Andreas Mechwart von Belecska

András Mechwart de Belecska (or András Mechwart, born as Andreas Mechwart, Schweinfurt, 6 December 1834 – Budapest, 14 June 1907) was a Hungarian-German mechanical engineer, chief executive of the Ganz Works, and a pioneer in the Hungarian mechanical and electrical engineering. As an inventor and as a businessman he contributed to the development of the Hungarian transport manufacturing industry, and made the Ganz Works a flagship of the Hungarian economy of the 19th century.

Life Early years András Mechwart was born on 6 December 1834 to Georg Mechwart and Elisabeth Hofmann in Schweinfurt, Bavaria. Because of his family's bad financial conditions he had to find a job as a child. He worked as locksmith apprentice in his neighbourhood.

In 1859 he got a job offer in Lemberg, Galicia (today Lviv, Ukraine) at the 'Carl-Ludwigs-Bahn', but on the road to his new home, he visited his friend, Antal Eichleiter who worked in Ábrahám Ganz's Ganz Works in Buda. Eichleiter introduced Mechwart to his boss who asked him to stay there because he wanted to expand his foundry with a machine factory. Mechwart accepted the job and started to work there as a supervising engineer in the newly opened machine factory of the Ganz Works. smeltery in Szászka, Banat, Austria-Hungary (est. 1850) machine factory in Racibórz, Silesia, Prussia (est. 1869) – with the aim to compete with the German machine factories smeltery in Alsó-Mecenzéf, Austria-Hungary (est. 1872) electrical department in Kacsa Street, Víziváros, Budapest, Austria-Hungary (est. 1878) wagon manufacturing site of the 'First Hungarian Wagon Factory Inc.' (Első Magyar Vasúti Kocsigyár Rt.) Kőbányai út, Budapest, Austria-Hungary (purchased in 1880) machine factory in Leobersdorf, Austria-Hungary (purchased in 1887) blast furnace in Topusko, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, Austria-Hungary (rent since 1880)

In 1900 the Ganz Works was the only Hungarian factory that had producing sites outside of Hungary. However, it should be added that the large scale development of the company beginning in 1869 was not fault and crisis-free. For instance the crisis between 1874 and 1876 threatened its existence. In that difficult times Mechwart could choose the most appropriate products to survive the crisis. They made wagon wheels, railway crossings, artillery etc.

The roller mill

Mechwart bought in 1874 Friedrich Wegmann's patent of the roller mill that the inventor could not sell for a long time. He improved it and the Ganz Works started to produce Mechwart's version. Wegmann's roller mill was made of fragile porcelain wheels and it was a simple structure of grain mill grinding mechanism. Mechwart changed the porcelain wheels to wear-resistant, hard cast, obliquely grooved grinding rolls and he used strings to clamp the grinding rolls and covered the roller mill as well. They had three children: Ernest, Hugo and Emma.

He suffered from typhus for a short time, but his sister-in-law, Doris, wife of Antal Eichleiter could cure him out.

His mother tongue was German which he used with his family and in the factory as well. But according to some sources he also wanted to learn the Hungarian language which was a huge challenge for him. He loved literature and he wrote some poems as well.

Patents His patents include: Mechanical roller mill (Mechanische Walzenmangel, 26.7.1872) Track heart piece (Wendeherzstücke, 27.6.1874) Corrugated rollers for grain flakes (Riffelwalzen für Getreideschroten, 13.3.1875) Hard cast grenades (Hartgußgranaten, 13.3.1875) Grenades (Granate, 13.3.1875) Roller pair belt drive (Walzenpaar Riemenantrieb, 3.8.1875) Schrapnell for naval and coastal guards (Schrapnell für Marinegeschütze und Küstengeschütze, 20.3.1877) Balk support with ventilation (Dippelbaumauflager mit Ventilation, 4.8.1877) Discovery of mechanical roller mills (Erfindung einer mechanischen Walzenmenge, 26.6.1877) Roller mill (Walzenstuhl, 1.3.1878) Chill cast cylinder (Hartgußwalzen, 12.8.1878) Stretch works for all art of rolling mill (Spannringe für Walzwerke jeder Art, 8.2.1879) Pressure-relieving bearing or clamping rings for rolling mills (Lagerentlastungsringe für Walzwerke mit Spannvorrichtungen, 21.5.1879) Roller arrangement for bearing relief rings (Rollenanordnung für Lagerentlastungsringe, 5.5.1880) Roller mills (Walzenstühle, 2.10.1881) Differential moving for meal roller mills (Differentialbewegung für Mahlwalzenstühle, 11.4.1882) Steam lighting machine (Dampflichtmaschine, 18.4.1884) Adjustable friction clutch (Regulierbare Friktionskuppelung, 26.1.1885) Appetizer for green malt (Speiseapparat für Grünmalz, 9.4.1886) Steam boiler with big water surface (Dampfkessel mit großer Wasserfläche, 17.4.1886) Belt drive for roller mills (Antrieb von Walzenstühlen mit Riemen, 4.6.1886) Improvements on gear wheels (Verbesserung an Zahnrädern, 20.9.1886) Improved cast iron wheel for wagons (Verbessertes gegossenes Eisenbahnrad, 25.2.1887) Rotary plow (Rotierender Pflug, 12.10.1887) Electrical felling machine (Elektrische Baumfällmaschine, 9.11.1888) Rotary plow (Rotierender Pflug, 19.6.1894) Engine drive for cars (Motorenantrieb für Wagen, 23.8.1894)