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Monarch Serial Numbers

peterh5322

Diamond
Joined
Dec 15, 2002
Location
Monterey Bay, California
Here ...

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/328568-post1.html

... begins a very old thread on serial numbers, which are, in reality, a model code, EE, etcetera, followed by a sequence number, usually four or five digits.

(I obtained the table from a source believed to be reliable, but I have not checked that table with Monarch).

From the sequence number, one can tell within a few weeks of when Monarch's production control department committed to making a particular machine.

The sequence number may or may not indicate when a machine was finished, as it is a sequence number assigned when the manufacture of a particular lathe order was accepted.

The serial number plate affixed to the frame indicates a lot of interesting facts, sometimes including the value of the machine, and often the actual date of completion.

The number stamped between the Vee and Flat way, at the right end of the machine, will always indicate the model and the sequence number.

Given those two facts, Monarch can, within reason, respond to questions about and requests for prints and parts.

Of course, this doesn't account for bed changes, but that's to be expected.

There are bound to be apparent exceptions, particularly on so-called "War Baby" machines, as some of those were scheduled as dozens or even hundreds of otherwise identical machines at the beginning of a period, with individual examples coming out of Monarch's erection floor when they were ready for shipment.

And, in those times of particular economic and political stress, world-wide, parts remaining from otherwise old stock may have been used on a new machine, which accounts for the crossover in 12.0" and 12.5" EEs and the various versions of M-Gs, DC Panels, and WiaDs.
 
My motor-generator lathe:
1236-10ee-data-plate.jpg
 
EE41494 Build date 4-1956.

Peter, This puts my number slightly behind what your 2004 post said should be "at least" for 1956. What is the build date & serial number of your '56 for comparison?
 
Serial Numbers

Here are the ones I own or have owned.
53682 10EEx20 I/M T/A Regen drive 1987 sold to Boeing
52482 10EEx20 I/M T/A ELSR modular drive 1/1980 sold to IBM
49159 10EEx30 I T/A ELSR modular drive 1968 sold to Boeing

The 49159 does not match the table that well (would have been 1966). However, the 30 inchers being rare, it could have been sitting for a while.

WC-
 
this was what I found on the packlist of my Danish 10ee
serial EE-32217

order # 6325 date 8-30-48
entry date 2-28-49
promised 4-14-49

the delivery adres was in New York

That would suggest there could be more then 8 months between ordering and delivery

Comparing it to the serial an production date of peter they must have been in the assembly room at the same time in februari 1949
 
Is there a table somewhere in this forum, ( or anywhere else ) where I can check out the date of manufacture, of my 16" model CK, ... serial # 20445 ?


The brass data plate is missing from the Headstock, ... and all I have, in the way of information on the machine, is the "CK 20445" that's stamped in the end of the bed.

Thanks, ... Smoothbore



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It's for sale over in the classified ad site. Someone should love it, but that person isn't me :(
#22047
 

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I'll just throw mine in here also Peter. Your old serial list is off a bit on mine also. It's a '52 EE - S/N 36004, while the list shows it made in '51. Cheers, Bill
 

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1954 M/G Serial 38390

I just picked up a 1954 M/G manufacturing model, tailstock only, no turret:bawling: 4000 rpm model and serial number 38390. It has USN property tags on it and according to Monarch lore the Navy never used any WIAD machines in ships machine shops so they were ordering them much later than they were otherwise available to other users. ( I read that last part here in a thread I think )
 
The official changeover from Ward-Leonard System to WiaD was 1949, but customer demand kept the W-LS machines rolling off the production line a LOT longer than Monarch had anticipated.

What you sacrifice with the W-LS is efficiency. What you gain is customer familiarity with these systems as all kinds of elevators and hoists (and equivalent devices in a naval setting) also used the WL-S.

What you sacrifice with an electronic drive is serviceability, unless the customers are specially trained. What you gain with an electronic drive is efficiency (almost no power consumption when idling, and, obviously, no M-G noise).

A competent radio technician could fix a WiaD, but an M-G repairer should know a little about rotating power amplifiers.

Oh, yes, the navy used Amplidyne®-based systems, which are like WL-S, but with a very much higher amplification factor.

The B-29 (defensive) fire-control systems were all Amplidyne-based. Probably a lot of naval fire-control systems, too. It takes a lot of amplification to move a turret with three 18" guns.
 
The serial number table which I posted is not fool-proof.

Monarch assigned sequence numbers, not serial numbers.

As Production Control received an order, a sequence number was assigned, sequentially.

As machines were completed, perhaps a year or more later, the sequence number was stamped on the machine as its serial number. Plus the model identifier (EE, etcetera).

You should find lots of groups of sequence numbers which refer to identical machines.

Say, the DoD ordered 100 10EEs, and specified a delivery schedule which was convenient to it. Monarch would assign those 100 sequence numbers immediately upon receipt of the order. As the machines left the erection hall (final assembly) the original sequence number and the date of completion would be stamped on the machine.

Monarch was one of the very first companies to be placed on 24/7/364 operations (probably a day off for Christmas) ... another one was Electro-Motive Corp (now Electro-Motive Diesel) for construction of naval submarine, transport and landing craft diesel engines ... they completed thousands of machines, often mainly "toolroom" models as the initial requirement would be for making tools, and the subsequent requirement would be for production. And, what with the DoD buying loads of machines ... after all, the end-user (contractor) had no money for such expensive machinery ... you might anticipate that "order entry date" (when the sequence number was assigned) and "ex-factory date" (when the product was actually shipped) could vary all over the place.
 








 
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