The Development History of Industrial Washing Machines in Laundry Machinery
Release Time:
2011-04-15 11:19
Source:
In 1874, the "hand-washing era" faced an unprecedented challenge—someone invented the wooden hand-cranked washing machine. The inventor was an American named Bill Blackes. Blackes' washing machine was very simple in structure, with six blades installed inside a wooden drum, and a handle and gears to rotate the clothes inside the drum, achieving the purpose of "cleaning clothes." The advent of this device greatly inspired those who were pondering how to improve life efficiency, and the process of improving washing machines began to accelerate significantly.
In 1880, the United States saw the emergence of the steam washing machine, with steam power beginning to replace manual labor. Subsequently, hydraulic washing machines and internal combustion engine washing machines appeared one after another. By 1911, the United States successfully trial-produced the world's first electric washing machine. The advent of the electric washing machine marked the beginning of automation in household chores.
After several improvements, the electric washing machine welcomed a brand-new washing method called "agitator type" in 1922. The agitator washing machine was developed by the American Maytag company. This washing machine installed a vertical shaft in the center of the drum, with agitator blades at the lower end of the shaft. The motor drove the shaft to swing back and forth periodically, causing the clothes and water to continuously tumble and rub against each other to wash away dirt. The agitator washing machine had a scientific and reasonable structure and was widely welcomed. However, ten years later, Bendix Aviation Company in the United States announced that they had developed the first front-loading drum washing machine, completing washing, rinsing, and spinning in the same drum. This meant that the form of electric washing machines had reached a new level, advancing a big step toward automation! To this day, drum washing machines are still widely used in Europe and America.
With the acceleration of industrialization, countries around the world also sped up the development of washing machines. First, the United Kingdom developed and launched a jet-flow washing machine, which relied on a strong vortex generated by a rotating impeller on one side of the drum to make clothes and detergent continuously tumble inside the drum, cleaning the clothes. In 1955, based on the introduction of the British jet-flow washing machine, Japan developed the uniquely styled and still popular pulsator washing machine. Thus, the pulsator, drum, and agitator types initially formed a tripartite pattern in the washing machine production field.
After the 1960s, washing machines began to form series in the consumer markets of some developed countries, and household penetration rates rose rapidly. During this period, the development of washing machines in Japan attracted much attention. In the 1960s, Japan introduced twin-tub washing machines with drying drums, known as "semi-automatic washing machines." In the 1970s, fully automatic pulsator washing machines with a tub set were produced.
In the late 1970s, microcomputer-controlled fully automatic washing machines emerged, bringing a fresh experience. By the 1980s, the application of "fuzzy control" made washing machines easier to operate, more functional, with more user-friendly washing programs and more fashionable appearances... Entering the 1990s, due to improvements in motor speed control technology, washing machines achieved a wide range of speed variation and adjustment, giving birth to many new water flow washing machines. Subsequently, with the development and improvement of motor drive technology, Japan produced motor direct-drive washing machines, eliminating gear transmission and speed change mechanisms, triggering a major revolution in washing machine drive methods.
In China, due to historical reasons, the washing machine industry started relatively late, with household washing machines officially produced only in 1978. Industrial washing machines came even later. The earliest foreign industrial washing machines were from German Brother Company and Italy, both famous industrial washing machine manufacturers.
To save energy, tunnel washing machines were developed in Europe in the 1960s. After decades of continuous improvement, they are now widely used in Europe and America. They are more suitable for washing lightly soiled and similar items, with very obvious energy-saving and cost-reducing effects.
The demand for washing large quantities of clothes has promoted the rapid development of the washing machinery industry. Group professional washing has become an important manifestation of industrial development in advanced countries. The research, production, and application of high-quality washing machinery is also one of the important indicators of a country's scientific and technological progress.
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