About Us

HISTORY OF THE COMPANY

Harvey Allison, while working as a physicist in Thomas A. Edison's research laboratory in New Jersey, recognized the need for a rapid method of cutting very hard materials, such as tungsten and glass. He finally decided the need was great enough to warrant starting a business to manufacture Abrasive Cutting Wheels.

In the fall of 1919, he rented a corner of a small factory located on Park Avenue in New York City, formed his own Company, and began the process of developing a rubber bonded, very thin, cutting wheel. His success led to steady growth of the business until 1930, at which time a combination of poor business conditions, his own declining health, and the development of resin bonded abrasive wheels threatened to close the business.

He decided to collaborate with a manufacturer of dry cutting machines, Campbell Machine Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut., to develop machines that would make his rubber wheels more competitive in performance with the Bakelite (resin) bonded wheels. The two companies worked closely together and eventually combined to form the Allison-Campbell Division, which pioneered the development of machines and wheels used throughout the world for cutting all types of materials by the wet process. Later, machines and wheels were developed for use in cutting materials dry.

As a result of the joint effort, and the subsequent growth of the business, Harvey moved his plant in 1936 from New York City to Bridgeport, Connecticut, into larger facilities, and to be nearer to the Campbell Machine Division.

Harvey Allison died in 1939, was succeeded first by his brother Franklin, and then later by his nephew, Hugh Allison, who managed the rapid growth of the company until his retirement in 1968.

In 1967, the Company moved into a new 100,000 sq. ft. facility in Shelton, Connecticut.. The Campbell Machine Division product line was sold to W. J. Savage Co. of Knoxville, Tennessee in 1977.

In late 1986, the Allison-Campbell Division was purchased by Allison Abrasives, Inc., a closely-held independent company which was headed by Donald A. Farmer. The entire manufacturing operations were moved in late 1987 to a modern 175,000 square foot manufacturing facility located in Lancaster, Kentucky.

ALLISON ABRASIVES TODAY

 Allison Abrasives, Inc. has maintained its position as the leader in abrasive cutting, pioneering many of the advancements in this field. The Company manufactures the most complete line of abrasive cutting wheels in the world. A full range of wheel diameters, from 1" through 63", is manufactured in rubber, rubber-resin, and resin bond types. The Company also manufactures a complete line of hot pressed, resin-bonded cut-off wheels for cutting gates and risers in the foundry industry, as well as a line of rubber-bonded regulating (feed) wheels used in centerless grinding.

Applications range from cutting titanium billets into slugs to be forged into landing gear components for 777 aircraft, to slicing very small sections of metal to be mounted, polished, and studied under a microscope in a metallurgical laboratory. Allison wheels are used to cut rail for the railroad industry, to cut glass tubing, to cut high-temperature, high strength alloys of all types, jet engine blades, automotive components, golf shafts, concrete, and numerous other materials.

Abrasive cutting wheels are consumable products, and it is therefore critical that the "right" wheel for the job is provided in order to minimize costs and to maintain the integrity of the material being cut.

Allison wheels are engineered products, that is, each product is specifically formulated to meet the requirements for a particular application. Allison's expertise in providing top quality, premium-performance, cut-off wheels is recognized worldwide.

In order to best serve the customer's needs for abrasive cutting, a direct sales and service force of experts is located in all of the major market areas. One of the finest distributor organizations in the world is available to serve your needs.