Posted to News on 18th Sep 2008, 11:00
Lee Company celebrates 60th anniversary
As the Farnborough International Air Show celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2008, the Lee Company also reaches this significant milestone. Like Farnborough, the Lee Company is well known in the aerospace industry and has contributed to the development of hydraulic system design. The company motto of Innovation in Miniature shows through in its comprehensive range of miniature fluid control components.
In 1948, following a distinguished career designing aircraft fuel control systems, Leighton Lee II traded the security of a full-time job to establish the Lee Company. Recognising that there was a tremendous future for jet engines and a demand for high-quality components, he concentrated on making products of his own design. The Lee Plug was the first of many inventions and a novel way to solve the problem of sealing cross-drilled holes without the use of threads or O rings. To date, over 100million Lee Plugs have been installed in aircraft flying all over the world and they have been widely used in system manifolds.
Over the years, the product range has expanded to include restrictors, a wide range of valves from 0.125in to 1in diameter, and safety screens, including Hi-Bar versions that are machined from solid bar stock and therefore able to withstand differential pressures of up to 7500psi without bursting or collapsing. Recent additions to the product portfolio include piloting and high-flow solenoid valves that make use of a patented expandable polymeric sleeve called the Lee Multi-Seal to simplify port layout and significantly reduce the size of the manifold.
During the past 40 years, the Lee Company has established subsidiary companies in England, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden, as well as a worldwide network of agents and distributors to provide technical support. The company claims that its success is due to its ability to work with customers to solve difficult fluid control problems using its engineering resources and accumulated experience.
Lee Company components are today found at the heart of critical aircraft and space systems and also in other applications such as oil tool and Formula 1 motor racing where size, weight and performance are paramount. The Lee Company is proud to celebrate its 60th anniversary at Farnborough International 2008, along with other notable anniversaries including the 100th anniversary of powered flight in the UK and the 50th anniversary of the DC-6.
For further information on the Lee Company, visit www.theleeco.com.
