Friedrich Fischer (inventor)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Friedrich Fischer (1849–1899)

Friedrich Fischer (born March 19, 1849 in Schweinfurt , † October 2, 1899 ibid) was an inventor in the field of ball and ball bearing technology. In 1896 he founded the first automatic cast steel ball factory Friedrich Fischer AG , in short "Kugelfabrik Fischer" (colloquially Kufi ) (later FAG Kugelfischer ).

Life

Fischer founded his first company in 1872, initially trading in sewing machines and bicycles. In 1883 he constructed a ball grinder with which it was possible for the first time to produce large quantities of steel balls with very little deviation from the ideal shape. The device, which was further developed by Fischer and Wilhelm Höpflinger , was registered for a patent in 1890. This laid the foundation for the rolling bearing industry that flourished in the years that followed.

The balls produced by Fischer from 1883 onwards quickly achieved a leading position in the market, but the real boom did not begin until after 1890, when the bicycle industry experienced its first boom. Now the number of employees rose quickly to over 600. The capital required for further expansion was raised in 1896 by converting it into a stock corporation (FAG = Fischers Aktien-Gesellschaft). In the same year, the company moved from the old town of Schweinfurt to the spacious company premises near the main train station , where Schaeffler AG still produces today under the FAG brand.

Due to the great success of FAG and Fries & Höpflinger , numerous competing companies emerged in a very short time. The resulting overproduction led to the collapse of the market. The number of employees at FAG fell to just 40 (1898). In the middle of the crisis, Fischer died at the age of only fifty. After years of stagnation, FAG was taken over in 1909 by Georg Schäfer (I), the father of Georg Schäfer (II).

Friedrich Fischer was the son of Philipp Moritz Fischer , the inventor of the pedal crank bicycle.

literature