Graupner (company)

The Graupner / SJ GmbH is a model company that was founded in 1930 by Johannes Graupner in Stuttgart -Wangen and under the trade name GRAUBELE initially produced smaller fretwork.

History

Two years later the company moved, which is now also a kit with movable animal figures produced, Kirchheim unter Teck. In 1935 a glider model as a toy to it; 1938 plans and materials for various ship models in the range have been included. Mainly craft groups of the HJ were supplied.

After the Second World War, Johannes Graupner applied for a permit for a reopening. He first ago with 18 employees DIY toys and kitchen items. 1950, the company, which now again sales plans and accessories for model airplanes, with the production of model railway accessories such as buildings and equipment. Began

In addition to an English model diesel came in 1952, a developed under the brand name of typhoon in Germany compression-ignition engine called typhoon standard on the market two years later the first industrially produced in large numbers in Germany model radio remote controls.

As the company's founder died in 1953, the company was continued by his son Hans Graupner, who was present for the first time in 1954 at the Toy Fair in Nuremberg.

In 1962 a new building was erected in Kirchheim.

Kits and building plans

In addition to the kits from the then customary materials pine strips and plywood a Wurfgleiter was in 1950 completely offered out of balsa wood as a building block. In cooperation with internationally successful modellers as Wilfried Biesterfeld ( bondage aircraft Ultra Stunters ) or Karl Heinz Denzin ( Freiflugmodell cadet ) emerged educationally valuable, largely prefabricated modular models also allowed a relatively inexperienced young prospects a promising entry into the building and operation of model aircraft.

Remote controls

As of 1954, Graupner marketing a range of model radio remote control of the Munich manufacturer's terminal with the transmitters Standard 10, Standard 20 and Standard 30/30Q, all sent MHz short-wave band in the then exclusively licensed 27,12. While the race between the transistor and the electron tube was already in progress, the first Graupner radio remote controls, however, were still fully equipped for technical reasons with the tried and true tubes. The transmitter Standard 10 produced the anode voltage with a mechanical chopper from commercially available dry batteries, the standard 20 with two 75 -volt dry cell batteries, the standard 30Q had a crystal oscillator. The receiver tube was standard with two receiving tubes DL68 DL92 and as well as a display tube DM70 ( Magic Stick ) fitted which facilitated precise matching to the transmission frequency. A few years later, the hybrid receiver transistor appeared with an electron tube in the RF part and a transistor, the noise voltage is increased for the circuit of the relay - all Graupner remote controls at that time were unmodulated Single-duct systems with Trägertastung, spherical Audion, amplifier and rauschspannungsgesteuertem relay. 1956 added a kit system Tippy the offer of a Graupner RC.

1958 followed by the shoemaker Hans redesigned tonmodulierten single channel transmitter series Bellaphon Bellaphon A and B as well as the matching receiver Mikroton - the transmission frequency was stabilized quartz, which facilitated the tuning of the receiver, and also was in the 11 meter band ( 27.12 MHz ). Both transmitters used in the high frequency part nor a battery - transmitting tube, only Tonfrequenzoszillator for tone modulation has worked with a then state of the art transistor. In the model Bellaphon A now replaced a transistor inverter to the usual mechanical chopper for generating the necessary anode voltage of a lead-acid battery, the lower-priced model Bellaphon B lacked the electronic voltage transformer, the station needed therefore additionally addition to the obligatory heating battery a set of not very cheap anode batteries, but achieved long service life due to the low current load. Also, the pendulum Audion single channel Mikroton had also in his high-frequency step nor Subminiaturröhre that required as a result of technical shortcomings former transistors, a 30 -volt miniature anode battery in the receiving system. The reason for its unfavorable power supply in particular very unfavorable for the flight model tube operation of the remote control ended at Graupner in 1960, in which the first tubeless remote control devices appeared on the market: the 3 - and 10 -channel systems of Graupner Bellaphon / Polyton series and for developed servos Bella Matic and Unimatic. Both the transmitting and the receiving electronics of the new equipment was complete with the now HF-capable transistors, which is particularly advantageous effect on their size, weight, reliability and cost of ownership and helped make the Graupner plants very successfully to the then remote control market alleged.

1962 Bellaphon systems with the designed and built at Grundig module Graupner Variophon, Graupner Graupner Varioton and later Varioprop remote controls were replaced. The former was an expandable tonmodulierte multichannel system in tip -tip technique Varioprop 10 came as a second digital system out (after 1966 featured Digital TX / RX 14) 1968.

In the early 1980s led Graupner remote control systems and servos the famous Japanese company JR Propo in Germany. Especially for the Central European Markz developed JR Propo branded Graupner / JR transmitter tray of the known FM and MC series. The last finally being developed MC -32 was handed over to the Korean company SJ Incorporated.

Combustion model engines

In addition to importing small U.S. Electrodetonators model engines Cox of the manufacturer and the Japanese manufacturer OS Motors Graupner has since 1952 a series of compression-ignition engines (³ from 1.0 cm ) can be produced at the company Hörnlein in Vöhringen / Iller with the brand name typhoon. Below reliable use engines like the hobby ( 1 cc ), the motor sports Hurricane ( 1.5 cc ) of Rapidly ( 2.5 cc ), but also a racing engine as the hurricane were (2.5 cm ³). More and more often achieved the Graupner motors national and international awards in competitions and flight model shows. Among the O.S. imported from Graupner Model engines, there was published in 1970 the rotary engine also 1-49 - the first model motor according to the model developed by Felix Wankel principle, which was mass-produced.

Electric flight

The first, designed by Fred Militky electric flight models were shown in 1959 to model flying events. By promoting Graupner 1960 was the first commercial, free-flying model called Silentius. The drive was carried out with one of the special gearmotors known Faulhaber, which had an especially favorable efficiency by its bell-shaped armature, a cantilevered helical winding on the rotor of the electric motor, that even with the still relatively low-performance battery types ( lead-acid batteries the company Rulag ) or, alternatively, also dry batteries flying was possible. Due to the overload of the motor had to be limited its duration. The first building block for the radio-controlled electric model aircraft Hi-Fly was released in 1973.

Promote aeromodelling youth

1956 Germany further model airplane competition for young people together with the Aero Club was launched. With the model construction kit "The Little Owl " (a small glider Class A -1, designed by Werner Thies) could take part each young person at the decentralized competitions. Many of these young people are then entered into teams and have competed in the individual model classes of travel.

Prizes and awards

Business

In the 1970s created next to the Austrian branch also operates branch offices in Switzerland and a subsidiary to Balsaholzherstellung in Ecuador. Graupner supplied worldwide since 2000 dealer.

In 2007, sales amounted to € 40 million. The export share is over 50 % ( Electronic Federal Gazette ).

On 11 November 2010, died Hans Graupner, the son of the founder, at the age of 81 years.

In December 2012, the bankruptcy process, a protection proceedings was against the investments Graupner GmbH opens and the Esslingen district court initiated. The application of the method was laid on the 12th of February 2013. Obviously, this " hard cut " did not bring the hoped-for success. The aim was, according to the Board to conclude during the three-month protection proceedings, the restructuring of the company until March and avert bankruptcy. This is despite all efforts not succeeded until 22 February 2013.

In early March 2013, the Graupner was liquidated and taken over by the South Korean company trademark SJ Incorporated, the main supplier of the developed of their chargers, DES servos and HoTT remote controls. Only a third of the old employees were taken over by the newly founded company Graupner / SJ. Production at the Kirchheim was completely set, just marketing, sales and service remained.