Marvin Pipkin
Encyclopedia
Marvin Pipkin American chemist
and inventor of two processes for inside frosting
of incandescent lamp bulbs.
Born near Lakeland, Florida
, Pipkin attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute and received a Batchelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1913 and a Master's in 1915. In 1917 Pipkin enlisted in the US Army and was assigned work on gas mask
s. His wartime work was at the General Electric
Nela Park
laboratory in Cleveland where he remained after the war.
In 1925 Pipkin developed a process for etching the inside of a lamp bulb with acid, using a two-step process so that the lamp would not be excessively weakened. In 1947 a silica coating process also invented by Pipkin replaced the etching.
Pipkin retired back to Lakeland in 1954, and died of cancer in 1977.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and inventor of two processes for inside frosting
Frosted glass
Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. It has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering of light during transmission, thus blurring images while still transmitting light.Applications:...
of incandescent lamp bulbs.
Born near Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, Pipkin attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute and received a Batchelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1913 and a Master's in 1915. In 1917 Pipkin enlisted in the US Army and was assigned work on gas mask
Gas mask
A gas mask is a mask put on over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word...
s. His wartime work was at the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Nela Park
Nela Park
Nela Park is the headquarters of GE Lighting, and is located in East Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Today, GE Lighting is a part of GE's Consumer and Industrial business headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky...
laboratory in Cleveland where he remained after the war.
In 1925 Pipkin developed a process for etching the inside of a lamp bulb with acid, using a two-step process so that the lamp would not be excessively weakened. In 1947 a silica coating process also invented by Pipkin replaced the etching.
Pipkin retired back to Lakeland in 1954, and died of cancer in 1977.