Glenn Luther v. Standard Conveyor Company

The action arises out of an alleged breach of contract between the plaintiff, a designer and manufacturer of production machines, and defendant, a manufacturer of conveyor systems, for the sale of a reciprocating bearing assembly machine. Late in 1952 plaintiff learned that defendant was in the market for a new machine to assemble ball bearings and he solicited the appropriate officers of defendant to secure the business. At that time defendant was using what was known in the trade as a rotary turntable to assemble the bearings. Component parts of the bearings were put together by hand on an assembly-line basis. After each employee had performed her operation the table was advanced forward one notch. When the bearing was completely assembled and while still on the rotary table it would move under a punch press for final clinching. A two-step operation was performed by the press. The edges of the outside shell were first partially crimped and then the press hit the bearing a second time and completely sealed it. The principal objections to the rotary table were its limited output (approximately 20 to 23 bearings a minute) and its tendency to move, start, and stop with a jerk, often causing the balls to spill out of the partially assembled bearings.