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History |
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Sample Marshall History
In his famous dialogue “The Republic”, Plato wrote the now famous quote, “Necessity, who is the mother of invention.” Nothing better describes the foundation upon which was built Sample Marshall Laboratories, Inc.
Ralph Marshall Sample, born in 1888 in Schuylerville, New York, was an electrical and mechanical engineer who had worked for the General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York; the New York Edison Company; and Western Electric Company before joining the Bell Telephone Company in 1915, where he would spend the greater part of his career. During his tenure with Bell Labs, Mr. Sample, who is credited with being the first American to design a telephone dial, worked on a wide variety of scientific and industrial application projects. These included pioneer work in photographic reconnaissance in WWI; photographic transmission in the 1920’s; cancer research in the 1930’s; and, during WWII, he worked on details of the atomic bomb with the Manhattan Project, receiving an award from the U.S. Department of War in 1942. From 1945 to his retirement in 1949, Mr. Sample was a member of Bell Labs’ microscopic service group, participating in the design of powerful microscopes, ultra-violet microscopes, tungsten filaments, and electronic resistors. During his research, it became evident that a thin-kerf cutting tool or wheel was needed to create helix grooves in the tough resistor material. Experimenting in a tiny, basement laboratory in his home, Mr. Sample successfully created a diamond wheel using wire mesh cloth impregnated with diamond particles and electroplated nickel. The wheel proved so successful that Mr. Sample soon found himself working at night to keep up with the demand. At the end of WWII, Mr. Sample’s son, George Ralph Sample, fresh from his military service, joined his father in the manufacture of this unique product. In 1947, space was rented in a small industrial building in Belleville, New Jersey and George “Ralph” Sample, together with his brother, Russell began working full time in the manufacture of diamond tools and wheels. Increasing demand for the products forced another move to larger facilities in Nutley, New Jersey and in 1951 Sample Marshall Laboratories was incorporated, eventually moving to its present location a short distance from Mr. Sample’s original, basement laboratory. For many years, Sample Marshall Products were unknowingly used by hundreds of customers as other diamond tool companies bought their electroplated tools from the company for re-sale.
After more than sixty years manufacturing quality diamond and CBN cutting tools and wheels, Sample Marshall is today positioned to handle the challenges of a global economy and the need to cut and shape new, twenty-first century, materials. In the past ten years, Sample Marshall has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in achieving ISO 9000:2001 certification; modernizing equipment and infrastructure; and training personnel. Our CBN and diamond tools and wheels are used by companies throughout the world and the Sample Marshall name is synonymous with quality, service, and innovative engineering.
And, it all began with a need, determination, and a dedicated individual in a tiny basement workshop. |
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Sample Marshall’s First Catalogue Cover 1950 - 1951 |
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Sample Marshall Literature 1954 - 1955 |
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SML Catalog # 62S |
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SML Catalog # 68S |
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SML Catalog # 80R |
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Inside Cover Catalog #62S |
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Inside Cover Catalog #68S |
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Back Cover Catalog #62S |
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SML Catalog #84R |
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SML Catalog Today |
