| The first lighter,
Döbereiner's lamp, was invented by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner in
1823. It stayed in production until 1880.The first "match" was
created in 1805. The first friction match, which can be ignited
on virtually any surface (i.e. fabric) was created in 1827, 4
years after the lighter. The discovery of tobacco in the New
World in the sixteenth century and the opening of a worldwide
market created the need for a portable way to make fire. Pieces
of flint and steel struck against each other and modified
pistols were early devices. In 1903, Austrian chemist Carl Auer
von Welsbach made a hand-held lighter with a striking wheel.
During World War I, soldiers made their own using empty
cartridges. In New York City in 1886, Louis V. Aronson opened a
company for "artistic metal wares" for smokers and patented an
automatic lighter after World War I.
In 1931, George G. Blaisdell of Bradford, Pennsylvania, saw a
friend trying to light his cigarette with an awkward lighter,
but one that worked. Blaisdell acquired the American
distribution rights for the Austrian product. He redesigned the
case for comfort, improved the chimney (or wind hood) around the
wick to make the lighter windproof, and modified the fuel
chamber. Blaisdell named his lighter "Zippo" because he liked
the sound of the word "zipper," which was another new and
publicly acclaimed device. He began manufacturing his lighter in
1933.
Blaisdell's timing was poor and the lingering Great Depression
nearly bankrupted the company. His luck changed during World War
II, when soldiers found that Zippo lighters worked in all
weather conditions. Crews of Navy ships have used these lighters
with their own logos since World War II, and custom lighters for
soldiers have been distributed during every war through Desert
Storm. The lighters had may uses in wartime; GIs heated powdered
rations in their helmets with the lighters and were able to
start fires in all types of weather.
Collectors seek out Zippo lighters primarily because of the
commemoration of large and small events on their cases.
Advertisements from the 1940s and 1950s are valuable
collectibles, as are lighters marking the 1969 moon landing,
sports teams, many corporate clients, and a range of other
historic events, personalities, and special interests. In 1997,
9,000 different images were used on the lighters.
Today, Zippo is the only manufacturer of pocket lighters in the
United States and produces 50,000 lighters a day. Other
production has shifted to Europe and Asia where smoking is more
popular. Other large manufacturers of pocket lighters, like
Ronson and BIC, have facilities in Austria, France, and Asia.
BIC's contributions to the lighter are a childproof metal shield
over the spark wheel and disposable, mini-sized lighters. BIC,
Scripto, and others also make utility (fireplace) lighters with
long tube shapes that are fueled with butane gas. Other firms
make cigar lighters.
Raw Materials
The entire bottom case and the parts of a lighter are called the
outer case assembly, and the inside case (containing the fuel
and sparking action) and its parts is called the inner case
assembly. The raw materials used for lighter manufacture are
mostly metals. The outer case is made of cartridge brass, a
material that was developed for rifle cartridges. A specialized
mill makes brass sheets of the proper thickness and cuts them to
the width required by the lighter manufacturer. The brass is
wound on large rolls or spools that are delivered to the
factory.
A metal mill processes stainless steel for the inside case in a
similar manner. It also arrives on large spools, and each holds
enough metal to produce several thousand lighters.
The manufacturer produces the majority of the parts in a
lighter. Most of the smaller parts are also made of brass or
steel, depending on the purpose and location of the part in the
lighter. The flint tube and spring tip (contained in the fuel
chamber) are brass, as is the screw that holds these in place
and exits the bottoms of both cases.
Other small parts inside and connected to the inner case are
stainless steel. The cam, cam rivet, and plate are attached to
the back top of the inner case and hold the lighter closed. In
the chimney (wind hood) area and on the front, the cam spring
and eyelet and the rivet for the flint wheel hold the
fire-making parts. Specialized contractors make the eyelets and
fasteners.
Three non-metallic components are also parts of the inner case
assembly; these are wicking, balls made of a cotton-type
substance, and felt. The wick and balls are placed in the fuel
chamber. A piece of felt is fixed to the bottom of the inner
case, but its front end can be lifted to allow lighter fluid
refills and new flints.
Other metals, including nickel, chromium, and gold, are used to
plate the brass cases upon customer request. Nonmetallic
conducting fluids are used in the electroplating baths for the
cases. Many methods are used to add decorations to the right
faces of the lighters: three-dimensional (relief) emblems
typically representing organizations can be attached to the
lighters, designs can be etched or engraved in the metal, and
lasers can draw detailed designs that are colored by any of
several methods. Epoxies and special inks and powders are needed
for these images.
Design
The basic design and operation of the pocket lighter have
changed little since the 1930s, but the use of new technology
has drastically altered many aspects of production. In
manufacturing, "design" includes not only the product and its
parts but also the introduction to and interaction of machines
with assembly and other production processes. One new machine or
technique may require others.
Consumer interest has also changed. Lighters were once essential
pocket tools, but are now often prized as "pocket art."
Sophisticated techniques such as laser engraving and
technigraphic printing are some of the means of dressing lighter
cases. These require skilled artists and engineering expertise
in artistic and production considerations, as well as time and
cost limitations.
The Manufacturing Process
1. The manufacturing process begins at the factory's receiving
dock, where raw materials and parts from suppliers are received.
Plant personnel check the quantity and quality of materials and
components. They also review blueprints and specifications to
confirm that materials and parts meet the design engineer's
requirements.
2. The coils of metal used for the outer and inner cases are
rolled through presses in a process called "deep drawing." The
presses punch in the edges of each lighter (as if it were
unfolded and flattened) as well as key details. The holes in the
lighter chimney are punched all the way through the steel of the
inside case. The manufacturer's name and date codes are pressed
into the bottoms of the brass outer cases.
3. The case pieces are trimmed. They are moved to the
fabrication area where machines bend and fold them into their
boxlike shapes, and are then spot-welded together. The welding
machines are highly accurate and can spot-weld a number of
different positions in a case at the same time.
4. Meanwhile, small metal parts are moved to assembly stations
in preparation for receiving complete cases. The lighter
manufacturer fabricates most of the specialized parts, including
the case hinge and the brass parts that hold and push up the
flint. A precision machine fabricates and welds the hinges
connecting the case lid and bottom to both parts using a strong
welding process called "resistance welding." Other fabrication
machines produce the components of the flint tube.
5. The brass finishes of the outer cases may remain unplated,
but often the exteriors are finished in other metals, including
nickel, gold, and chromium. This is done in a process called
electroplating, in which a small electrical charge is applied to
lighters suspended on a moving row of hangers that pass through
a liquid bath. This bath contains a conducting solution that is
non-metallic as well as a small piece of the plating metal. The
opposite charge is applied to the bath, and atoms of the plating
metal are drawn from that metal piece to the charged lighters.
In this coating process, a thin layer of atoms is electrically
bonded to all the surfaces of the cases.
6. Regardless of metal type, all cases receive final finishes.
Many are polished to a sparkling luster. Others are given a
brushed look or a texture. Assembly line workers apply the final
finishes, inspect the lighter cases, and put them in fitted
boxes for transfer to the next assembly station.
7. Machined parts are then fixed to the top of the inner case
assembly. The cam, a finger-like projection from the inner case,
applies enough pressure on the lid of the outer case to keep it
closed. When the owner pushes up the front of the lid to operate
the lighter, the thumb pressure overcomes the pressure that the
cam applies, and the lid pops open easily.
8. The cam plate, which supports the cam, is riveted into place,
and the cam is also fastened to the case with a rivet. Holes for
these rivets were punched in the case when it was first
deep-drawn from the stainless steel strip. A cam spring is added
to the base of the chimney, which is also the top of the
box-like portion of the case. An eyelet screw through the cam
spring fastens it down and also provides the opening for the
wick.
9. Elements of the inner case assembly are inserted in the
welded shell. Several small balls of cotton-type material are
placed inside the fuel chamber that will contain the lighter
fluid. A length of wicking is inserted and will be pulled
through the eyelet in the chimney later.
10. The sparking or flint wheel, which rub s against the flint
to make the spark and light the fuel, must also be firmly fixed
to the top of the inner case assembly. A machine rivets the
flint wheel to the case. Connections for the wheel on the
lighter were also pre-punched during deep drawing.
11. Fints for producing the spark must be held in position next
to the flint wheel and raised as they become worn. A brass tube
is inserted in a hole in the bottom of the inner case. A flint,
a spring tip that is directly in contact with the base of the
flint, and the flint spring are pushed through the brass tube.
The spring tip is made of brass, but the flint spring is hard
spring steel that withstands wear.
12. A felt pad with a pre-cut hole for the flint and lighter
fluid is stamped on the bottom of the inner case. The wicking is
pulled through its eyelet, and the inner case assembly is
installed in the outer case assembly.
13. Some lighters are sent to separate workstations to be
decorated in any number of ways. Some have relief
(three-dimensional) emblems attached to the right sides (as the
lighter openings face forward). Diamond-drag rotary engraving
cuts geometric patterns or monograms into some cases. Two types
of lasers are used to engrave the outlines of line drawings,
photos, company logos, and other designs on the sides of
lighters. Still others have designs etched in them with
computer-controlled etching machines.
14. Many designs can be filled with color using a painting
method. To color more elaborate designs, a sublimation process
transfers color by heat and pressure directly into the surface
coating. In an example of this technigraphic method, a
presentation box displays a design that extends over multiple
lighters. A jungle scene that covers four lighters may have
designs of animals and plants that stand alone on a single
lighter, but may also form a puzzle or mural across the set.
15. The art department also designs packaging for maximum
marketing effect. The artwork on the packages changes with the
product and with customer orders. The boxes also showcase their
contents. Plastic boxes, blister-card plastic containers, deluxe
wood boxes, and custom-made collector tins with exterior designs
that complement the enclosed lighters are examples. These may
also have custom wrappings and may be lined with velour, felt,
or other fabrics.
Quality Control
Quality control is subject to the same engineering detail as any
of the plant operations. A quality method called Statistical
Process Control (SPC) builds controls into all design aspects,
from product conception to management. Lighters may not seem
like highly sophisticated products, but their manufacture
requires advanced technology and equipment to be
cost-competitive in today's market.
Programmable logic controls (PLCs) allow machines to operate
using information from an extensive database. Data acquisition
is readily available plant-wide. Man-machine interfaces (MMIs)
correct problems as they happen, and lighters with even the
tiniest flaws are pulled from production immediately. These
interfaces also keep all machines operating so that the
maintenance or repair of one does not shut down others.
Mechanical quality is maintained by seeking the best new
technologies, including fabrication processes and robotics.
Finally, the personal touch cannot be replaced. Assemblers are
responsible for monitoring the product in their area and for
alerting supervisors if details are not perfect.
Byproducts/Waste
The processes required for lighter manufacture have been vastly
improved to limit waste. Solvents were used in the past to
degrease machine parts, but today's operations use only soap and
water. Fewer hydrocarbons are used in deep drawing metals, and
some plants have a complete water treatment system that returns
creek water to the environment in a cleaner-than-natural state.
Lubricants are used as mists to penetrate the fine workings of
screw machines, but the mist is fully contained to protect the
ozone layer and employees. Fabric dust is vacuumed and
contained, and metal and paper wastes are recycled.
The Future
Lighter makers have largely fled the United States for Europe
and Asia where smoking is more accepted. However, lighters still
have a promising future. They are handy as small light sources
for finding lost keys and keyholes in the dark, and their wind
resistance helps users determine wind direction because high
winds or poor weather will not extinguish the flames.
Metal, reusable lighters are competitive against disposables
because of their durability, reliability, quality, and
sentimental value. Quality lighters are considered luxury items,
however, and the competition for consumer dollars in this area
is high. Lighter makers add artwork for uniqueness and adapt the
outer cases to other personal accessories with the same
convenience and quality.
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