Eclipse Machine Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedEclipse Machine Company was an American manufacturer associated with bicycles, automobile starter motors, and military and aircraft components.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Eclipse Machine Company was an American industrial manufacturer whose historical activities covered bicycle production and a range of mechanical and military components. Its corporate history began with the founding of the Steel Pulley & Machine Company in 1883 by Harmon H. Fulton in Indianapolis, Indiana. The business subsequently relocated to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, in 1892 and to Elmira, New York, in 1895, reflecting the movement of American manufacturing companies toward larger industrial centers and more specialized production facilities. The company entered the automotive supply industry in 1914, when it began producing automobile starter motors under license from the Bendix Corporation. This relationship later became an ownership transaction: Bendix acquired the company outright in 1929. The acquisition placed the manufacturer within the Bendix industrial organization and connected its production capabilities to a major supplier of automotive and aerospace-related equipment. By 1940, the business had been combined with Pioneer Instrument Company in a consolidated factory operation at Teterboro, New Jersey. The consolidation followed a period of physical disruption and industrial expansion. A plant in Little Falls had been damaged by fire in 1939 and was subsequently closed. At the same time, wartime demand encouraged the development of additional manufacturing capacity. A second plant was constructed in 1940, in part because of the company's production of 20 mm aircraft cannon. During the Second World War, Eclipse manufactured timed anti-aircraft fuses and 20 mm aircraft cannon, making it part of the American industrial effort to supply military aircraft and air-defense equipment. These products represented a shift from the company's earlier commercial and automotive work toward specialized defense production. The available historical record identifies Eclipse Machine Company as an American bicycle and aircraft-component manufacturer, while its documented corporate development also includes pulley and machine production and licensed automobile starter motors. The company is primarily significant as a historical manufacturing enterprise rather than as a continuing consumer brand. Its story illustrates the transformation of an independent machine producer into a Bendix-owned industrial operation, followed by consolidation with another specialized manufacturer and expansion into wartime production. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate modern operating identity, current product range, website, executive team, or independent ownership structure.
History
Eclipse Machine Company's documented history begins in 1883, when Harmon H. Fulton founded the Steel Pulley & Machine Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. The original business was part of the late-nineteenth-century American machine-manufacturing economy, producing equipment associated with industrial power transmission and general mechanical work. In 1892, the company moved to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Three years later, in 1895, it relocated again, this time to Elmira, New York. These successive moves indicate a search for suitable industrial facilities, labor, transportation connections, or customer access, although the available reference does not specify the precise reasons for each relocation. The enterprise broadened its activities in 1914 by beginning the manufacture of automobile starter motors under license from the Bendix Corporation. Starter motors were an important automotive component because they enabled electric engine starting to replace manual cranking in increasingly widespread motor vehicles. The licensing arrangement linked the company to Bendix technology and markets. In 1929, Bendix acquired the company outright, ending its independent ownership and bringing its manufacturing capabilities into the Bendix organization. The company's later history was shaped by consolidation. By 1940, it had been combined with Pioneer Instrument Company in a new factory operation at Teterboro, New Jersey. The reorganization took place after a fire damaged the company's Little Falls plant in 1939; that facility was closed rather than rebuilt as part of the subsequent industrial arrangement. The consolidation placed the business alongside another manufacturer with relevant instrument and component capabilities and provided a larger base for defense-oriented production. The same period saw substantial expansion in military manufacturing. A second plant was built in 1940, and the production of 20 mm aircraft cannon was identified as a factor behind its construction. During World War II, the company manufactured timed anti-aircraft fuses and 20 mm aircraft cannon. These products made the business part of the American wartime supply chain for aircraft armament and air-defense equipment. The company's wartime work represented a major change in emphasis from its earlier machine, bicycle, and automotive-component activities, although it remained consistent with its underlying expertise in precision mechanical manufacturing. Reference material describes Eclipse Machine Company as an American bicycle and aircraft-component manufacturer. The surviving account also records its earlier identity as the Steel Pulley & Machine Company, its licensed Bendix starter-motor production, Bendix's 1929 acquisition, its merger or consolidation with Pioneer Instrument Company, and its wartime defense output. The available sources do not provide a reliable account of the company's exact renaming history, later corporate disposition, financial performance, leadership after the Bendix acquisition, or the date on which its operations ceased. It is therefore best understood as a defunct historical industrial manufacturer whose importance lies in the development of American mechanical, automotive, aviation, and defense production.
- 1940
Teterboro consolidation and defense expansion
[1]The company was combined with Pioneer Instrument Company at a new Teterboro, New Jersey, factory. A second plant was constructed, supported in part by demand for 20 mm aircraft cannon.
- 1939
Little Falls plant damaged by fire
[1]A fire damaged the company's Little Falls plant. The facility was later closed during the company's consolidation.
- 1929
Acquired by Bendix
[1]Bendix acquired the company outright after its earlier licensing relationship.
- 1914
Entry into automobile starter motors
[1]The company began manufacturing automobile starter motors under license from the Bendix Corporation.
- 1895
Relocation to Elmira
[1]The business relocated again, moving from Beaver Falls to Elmira, New York.
- 1892
Relocation to Beaver Falls
[1]The company moved from Indianapolis to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
- 1883
Steel Pulley & Machine Company founded
[1]Harmon H. Fulton founded the Steel Pulley & Machine Company in Indianapolis, Indiana, establishing the industrial enterprise from which Eclipse Machine Company's documented history developed.
World War II military production
[1]During World War II, the company manufactured timed anti-aircraft fuses and 20 mm aircraft cannon.
Products and positioning
A historical American industrial manufacturer that evolved from machine production into automotive, aircraft, and wartime defense components.
Consumer transportation
Bicycles
Eclipse Machine Company is identified in reference material as an American bicycle manufacturer. The available source does not specify individual bicycle models, production dates, distribution arrangements, or technical characteristics, so the bicycle business can only be described at the category level.
Automotive components · 1914
Automobile starter motors
Beginning in 1914, the company manufactured automobile starter motors under license from the Bendix Corporation. This activity marked its entry into automotive components and preceded Bendix's outright acquisition of the business in 1929.
Defense components
Timed anti-aircraft fuses
During World War II, the company produced timed anti-aircraft fuses. These were specialized military components used in air-defense ammunition. The source does not provide model numbers, quantities, contracts, or detailed operating specifications.
Aircraft armament · 1940
20 mm aircraft cannon
The company manufactured 20 mm aircraft cannon during World War II. Production of this weapon was significant enough to contribute to the construction of a second plant in 1940, reflecting the scale and strategic importance of wartime aircraft-component demand.
Brand decisions
1940
Consolidation with Pioneer Instrument CompanyStrategyBackground
The consolidation followed a fire that damaged the Little Falls plant in 1939 and coincided with rising demand for military and aircraft equipment.
Action taken
Eclipse was combined with Pioneer Instrument Company in a new Teterboro, New Jersey, factory, while a second plant was constructed.
Aftermath
The reorganization supported production of 20 mm aircraft cannon and other wartime components. The damaged Little Falls plant was closed.
1929
Bendix acquisitionM&ABackground
After several years of licensed starter-motor production, Bendix moved from a licensing relationship to direct ownership.
Action taken
Bendix acquired Eclipse Machine Company outright.
Aftermath
The company became part of Bendix's industrial organization. The available source does not document the acquisition price or subsequent governance structure.
1914
Licensed production of automobile starter motorsProduct launchBackground
The company expanded beyond its earlier machine-manufacturing activities into automotive components through an agreement with the Bendix Corporation.
Action taken
It began manufacturing automobile starter motors under Bendix license.
Aftermath
The relationship culminated in Bendix's outright acquisition of the company in 1929.
Sources1 sources
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