O.S. Engines
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 10, 1941inHigashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka,Japan |
| Founder | Shigeo Ogawa |
| Headquarters | Higashisumiyoshi-ku,, |
Key people | Seiichi Arata |
| Total assets | 90,000,000 JPY (2012) |
Number of employees | 60 (2012) |
| Parent | Futaba Corporation |
| Website | www |
O.S. Enginesis a Japanesemodel enginemanufacturer.
The company was founded in 1936 by machinist Shigeo Ogawa ( "Ogawa Shigeo" in the Japanese surname-first tradition) for the production of modelsteam engines.The name of the firm could have either originated from the traditional Japanese family-name-first tradition being the source of the "OS" name, or from the firm's actual Japanese name, "Ogawa Seisakusho". At the suggestion of American buyer Paul Houghton, Ogawa tooled up for his firstgasoline-powered engine, the 1.6 cc O.S. Type-1 of which 200 units were produced and exported under the brand name, "Pixie." AfterWorld War II,Ogawa Seisakusho expanded to produce the MAX line of engines, which won acclaim for their performance and durability.
In 1976, OS pioneered the field of modern four-strokeglow plugignition model engines with the "FS-60" 10cm3displacement exposed valve gear engine, and has been one of the top producers of four-stroke glow-plug-ignition model engines worldwide ever since.
O.S. Engines produces a much larger line of engines that included the only availableWankelrotary aircraft engine], which was first introduced in 1970, in cooperation withGraupnerof Germany.[1]Since Graupner's demise in 2012, O.S. continued to makes this 4.9 cm3displacement engine on their own, still under license fromNSU.
The 1980s brought increasing competition, which increased across the 1990s and into the 21st century. O.S. is now a leading manufacturer of single- and multi-cylindermodel aircraftengines ranging from the small.10 LAtwo-stroketo the FF-320four-stroke"giant-scale" flat four-cylinder and the FR7-420 Sirius7 7-Cylinder Radial Engine "giant-scale"radial.
O.S. engines in current production include the.21 TM, the.18 TZ, the.46 AX and many others. O.S. also makes required accessories for their engines includingglow plugs,exhausts/mufflersandair filters.
O.S. has also extended their expertise to model cars, offering many reliable and powerful engines for these vehicles. Typical engines include OS 18 CV-R and OS 30VG. Four-strokes include FS26-C-S (0.26cidisplacement, meant to replace 0.12-0.15 two-strokes) and FS40-C-S (0.40 ci displacement, meant to replace 0.21-and-up two-strokes), with an updated FS26-C-S II currently out of production.
It is very easy to decode some facts from the engine name. In the above-mentioned four-stroke models, the C means car. This is to avoid confusing them with the aircraft engines they are based on. Additionally, an X in the name denotes arecoil start.
O.S. Engines' main competitor for both two- and four-stroke model engines isYamada Engines(YS), also designed and produced in Japan, with theSaito Seisakushofirm being a stronger rival than the YS firm, in volume production of popular four-stroke model engines.
O.S. has also produced model steam locomotives, but has stopped production on 31st March, 2021.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Chinn, Peter (1986).Model Four-Stroke Engines.Wilton, CT USA: Air Age Publishing. pp. 74–81.ISBN0-911295-04-6.
- ^"OS Live Steam Locomotives".oslivesteam.