The Gebr. Eickhoff engine works and iron foundry GmbH is a steeped in tradition medium-size enterprise in Bochum in the range of mechanical engineering.

The enterprise was created 1864 of Johann Henrich Carl Eickhoff (* 2 February 1808, "† 11 September 1864) as foundry. The company works for this time as supplier for the mining industry on hard coal, ore and salt in the Ruhr district and world-wide in other mining districts. As the second support leg the enterprise uses the technical experiences for the expansion of the business, won in the mining industry, into other industries, so for example for the building of transmissions for wind-powered devices.

History

1871 took over the two sons of the firm founder Carl (* 1845, "† 29 April 1908) and Robert (* 1849, "† 8 August 1904) the management of her nut/mother Elizabeth (* 1808, "† 11 July 1888), who led the enterprise since the death of the father. For this time the company carries for the this very day valid names. Robert Eickhoff was responsible for the technical range of the management, Carl Eickhoff for the commercial portion.

The first location of the enterprise was at the highway after meals in direct neighbourhood to the Bochumer association. In the year 1885 the establishment of its own staff sickness fund took place. In this period switches and other track material for the again arising streetcars in the Ruhr district were produced. In addition the supply of machine parts came at the Bochumer association and at Krupp.

After the death of Carl Eickhoff took over his son Alfred sen. (* 12." March 1884, "† 27 January 1949) the enterprise. At this time already 346 coworkers are to be registered, the company expanded into other mining districts and create branches under others in Belgium and England. Starting from 1949 Alfred's was June. (* 28 September 1910, "† 28." May 1981) responsible for the guidance of the enterprise, at the same time fell the transformation of the company into a GmbH.

1907 was manufactured with Eickhoff the first vibration chutes, whose substantial components were protected by a patent by Robert Eickhoff. 1914 began the enterprise with the production of the coal cutting machines, with which the mechanization of the hard coal mining industry began. This development was accelerated by the process of the First World War, as if qualified miners were missing and by machines to be replaced had. Starting from 1929 also belt conveyor for the employment over and under-meets taken up to the production program.

1939 took place the removal of the factory into the today's manufacturing plant in Wiemelhausen about 2 km south the Bochumer city center. The new building had been already begun 1921. At the end of the Second World War also the factory was damaged by air raids heavily. It was again developed in the subsequent years and constantly extended. 1964 is busy 1630 coworkers in the work. At the same time the location was developed to an efficient foundry for cast irons and cast steel, the weight of the cast pieces can amount to up to six tons. The foundry supplies today specialities to high-quality alloys, begun from grey cast iron (GG), nodular cast iron (GGG) and casting steel (gs) up to verschleissfesten materials such as NiHard IV, which is needed in armoring of friction-affected building groups.

At the same time the mechanical workshop was developed, in which the workpieces produced before are zerspanend worked on zerspanend.

Mining machines

The production program of the company serves tradition-moderately the mining industry with dismantling machines for ore, salt and hard coal. These machines were essentially divided into two product groups:

1. Part-face tunnelling machine, which moves tiltable arm end a halfspherical milling head on a kind excavator crawler-type vehicle chassis to elevated and. With it under days tunnel sections are free-cut and so the two of final tunnel are advanced, between which the other Hauptprodukt diminishes the coal from Eickhoff:
2. Roller loader. These are essentially box shaped, narrow, long transmissions with an electric drive, at whose both ends of support arms can lift and be lowered, and at whose upper end cylindrical milling heads the coal from the seam to mill. The roller loader drives into strives between two of part-cut tunnel back and forth, electrically propelled from a hoist, which affects a pin gearing. Under the roller loader the cut coal rock mixture with chain conveyors is spent to the side. The "“roadway"” is protected around the way to work of the roller loader around u-shaped by hydraulically steered Ausbauschilden, which carry the load of the oppressive Deckgebirges: a product of among other things neighbouring companies from the Ruhr district (Westfalia Behind the cut section one leaves with the disalignment of the machinery usually strives forward behind it to break in ("“break disalignment"”), or however spends deaf rock, which over-meets was segregated, into which freigeschnitteten areas ("“pneumatic stowing"”). The electrical achievement of the roller loaders can amount to up to 1700 KW.

The tools of the machines of the enterprise partly come from Ruhr district production. Among other things soldered tungsten carbide chisels of the company Widia from meals at the milling heads of the coal cutting machines are used.

All machines of the mining industry are subject to the restrictions of the dimensions of the pit, by which the components after under-meet to be promoted are. Therefore the machines of the enterprise are modular developed: compact housings, which are interconnected with one another at the place of work under days to larger building groups. On closest area a high power density is demanded by them. Besides extreme requirements of the explosion prevention of the mining industry must be considered constructionally, as well as the often high temperatures, which under-meets prevails, with the additional heat development from the machine dismantling enterprise.

Further enterprise activities

Due to the situation concerning orders varying for many decades occasionally on other products was worked, in order to reduce the dependence of the enterprise from the mining industry to. For example into the 1970er years packaging machines for welding electrodes were built. Always however, if the mining industry brought a large order thrust, the enterprise deliberated itself upon the traditional client circle.

Eickhoff operates its own control and electronics development including a manufacturing of printed circuit boards and their assembly, in order to be able to far partly act independently of

In particular Eickhoff to today as a specialist on the sector gear construction was established, in particular for large transmissions, which must work quietly and wear resistant. This shows up for example on the market segment of transmissions for wind-powered devices beside exhaust transmissions in the cooling tower construction.

By its continuous development as exempt private companies for more than 140 years Eickhoff gained a good reputation in the Ruhr district.

Literature

• Four generations, four epochs, anniversary publication to the existence of the enterprise of 1964, given change of the Gebr. Eickhoff engine works and iron foundry GmbH

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• Firmenwebsite

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• Derwent Patentee Codes
  EICK 1975. GEBR EICKHOFF MASCHFAB GMBH. EICK 1975. GEBR FALLER AG. FALR. GEBR FALLER GMBH ... HOKKAI IRON WORKS CO. HOTE 1975. HOKKAI PAPER MILLS KK ...


• Derwent World Patents Index
  EICK 1975. GEBR EICKHOFF MASCHFAB GMBH. EICK 1975. GEBR FALLER AG. FALR. GEBR FALLER GMBH ... HOKKAI IRON WORKS CO. HOTE 1975. HOKKAI PAPER MILLS KK ...


• The Patent and Design Journal No 6034
  Eickhoff Maschinenfabrik GmbH. EP1190932. EP01118786.1. 10 Nov 2004. TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH ... Air intake device for internal combustion engine ...