US&S a new video

[Tom in N.J.]

That is a great piece of film. manufacturing has chanced so much in the last 72 years that many no longer know what a milling machine is. Investment casting saves material and labor, reduces cost. Ahhh the 'good 'ole days'....

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[Lee Enfield]

That is a great piece of film. manufacturing has chanced so much in the last 72 years that many no longer know what a milling machine is. Investment casting saves material and labor, reduces cost. Ahhh the 'good 'ole days'....

I am fascinated by the methods of production of the day.

Inglis (and subsequently CAL) used pantograph oxy-acetylene flame cutting tables to cut receiver (Bren/High power/ FN FAL) and slide blanks from sheets of plate steel.

Several 100,000 Bren guns per year!

All of those ganged milling cutters and broaches....can be way more efficient for extremely large production runs than is possible with the vaunted "high efficiency" manufacturing methods of today.


I watched the tank production video....drop the transmission forging into the jig, 30 seconds later the ganged mill cutters have finished the internals and they are dropping the next housing in....amazing.

---------- Post added at 10:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:32 AM ----------

Quick impressions:

1) The forging lump on the top of the frame to equalize cutting pressures whilst performing operations to the magazine well.
...snip....

I looked at that too, it's actually to ensure that the cutters entering the magazine well don't wander by entering the cut at an angle - it is much easier to machine straight into the material.