When is a balloon not a balloon? When it�s a technical problem, a design challenge, and an inspiration for the development of new and more efficient cutting equipment.
Keeping with its tradition of product innovation, ETI now offers a new
line of digitally controlled precision solder pots. These pots are
ideal for tinning wire leads, stripping and tinning magnet wire or
soldering de-soldering small printed circuit boards. With temperature
such a critical factor in quality soldering, this new series of
solder pots is designed to provide the industry¹s highest level
of temperature control to ensure unmatched soldering accuracy and
reliability.As Momany explains the SDC�s advantages for the NASA application, he keeps bumping into his company�s own "cutting edge" issues: proprietary technologies, which he doesn�t dare explain in excessive detail. EdgeWISE is currently patenting the SDC system, with between 15 and 20 individual processes listed as claims on the application; this is one of four patent applications the company has going, and Momany expects to initiate another two sometime this year. (The tiny company, by the way, employs three full-time and two part-time workers, and uses five to seven contractors.)Momany knew immediately that their RFL system, which moves material backward and forward under stationary cutting heads, wouldn�t do the trick; moving the film that Connecticut-based Dimension Polyant had developed for NASA forward 600 feet and then back to cut one gore would inevitably distort the fabric beyond the required accuracy level. The obvious solution was to develop a system that would move the material in only one direction. Momany is quick to credit engineer Bill Stuart with figuring out how to devise the software controls for EdgeWISE�s Single Direction Cutting (SDC) system, which combines state-of-the-art laser beam delivery, material handling and motion control to calculate required material length and digitally compensate for the stretching that occurs during handling.Three different pot sizes, PD 24, PD 33 and PD 74 are offered for job
specific convenience. The PD 24 is a 250w 2inch-diameter pot with 1
1/2inch depth. It has a solder capacity of 1 1/4lbs and max temp of
1100 degress Fahrenheit.Esico-Triton International - P.O. Box 247 - 2 Esico Lane - Deep River,
CT 06417The PD 74 is a 1000w 3 1/8inch-diameter pot with 4 1/4 inch depth.
Solder capacity is 9 1/2lbs, Max temp 900 degress Fahrenheit."We started focusing on designing and developing other laser tools, and were invited by Eastman Worldwide, an industrial fabric company, to exhibit in their booth at the 1997 Industrial Fabrics Association show in Nashville. That�s where I met Raven Industries� Ron Stevens, who was heading up the manufacturing end of NASA�s Ultra Long Duration Balloon Project," relates Momany.In addition to the advantage of taking up much less floor space than flatbed systems, the roll-feed SDC allows for faster throughput without increasing safety compliance issues or the need for training. "We try to make every machine using a Class One laser beam�as safe as your laser printer," Momany notes. By definition, Class One beams are totally enclosed. If, for example, the ULDB gores were to be cut with a laser moving over a flatbed, "to move 600 feet, it would have to be a Class Four beam�and everyone in the room would have to be laser-trained and wearing goggles," he explains.It started with boats. " I was in the printing business in 1985, and met a lady who was putting vinyl names and logos on the sides of boats," Momany relates. "Gerber had released a 15-inch vinyl text cutter, but she was doing graphics and logos in addition to letters. I wondered if we could somehow melt the vinyl to cut it. We started out with a soldering iron attached to an X-Y plotter." After working through many "thermal issues," midway through 1986 Momany, in partnership with another company that later went out of business, introduced a 36-inch thermal cutter to the sign industry.From boats to balloons"And with HPGL, at 3,000 inches, the system would just stop, and you�d have to re-send the images�but it wouldn�t have any way of knowing where it had left off," Momany says, noting that 3,000 inches, or 250 feet, is less than one-half the length of a ULDB gore. "Our system can just keep on going.""The limitation on most perforation operations is mechanical; it�s like they�re using a rotary pincushion, and the needles break all the time," Momany says. It�s not uncommon for needle breakage to occur several times a week, or even daily, resulting in four to eight hours of downtime each time. "The laser perforation could be used in manufacturing disposable diapers, band-aids, all kinds of geotextiles."The Ultra Long Duration Balloon Project (ULDB), profiled in our October 1999 issue, is NASA�s latest development in near-space scientific exploration. The project aims to develop balloon systems capable of supporting scientific observations above 99 percent of the Earth�s atmosphere, for durations of approximately 100 days. Innovations in materials and construction�the current design is 600 feet tall and pumpkin shaped, with lobes that increase its strength, and made of a one mil five-layer Mylar-polyethylene-polyester composite that provides a previously unavailable combination of gas barrier, tear resistance and strength�add up to a balloon that can take near-space extremes of temperature and sun exposure, and carry a couple thousand pounds of equipment.The PD 33, pictured, is a 350w 3"x3" square with inside depth 1 1/2
inches, solder capacity of 4lbs and max temp 850 degress Fahrenheit.DVD Drive Problem Fix - One of the most common problems in every game console is in its DVD drives. Usually, they fail to recognize the game disc. A dirty disk error message is usually shown that may result in skipping movies or slow loading time. You can replace the DVD drive with your PC DVD drive when this happen. Although there is a risk that you cannot play standard Xbox games, by doing installing a mod chip will make the drive usable again. You can also ask Microsoft to replace your Xbox DVD drive with a new one which would make it easy for you for no modifications are needed for this option.Performance and perforationAnother problem that you may probably encounter is failed power supply. This is usually preceded by a popping sound as you try to turn on your Xbox. Often times when you plug in the power cord of the unit you may experience sparks and crackle sounds. Sometimes, you may see a faint smoke followed by a faint smell of burn electricity. Whenever you encounter such problems, it is essential that you check the internal parts of your Xbox. Locate the tab that is broken loose and burnt. Tidy up most of the vaporized lead on the burnt tabs in order to loosen the hard to get stuff with a little bit of alcohol poured on a q-tip. Use a blade to scrap off the lead and then dab a little flux and heat it up to 800 degrees or 30+ watt iron. Use the soldering iron to fix the joint to make a solid connection. A standard AT power supply can also be used. You can also pick up the part of the power supply that is busted from you an electronic store.According to company literature, RFL technology offers significant advantages over traditional flatbed systems that cut with blades:
- the RFL takes only one-third to one-half the floor space of a flatbed;
- lasers use minimum heat, for less material distortion;
- lasers provide a high degree of accuracy, consistency, control and flexibility;
- the extremely small cut width allows for detailed work and close nesting of components, minimizing waste;
- lasers decrease the risk of injury, com-pared to many mechanical cutting methods.
produces products that are well designed, rugged and easy to
maintain, continuing to meet the challenge of taking the complexity
out of technology.Reprinted with permission from Industrial Fabric Products Review April 2000. Copyright � 2000 by Industrial Fabrics Association International. Industrial Fabric Products ReviewAlthough you may experience trouble such as the things mentioned above, it is advisable for you not to twiddle around it if you do not have background knowledge about electronics. You can either replace it or leave it to be fixed by a professional for Xbox repair.As it turned out, EdgeWISE�s SDC system was able to come darn close to the original tolerance requirement, at +/- .3 inches; but, as NASA, Dimension Polyant and Raven Industries continue to tinker with the composition of the balloon fabric, new hurdles emerge. Simply cutting one lobe down the middle of the run of fabric results in 40 percent waste, so EdgeWISE designed the system to cut half lobes down each straight edge, to be sewn together afterward, cutting waste down to only 14 percent. This means the system must be able to detect the fabric edge, which was no problem with the earlier translucent material. The most recent version of fabric, however, is transparent, so edge detection becomes a bigger problem.
Reprinted with permission from Industrial Fabric Products Review April 2000. Copyright � 2000 by Industrial Fabrics Association International. Industrial Fabric Products Review
Author: Carolyn Griffith
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