A. O. Smith Company

Corrosion of the tank is the major factor limiting water heater lifetimes. The A. O. Smith company invented the glass-lined tank in 1939, where an enamel coating is baked onto the inside surface of the tank at high temperatures. The technology has subsequently been adopted by other manufacturers, although other linings are used such as cement or plastic. 

In the technufue used by the A. O. Smith Company an inner shell having a thickness usually grater than 4 in. and oft Q H ra. is first fabricated. Thus stell is not perfo-... 

In the 1960s the A. O. Smith Company in the United States introduced a new method for the development of powdered metal, called water atomization. In this method, the pure metal is melted and a small stream of the liquid is allowed to flow from the bottom of the container of molten metal. A high-pressure blast of cold water hits the stream of metal, breaking it into small droplets that quickly solidify. Powdered metal particles made in this way are more smooth and dense than the sponge powder particles from oxide scrap. In addition to powdered iron metal, many copper, bronze, carbide, and brass parts are made through powder metallurgical processes. 

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