Front Case for Proximity Fuse

Front Case for Proximity Fuse

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Description
A label on this nosecone reads “Front case for proximity fuze / 1948 / Shaw Insulator Co. / Made of Kel-F.” Kel-F is a polychlorotrifluoroethylene, a thermoplastic material discovered in Germany in 1934, and commercialized after World War II. The name Kel-F derived from “Kellogg” and “fluoropolymer.”
The Shaw Insulator Co. was established in New Jersey in the early 20th century, to manufacture Bakelite and other plastic insulators. In 1940, after developing machinery for manufacturing plastic containers for milk and other liquids, this firm was purchased by the Plax Corp. In 1943, Frank Henry Shaw received the John Wesley Hyatt award for outstanding achievement in the plastics industry, for his work in the development of transfer molding.
J. Harry Dubois, who became vice president of the Shaw Insulator Co. in 1944, donated this nosecone to the Smithsonian.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
Front Case for Proximity Fuze
Date made
1950-1955
early 1950s
maker
Plax Corporation
Measurements
overall: 98 mm x 60 mm; 3 7/8 in x 2 3/8 in
overall: 4 in x 7 1/2 in; 10.16 cm x 19.05 cm
ID Number
1983.0538.05
catalog number
1983.0538.05
accession number
1983.0538
Credit Line
Gift of J. Harry DuBois
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Chemistry
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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