U.S. Apollo space mission to the Moon. It powered a pump that inflated three bags on the capsule upon its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. The bags ensured the escape hatch was on top and the astronauts could open it safely. CP introduced in 1969 the world’s first speed ratchet “CP728” at Ford Motor Company.
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Wikipedia