The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
COMMONWEALTH AIRCRAFT FACTORY. SHEET METAL PARTS NOT MADE IN DROP HAMMERS ARE CLAMPED TOGETHER IN A JIG, AND ACCURATELY CUT OUT BY A ROUTER, THE CUTTER OF WHICH, DRIVEN BY AN AIR TURBINE, REVOLVES AT HIGH SPEED. (NEGATIVE BY E. CRANSTONE).
COMMONWEALTH AIRCRAFT FACTORY. THE FIRST STAGE OF ASSEMBLY OF SHEET METAL PARTS. SHEET METAL PARTS, FORMED BY DROP HAMMERS AND PRESSES AFTER DRILLING AND PAINTING, PUT TOGETHER IN SUB-ASSEMBLIES. (NEG
MANY OF THE WIRRAWAY'S SHEET METAL PARTS ARE STAMPED OUT BY DROP HAMMERS. FORCE OF THE DROP HAMMERS CAN BE VARIED FROM A GENTLE TAP TO MANY TONS.
COMMONWEALTH AIRCRAFT FACTORY. SUB-ASSEMBLY OF A FUSELAGE FRAME SECTION IS OXY-ACETYLENE WELDED IN A JIG. (NEGATIVE BY E. CRANSTONE).
MANY OF THE WIRRAWAY'S SHEET METAL PARTS ARE STAMPED OUT UNDER DROP HAMMERS. DROP HAMMER DIES ARE CAST IN LEAD AND ZINC. THE SURFACES OF THE DIES ARE HIGHLY POLISHED TO GIVE ABSOLUTE SMOOTHNESS TO THE
COMMONWEALTH AIRCRAFT FACTORY. AFTER THE FUSELAGE AND CENTRE SECTION HAVE BEEN FITTED TOGETHER, AND INNUMERABLE SMALL PARTS INSTALLED, THE WINGS ARE BOLTED ON. WIRRAWAY WINGS ARE OF THE STRESSED SKIN
AFTER DRILLING AND PAINTING, THE SMALL SHEET METAL PARTS FORMED BY DROP HAMMERS, ROUTERS AND PRESSES, ARE ASSEMBLED AND RIVETED IN LARGE JIGS TO FORM COMPONENT PARTS, SUCH AS WINGS AND CENTRE SECTIONS
