In 1924, Joseph Sunnen — a young automotive mechanic –– saw the need for a tool to help repair cylinder heads without injuring his fingers and developed a valve compressing tool that made the job quick and safe. Soon after he started a mobile business, selling his new tools out of the back of a converted 1916 Hupmobile, where he and his wife also camped.
Mr Sunnen later developed and patented a manual cylinder hone for automotive garages. Decades later, this basic honing device has evolved into a highly capable CNC machining process by the company he founded. Today, the St Louis, Missouri-based
Sunnen Products Co is the world’s largest ‘vertically integrated manufacturer’ of precision honing systems, operating sales, service and manufacturing facilities in 14 countries worldwide.
Tom Dustman, Sunnen’s director of North American sales, said: “As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, Joe Sunnen would be proud to see that his spirit of innovation lives on in our drive to develop new products and techniques. The Hupmobile remains on display at our St Louis headquarters, and it reminds us not only of where we came from, but also what we can accomplish.”
Total bore solutionsHe continued: “Indeed, Sunnen experts have conceived, developed, and delivered a continuing line-up of advanced honing systems, tools, and abrasives; the company has also branched into lapping, deep-hole drilling, and skiving/roller burnishing, furthering its reputation as a provider of total bore solutions.
“In the 1930s, automotive, marine, and air race winners learned that their engines got a significant performance boost from precisely sized and finished cylinder bores made with Sunnen hones. Today, the desire for more speed, power, and accuracy — with lower noise, emissions, and fewer maintenance problems — is seeing manufacturers using Sunnen bore solutions for an ever-expanding range of products, in more industries than ever before.”
Sunnen’s roots are in the USA, but its reach extends around the world. In addition to its US headquarters, Sunnen has operations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, the UK, China, India, Brazil, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Poland, Mexico, and Canada — along with a worldwide network of over 30 authorised distributors.