VILMA Motors
| VILMA Motors | |
| |
| Names | ELVIMA (formerly)
VILMA Motors |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Michalakopoulou 45, Athina 115 28, Greece |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Products | Electric motors
Warning sirens |
VILMA Motors, commonly shortened to just VILMA, is a Greek manufacturer of electric motors and warning sirens. Founded in 1928 in Athens, the company has gone on to become one of Greece's leading suppliers of motors, as well as a large player in the Greek siren market.
History
VILMA was established in 1928 as ELVIMA. The company quickly grew in the following decades as demand for their products increased, establishing itself as the top motor manufacturer in Greece in the 1950's. New products would be introduced, including industrial blowers, grinders and the main focus of this article, warning sirens. The company would rename itself to VILMA in 1968 and would begin to sell its products outside of Greece. Since then, VILMA has gone on to become a large player in the Greek motor and siren market.
Products
Stationary Electric Sirens
VILMA 55
The VILMA 55 is VILMA's most popular and widespread siren, introduced in 1955 during the relative height of the Cold War. The VILMA 55 takes heavy draws from sirens such as the E57, utilizing the general same design. The VILMA 55 is a simple siren in terms of design, featuring a very distinct 8 port rotor with trapezoidal blades inside of an 8 port stator, being driven by a small 5.5 kW motor, held up by a triangular mount. The siren is covered by a large shroud, the design of which has changed over the course of the siren's production, with older units having flatter, more E57-like shrouds, and the newer units having slightly more bulbous shrouds. The siren can also be ordered without the shroud. The siren runs on 400 V AC and is rated at around 100 dB @ 100 ft.
Hand Powered Sirens
VILMA 55X
The VILMA 55X is a small, hand powered siren intended for use alongside the VILMA 55 in case power is lost. The siren consists of a simple 8 port rotor inside of an 8 port stator, with the rotor is driven by a blank hand crank. A handle is located on top of the siren, which allows for it to be carried. The VILMA 55X also comes with a shutter mechanism, allowing for coded signals to be produced. The entire siren is held up by a triangular stand. It is rated 120 dB @ 1m. The siren is not a creation of VILMA, with the siren itself being a rebrand of Lion King's LK-120.