In the various departments of the bearing manufacturing plants small electric cars are used to pull trailers loaded with parts to various points of the factory. The operator of these cars must be a man who has the free use of one foot for operating the brake, and he must have two hands to operate the control levers. This work is usually done standing on the truck. However, some of the operators are provided with seats.
The balls and rollers are next machined and ground to size. They are then carefully assorted as to sizes and passed to the inspection department, where men sitting at benches carefully check and test each piece, using special testing devices and machines. This department could readily use a man with one leg, but he should have the free use of two hands. A loss of one or more fingers would not be a serious handicap. As this work is all inspection work, it is done sitting. The department is usually quiet, and the work is not hard. Conditions and pay are good.
In another department the races (inside and outside) and the retainers are manufactured. The work is similar to that done in the ball or roller department, although the pieces are different. It includes forging, machining, grinding and inspecting.
The bearing parts have been made and tested, the bearing is now ready for assembling. In the assembling department men sit at their work. A man with one leg, and possibly one who had lost both feet, might find employment. Some of the work is done by machinery, while some is handwork. The pieces are placed upon benches, and the bearing is then assembled and placed in a machine that clinches the cage or retainer so as to hold in the balls or rollers. The bearing is then ready for the inspector who determines whether or not it has been properly put together, and if the balls and rollers are free in the cages.
The next step is to lubricate the bearings with an acid-proof grease to prevent rust. The bearing is then wrapped in oil paper and placed in a box ready for the storeroom or for shipment.
There are several operations in this department where a handicapped man could secure employment. The work as a whole is not hard, conditions are excellent, and the wages are good. Some of the work is noisy and is not desirable for men with certain disabilities, but on the other hand there are places where men who have only one eye, arm, or leg could find employment on equal terms with other men.
It should be noted that large bearing factories have many improved methods of manufacturing which vary considerably from that described above. Only a general statement has been attempted.
PLAN No. 1126. REAR AXLES
The building of rear axles is practically an industry in itself. There are several large companies who do nothing else but manufacture gears, and front and rear axles. In this branch of the industry we find all kinds of work going on, including forging, pressed-steel work, machining, heat treatment, and oxy-acetylene welding.
The rear-axle housing may be a casting or it may be pressed steel, or a forging. Where castings are used we have foundry work employing molders, core men, flask men, and cupola men. Most of the jobs in the foundry require men of sturdy build and good physical condition. Some foundry work, however, such as inspection, core work, and testing small castings, can be done sitting. Again there are jobs, such as trimming, grinding, and filing, that can be done by a man with one arm or one leg. The average foundry man is well paid and works short hours, but the work is dirty and not generally well suited for handicapped men.