Technology pioneer Norton C. Wheeler, whose career at Davis-Standard LLC lasted six decades, died at his home in Mystic, Conn., at the age of 96.
Wheeler joined the Pawcatuck, Conn., company in 1951 after serving a stint in the U.S. Air Force and graduating with a chemistry degree from Brown University. He gained a reputation for his abilities in research, leading Davis-Standard's first lab in the 1960s. Over the decades, he conducted groundbreaking research into feed screw design and extrusion process control.
He was known for mentoring engineers within Davis-Standard and was the author of numerous technical papers. His achievements include leading Davis-Standard to be the first company to fully equip an extruder with multiple pressure transducers and the development of the Davis-Standard Barrier (DSB) feed screw.
