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 Welcome
to our second issue of Acceleron Beams into the Future.
Since our first newsletter in
September, 2001, many changes have taken place in
our country and the world. We at Acceleron would
like to extend our condolences to the families and
friends who lost loved ones in the September 11th
tragedy. Our nation has been experiencing difficult
times by which we all have been affected. Although
the economy has continued to struggle since that
day, we have all had to go on and proceed to build
on what has made us strong in the past. |
En-BeaM,
our sister company, continues its growth with current
production and is now expanding into new industries such
as petroleum and food. As our customer base grows, we
will continue to expand our electron beam drilling services
with new techniques and applications. For more detailed
information, see our article on
page 2, or call us, and we will gladly answer any
questions that you may have.
Thank
you for taking the time to review our fall newsletter.
We hope that you continue to find our publication a valuable
source of information.
Sincerely,
Rory
Montano, President
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| For
Local Machine Shop, Acceleron's Service Proves to
be Anything but Typical |
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| Acceleron
produces this subassembly for Conntech
Products Corporation by welding two halves
(bottom) to form a "barrel" (top). |
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Conntech
Products Corporation, a contract manufacturer of
machined components located in Cheshire, Connecticut,
first came to Acceleron in 1998 with a subassembly
for a surgical instrument used for intestinal surgery.
As with most manufacturing companies today, Conntech
was faced with the constant challenge of finding
ways to reduce waste, lower cost and shorten lead
times.
Part
of the subassembly includes a stamping that requires
the welding of two formed halves into what is referred
to as the "barrel." The dimensional requirement
of the barrel is critical and requires a striking
process or qualifying process to bring the roundness
into tolerance. It was Conntech's goal to eliminate
the qualifying process, reducing the cost of the
part and the need for further handling. Acceleron's
engineering and development group welcomed the challenge
and worked on a tooling concept and welding process
that would shape the barrel to meet the critical
dimensions. With the elimination of the qualifying
process, Conntech realized significant savings in
both lead time and cost, which were passed on to
their customer.
With
an annual volume of almost 250,000 parts, Acceleron
continues to meet weekly on-time delivery, which
is critical to Conntech and their customer.
Renée
Lauzier, Program and Operations Manager at Conntech
Products Corporation, shares her views on her company's
relationship with Acceleron: "Acceleron was
diligent in working on a process that brought validity
to what many thought could not be accomplished. Over
the years, they have continued to meet our demanding
requirements and conducted business in the same professional
manner that they exhibited from the beginning."
In
addition to this medical application, Conntech also
contracts Acceleron to laser engrave the carrying
handle of the M-240 rifle for the government. Since
September 11, 2001, production quantities have tripled.
Conntech has been under increased pressure to deliver
larger quantities on a daily basis to meet our country's
military demand. Acceleron helps ensure that deliveries
are met by being "on call" with only an
hour's notice. Renée Lauzier states, "We
have been very pleased with Acceleron's response
to our demanding requirements for the carrying handle,
proving once again their dedication to meeting their
customers' needs."
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NASA’s
AIRS is Successfully Launched
Our
first newsletter featured an article on the stress-free
welding services that we performed for NASA's project
AIRS, as contracted by BAE Systems, Inc. of Lexington,
Massachusetts. This atmospheric infrared sounder was
designed to provide highly accurate data on the earth’s
atmosphere, land and oceans for climate studies. With
AIRS on board, NASA's spacecraft AQUA was successfully
launched from Vandenburg Air Force Base by a Delta II
rocket on May 2. We at Acceleron are proud to have played
an instrumental role in the construction of AIRS, and
we look forward to hearing about the impact it has on
weather forecasting.
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 Above:
Spot inspection of drilled components
is a critical function
in maintaining accurate hole diameter criteria.
Right: .004" diameter holes drilled in .060" thick
316L stainless steel. |
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Electron
Beam Drilling: Unique
Features Provide Special Capabilities
As
a machining process, Electron Beam Machining (EBM)
is often mentioned along with Laser Beam Machining
(LBM), Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) and Electro
Chemical Machining (ECM). These nontraditional techniques
are used when the requirements exceed mechanical
machining and drilling capabilities, or because they
have overriding cost advantages. Compared to other
hole drilling techniques, the electron beam process
has unique features that give it special capabilities
for hole drilling over a wide variety of applications.
The
Drilling Mechanism
This thermal drilling process is so efficient that only a small
percentage of the input energy remains in the work piece. With
a velocity of 65% of the speed of light, the electron beam is focused
into a small round spot measuring just a few thousandths of an
inch, with a power density of 108 watts per square inch. As the
beam penetrates the material, the temperature rises initially at
a rate of over 1,000° Celsius per microsecond, causing localized
melting and vaporization. As this heating continues, a high vapor
pressure in the center of the cavity presses the molten metal radically
outward and upward, allowing the beam to penetrate through the
vapor and rapidly deepen the cavity. Backing material with special
properties is placed behind the work piece. When the beam drills
the hole and enters the backing material, additional high vapor
pressure is generated, ejecting the molten metal upward and leaving
a clean hole with minimum recast.
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Drilling
on the fly results in the most efficient
way to process holes.
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| The
Unique Features of Electron Beam Drilling |
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Process
is a noncontact thermal "tool" |
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High
power density is focused into a small spot |
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Critical
beam parameters can be adjusted electronically
at high speed |
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Can
produce inclined holes at various angles
to the surface |
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Drills
on a continuously moving target to maximize
drill speed |
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Provides
a drilling rate up to 2,000 holes per second
in thin sheet metal |
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Can
drill material thicknesses from 0.002" to
.200" |
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Drills
holes from 0.002" to 0.040" in
diameter |
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Is
capable of an aspect ratio (depth to diameter)
of 25 to 1 |
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Hole
profiles can be taper, cylinder or bell |
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New
Applications
For the past 14 years, our sister company, En-BeaM,
has been using Electron Beam Machining primarily for customers
in the paper and pulp industry. The screen plates and filter baskets
we have been drilling and manufacturing are typically 12" to
45" in diameter. Standard hole sizes are .004" to .015" in
material thicknesses from .060 to .187 stainless steel.
Because
of recent demands in other industries that require
smaller holes, En-BeaM continues to explore and has
developed new processes and tools. We currently drill
0.002" and 0.004" holes in small tubes
down to 1/2" diameter. En-BeaM primarily supplies
products that filter liquids from solids, and we
are now developing this technology to drill exotic
materials used for cooling in the aerospace industry
and for diffusing highly corrosive gases in a variety
of chemical industries. This is all part of En-BeaM's
continued commitment to develop and implement cost-effective
processes and techniques.
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| Plasma
Arc Window Development On Schedule |
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| Early
plasma arc window prototype |
We
are currently on schedule with the development of
the plasma arc window. Acceleron has designed and
built the mounting structure and the plasma arc window.
The power supply and control are 90% complete. The
expected bench test date was scheduled for September.
Once the bench test is complete, we will then install
the plasma arc window into our modified electron
beam welding machine.
We
are very encouraged with how well the program has
been going to date and feel confident that future
testing will continue to go as well. Return to our
Web site for further updates on this ongoing program.
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Personnel
News
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Jennifer
Pennington Promoted to Shipping Department
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Jennifer
Pennington |
Jennifer
Pennington, who joined Acceleron in November,
2000, was recently promoted to our shipping
and receiving department and continues to improve
its organization and efficiency. Her main responsibility
is to work with all departments to ensure the
accurate and timely processing of our customers'
orders, from receipt to shipment. Customer
satisfaction and timely deliveries are her
primary objectives. We are confident that,
with her personality and pursuit of perfection,
Jennifer will prove to be an asset to this
department.
Jennifer
holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the
University of Hartford and recently transitioned
from the medical field after 23 years of service.
She is an avid gardener who also enjoys auto
racing events.
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Introducing
a New Member of Our Staff
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| Mike
Dowd |
Mike
Dowd has joined Acceleron as our new Project
Engineer, replacing Bill Ross, who has recently
retired. Mike was the President of Jadco
Corp. for over 20 years. This company specialized
in the design and manufacturing of custom
fixtures and tooling for a wide variety of
industries.
Mike
brings with him a strong business background
in the areas of engineering, marketing and
customer commitment. He lives in East Longmeadow,
Massachusetts with his wife, Kerry, and two
sons.
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Acceleron
Bids Farewell to Two Longtime Employees
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| Duyen
Vo |
Duyen
Vo — the third employee hired by Acceleron
more than 21 years ago — retired in November,
2001. He was a valued employee and was integral
to the success of our second shift while serving
as shift supervisor. Duyen's wife and many
family members are still employed with us.
He and his wife recently returned to their
home country of Vietnam to visit many relatives
whom they had not seen for quite some time.
Duyen will be remembered and missed by everyone
he worked so closely with at Acceleron. The
Montano family thanks him for his many years
of service.
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| Bill
Ross |
After
18 years of dedicated service, Bill Ross, our
Senior Project Engineer, retired in May, 2002.
Bill played an extremely vital role
at Acceleron with his vast knowledge of both electron
beam and laser technology. He has been a mentor to many of
our young employees. Bill has also maintained good working
relationships with our customers over the years, overseeing
their programs from development to production. Our staff
and many of our clients will miss him.
Bill
is an avid fisherman and plans to spend much
of his retirement fishing up north with his
wife, Danielle. Acceleron and the Montano family
thank Bill and wish him well in retirement.
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The
Swingarm Buddy is a
3-in-1 tool for motorcyclists. |
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Acceleron
Wins Wrench Contract with Our New Laser Cutting
Capabilities
Acceleron
has been awarded a contract to develop and manufacture
a motorcycle kit wrench for Swingarm Buddy, a
New Jersey-based company owned by Mike Colavita.
The 3-in-1 wrench is used for adjusting the drive
chain on motorcycle brands such as Honda, Yamaha,
Kawasaki and Suzuki. Due to its unique design,
this wrench is advantageous to riders because
it reduces the number of tools required for drive
chain adjustment.
This
is a full manufacturing contract, whereby Acceleron
purchases the material, laser cuts three different
sizes, then mechanically engraves the Swingarm
Buddy logo and wrench size on each handle. With
our new laser cutting capabilities, we are able
to get a clean, accurate laser cut through .250
thick hot rolled steel, eliminating any secondary
operations to the laser cut. Other processes
consist of heat-treating to 48-52 Rockwell and
tumbling for a smooth surface prior to a black
zinc finish for an appearance that is attractive
to the consumer.
This
wrench is now being marketed for the first time.
We wait in anticipation for a positive consumer
response to this unique tool.
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| The
Quick Scope is becoming an invaluable part
of Acceleron’s inspection process. |
Quality
Update from Acceleron
Our
new noncontact measuring system, the Quick Scope,
is quickly becoming an invaluable tool in our
Quality Department. The Quick Scope can be both
a manual and a fully automated system. Using
this imaging technique ensures that there is
minimal variation in the inspection process as
parts are inspected free of operator handling
or intervention.
The
Quick Scope aids greatly in obtaining the most
precise measurements of a variety of parts (to
within .0002"). These precise measurements
are vital in the development phase of new applications,
as well as in all levels of inspection necessary
for daily workflow. The Quick Scope is rapidly
becoming an integral part of our inspection process
and has aided Acceleron in its efforts to meet
today’s quality demands.
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