Myshak had purchased the machine to flood his backyard rink, but it needed repairs, so he brought it in to a nearby shop. When it was ready for use, he decided to simply drive it home, stopping for a hot chocolate on his way. Search The Canadian Encyclopedia. Remember me. I forgot my password. Why sign up? Create Account. Suggest an Edit. Enter your suggested edit s to this article in the form field below.
Accessed 14 November Zamboni initially wanted to name his company the Paramount Engineering Company, but the name was taken, so he used his family name instead. To fully appreciate Zamboni's genius, it's worth delving a little bit into his past.
After working together at an auto repair shop in Southern California, Frank and his younger brother opened an electric service business that specialized in building and installing large refrigeration units for the dairy industry. The Zambonis expanded their business to meet the demands of the produce industry by building a plant that produced block ice, which was used to keep perishable goods from spoiling while in transport. When the demand for block ice began to wane as refrigeration technology improved, the brothers used their ice-making expertise to capitalize on the growing popularity of figure skating by opening the Iceland Skating Rink in Paramount in Maintaining the quality of an ice surface that could accommodate up to skaters was a labor-intensive and time-consuming task.
Iceland Skating Rink workers walking behind a scraper being pulled by a tractor scooped up the shavings, sprayed the ice with water, and squeegeed the surface. According to the Zamboni website, the process took more than an hour. There had to be a better solution, Frank Zamboni thought.
He was right. Most of Zamboni's early prototypes were built of war surplus parts. Zamboni applied for a patent for his Model A resurfacer, which was built and tested in Paramount and included a hydraulic chamber from a Douglas bomber, in The look of the machine hasn't changed all that much in 61 years.
The Lightning went on to win the Stanley Cup. The extra weight of the batteries used to power the Model electric Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are supported by wider tires than those used on the fuel-powered models.
A Model uses size tires and the Model uses size tires to handle the weight difference of over 3, pounds. Since their premiere in , millions of miniature scale replicas of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine have been manufactured and sold around the world. In , Frank J. Zamboni was inducted into the U. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Once all of the needed components are on hand, it can take a few weeks for the process of assembly, paint, etc.
There have been a number of competitors in North America and overseas which have entered the industry and while some remain, others have come and gone. Zamboni remains the overwhelming choice for ice arena operators around the world. In addition, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has recognized the configuration design of the machine as a federally registered trademark.
The very first machine, the Model A, was completely restored and when it is not traveling to special events around North America, the machine is on display at its original home, Paramount Iceland. Although it is more of a museum piece, it is fully operational and has resurfaced at some special events.
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