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Bridgeport is a historic brand of milling machine and machining center produced by Bridgeport Machines, Inc. from 1938 until 2004, when it was then acquired by the
machine tool A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. All ...
conglomerate Hardinge, Inc.


History

The original corporation was founded in
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonn ...
and started selling its machines in 1938. It became famous in the following decades for small and medium sized vertical milling machines, with an iconic form of
quill A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal-Nib (pen), nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, ...
equipped multiple speed vertical milling head with a ram-on-turret mounting over a knee-and-column base. The American Precision Museum's biography of Rudolph Bannow. reports that he conceived the iconic design in 1936 as the logical machine on which to mount the milling head already being built by the Bridgeport Pattern and Model Works (which he owned with partner
Magnus Wahlstrom Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
). The first Bridgeport milling machine (serial number 1) is on display at the Museum.. The company’s manual milling machines have been so successful that the term "Bridgeport" is often used to refer to ''any'' vertical milling machine of the same configuration, regardless of make. Many other companies have cloned the form. Today the Bridgeport brand still produces this configuration in both manual and
computer numerical control Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a pi ...
(CNC) versions, which such machining centers are now equally prominent as their manual counterparts. Bridgeport manual milling machines have come in many types and sizes over the years, including (but not limited to) the C head (original), R head (heavy duty C head), M head, J head (and high speed, 5440 RPM version), 2J1 1/2 head (1.5 HP Vari-Speed), 2J2 (2HP Vari-speed), and Series II head (4HP Vari-speed). All of the heads offer variable speeds, the earlier ones via a step pulley (cone pulley) and the later ones via either continuously variable transmission (CVT) systems or variable-speed drive. Typical table sizes are 9″ × 49″ (Y and X, respectively) and 10″ × 54″.
Machine taper A machine taper is a system for securing cutting tools or toolholders in the spindle of a machine tool or power tool. A male member of conical form (that is, with a taper) fits into the female socket, which has a matching taper of equal angle. ...
s for toolholding include
Morse taper Morse may refer to: People * Morse (surname) * Morse Goodman (1917-1993), Anglican Bishop of Calgary, Canada * Morse Robb (1902–1992), Canadian inventor and entrepreneur Geography Antarctica * Cape Morse, Wilkes Land * Mount Morse, Churc ...
s (on early models) and the R8 taper (a widely used standard that Bridgeport created) on most models. Both Morse and R8 allow for both
collet A collet is a segmented sleeve, band or ''collar''. One of the two radial surfaces of a collet is usually tapered (i.e a truncated cone) and the other is cylindrical. The term ''collet'' commonly refers to a type of chuck that uses collets t ...
s and solid holders; and a drill chuck can be held by either of the latter. Machine slides are of the dovetail type, and rotary bearings are mostly of the roller and
ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used fo ...
types.


Bridgeport Machines Inc. timeline

*1927 Rudolph F. Bannow purchased the Bridgeport Pattern and Model Works *1929 Rudolph F. Bannow and Magnus Wahlstrom began business Association *1932 First Universal Milling Attachment shipped (to Atlas Tool of Bridgeport) *1938 Aug. 8, First Bridgeport Turret Milling Machine shipped (to Precision Castings Corp. of Syracuse, N.Y.) *1939 Incorporation of Bridgeport Machines *1941 Addition to Factory – 2,400 square feet *1944 Addition to Factory – 4.200 square feet *1945 Jan., 5,000 Bridgeport Miller sold (Machinery Sales of Calif.) *1946 Addition of Factory - 5,190 square feet *1948 Oct., 10,000 Bridgeport Miller sold * 1951 Bridgeport Machines Inc. moved to 500 Lindley Street (Dec. 1951 – First Bridgeport Miller shipped from here – 14,476th Miller) *1953 April 30, Profit Sharing Plan started *1954 March 17, 20,000 Bridgeport Miller shipped *1955 Sept., Addition to Factory – 3,968 square feet *1957 Additions to Factory totaling 22,821 square feet *1959 Jan. 30, Adcock-Shipley licensed (England) *1960 Jan., Opened Plant II at Remer St. (in original plant) *1960 March 17, True Trace Corporation of California purchased *1960 June 6, 50,000 Bridgeport Miller came off the assembly line *1962 June 23, Death of Rudolph F. Bannow, President *1962 July 30, Magnus Wahlstrom assumes Presidency of Bridgeport Machines Inc. *1963 Spring, Addition of Factory - 17,075 square feet *1963 April 30, 500th employee hired *1963 Sept. 20, First Open House at Bridgeport Machines Inc. *1965 Feb., 80,000th Bridgeport Miller came off the assembly line *1965 Aug., Auditorium, cafeteria and additional office facilities completed *1965 Nov. 1, 600th employee hired *1965 Nov., Finished renovating and built addition for Plant 3 *1966 Dec. 12, 700th employee hired *1967 March 6, 100,000 Bridgeport Miller came off the assembly line *1967 June 11, Open House for employees and families *1968 March 1, Bridgeport Machines Inc. sold to Textron Inc.


References


Bibliography

* * {{Citation , last = Earls , first = Alan R. , date = November–December 2010 , title = Celebrating America's Love Affair with Machining , journal = Today's Machining World , volume = 6 , issue = 9 , url = http://www.todaysmachiningworld.com/celebrating-america%E2%80%99s-love-affair-with-machining/ , postscript = . , url-status = dead , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110217043720/http://www.todaysmachiningworld.com/celebrating-america%E2%80%99s-love-affair-with-machining/ , archive-date = 2011-02-17


External links


Bridgeport's official siteBridgeport - Lathes.co.ukKneeMills
Manufacturing companies established in 1938 Machine tool builders Economy of Bridgeport, Connecticut 1938 establishments in Connecticut 2004 mergers and acquisitions