Irwin L. Fife (1894–1971) was an American

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

credited with the invention of modern

web-guiding systems Web-guiding systems are used in the converting industry to position flat materials, known as webs, before processing. They are typically positioned just before a critical stage on a converting machine. Each type of web guiding system uses a sens ...

from his garage in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1939, Fife founded Fife Manufacturing. He received numerous patents for his advances in web guiding and manufacturing. In 1975, Fife Manufacturing became a publicly traded company.

Inventing web guide systems

In 1939, a local friend in the newspaper business came to Irwin for help with a high-speed newspaper press. Over the next year, Mr. Fife invented a web guide from his garage in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Fife Manufacturing

Founded in 1939 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Fife Manufacturing developed tools for web handling and web inspection. In 1975, Fife Manufacturing Corp. filed for an initial public offering on the stock market.

U.S. Patents

# – Automatic Web Guiding Apparatus (1946) US # – Feeler Actuated Valve (1954) US # – Turn Guiding Apparatus for Webs (1957) US # – Pneumatic Control Valve for Hydraulic System (1961) US

Personal achievements

Fife is the founding member of the Oklahoma State University Web Handling Research Center (WHRC) and has been its primary sponsor since it was formed in 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fife, Irwin L. 1894 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American inventors People from Oklahoma City