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| Accumetrics |
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Rotor Telemetry Technology |
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| Project: |
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| Earth Fault Resistance Monitor (EFREM) |
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| Overview: |
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Accumetrics is the world’s leader in rotor telemetry technology. Accumetrics is an innovative global provider of solutions to obtaining sensor data from rotating components. They provide high accuracy/high integrity/high speed digital telemetry solutions ranging from the measurement of individual signal inputs to more than 600 sensor input applications. |
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Accumetrics products are used to retrieve data from race cars, steam turbines, windmills, motors, pumps, engine dynamometers, generators, aircraft, process industries, and more. Founded in 1991, Accumetrics has one objective to manufacture the world’s best systems for getting data off rotating equipment. For the past sixteen years, Accumetrics has redefined data integrity in rotor telemetry, built the world’s largest rotor telemetry systems, engineered compact high-durability rotor telemetry systems, created rotor telemetry systems for large motors and generators, pioneered miniature digital systems, and made wireless torque transducers a reality!
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| Challenge: |
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The Earth Fault Resistance Monitor (EFREM) provides continuous monitoring of insulation fault resistance and field voltage on brushless exciter generator/motor field winding, combining advanced ground fault measurement techniques with the latest innovations in digital telemetry.
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Accumetrics needed a quick solution for the manufacturing of a functional antenna for the EFREM that would be able to withstand high heat applications and function properly as a prototype part.
“I had to design a part that would meet everyone’s needs,” said Larry Kutcher of Accumetrics. “This assembly would be costly and time consuming to manufacture traditionally and I wanted to lessen the headache of production. Quickparts was an easy choice for me.”
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Using rapid prototypes as functional parts in the field is not unheard of, and has been gaining great speed in the industry. By using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Accumetrics received a prototype part that would not only be able to handle the high heat applications within a generator, but would also be able to function in a production environment.
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Quickparts was able to save Accumetrics time and money, while providing a functional prototype currently being used in many power generators on over three continents. Quickparts quoted with competitive pricing, short lead-times and a trust-worthy track record.
“I needed a product that would be able to take abuse, Quickparts did this successfully by using rapid prototyping,” said Kutcher. “This was a one shot deal and Quickparts delivered.”
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| Benefits: |
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By working with Quickparts, Accumetrics felt confident in their capabilities having built a working relationship over a four year span.
Using the rapid prototyping process with Quickparts provided Accumetrics with the ability to design part numbers and identification marks that would traditionally have to be implemented in post production.
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| NASA AMES |
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Aerospace |
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| Space Shuttle Tile Scanner |
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| Overview: |
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Recently Quickparts was contacted to build a custom-designed part that would act as a housing for the new wireless scanner developed to scan the surface tiles of the space shuttle Endeavour. The Scanner is designed to locate and evaluate cracks and imperfections on the tiles that line the surface of the shuttle. |
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The housing needed to built very quickly, and had to be in a production quality material that could withstand regular use over extended periods of time and not be subject to breaking. |
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Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a solid-based rapid prototyping method that extrudes material, layer-by-layer, to build a model. The build material, a production quality thermoplastic, is melted and then extruded through a specially designed head onto a platform to create a two-dimensional cross section of the model. The cross section quickly solidifies, and the platform descends where the next layer is extruded upon the previous layer. This continues until the model is complete. |
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Using Quickparts instant quote technology, QuickQuote®, NASA was able to receive instant pricing and continue to move the project forward. Quickparts was able to build and start shipping parts to NASA in a week. This is a prime example of Rapid Manufacturing being used in a final product. There is no need for expensive tooling; therefore these custom-designed parts can be made quickly, inexpensively and at any time. |
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The new scanner will replace the old manual way of inspecting tiles. Previously, technicians had visually inspected and measured cracks and dings with small scales. Six NASA technicians are using the scanner to inspect every one of the 24,000 tiles that cover the space shuttle Endeavour in preparation for the new launch. Each scanner weighs less than 3 pounds and is the size of a small teapot. The scanners capture the length, width, and depth. This data is then sent to a computer in roughly 3 seconds for scrutiny by NASA technicians. |
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"The new method is much faster and more accurate because the depth and volume measurements of the flaws and their locations are wirelessly transmitted into a computer database," said Joe Lavelle, a senior engineer and project manager at the Ames Research Center. "This tool allows the inspectors to determine with very high confidence whether a shuttle tile needs to be replaced or just repaired." When they made the measurements manually with the scales, they had to estimate the volume of flaws to a worst-case value because they could not precisely measure the volume with any accuracy," Lavelle explained. "With this scanner, they will actually save tiles and the time-consuming process of replacing them." The tiles that line space shuttles protect the shuttle and its occupants from the extreme heat generated from re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. |
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