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A wide range of standard and special shaft collars, couplings, and quick-change mounts for use with commercial and military drones are being introduced by Stafford Manufacturing Corp. of Wilmington, Massachusetts.

Stafford Shaft Collars, Couplings & Mounts include parts for attaching vision systems, sensors, grippers, and other devices on drones permanently and for adjustable and quick-change requirements. Enabling OEMs to match design requirements for strength, weight, corrosion-resistance, and other factors, they are offered in numerous configurations, materials, and sizes.

Available as standard aluminum, steel, and stainless steel parts or as specials from materials such titanium, brass, and plastics, Stafford Shaft Collars, Couplings & Mounts come in 0.125" to 14" I.D. sizes with various bore configurations, depending upon the part. Collars and mounts come in one-, two-piece, and hinged styles with design options such as drilled and tapped mounting holes and flats.

Stafford Shaft Collars, Couplings & Mounts are priced according to type, material, size, and quantity. Price quotations are available upon request.

Custom fabricated sapphire windows for use in aerospace applications where their hardness, durability, and ability to withstand extreme temperatures is critical have been introduced by Meller Optics, Inc. of Providence, RI.

Meller Sapphire Windows feature Mohs 9 hardness which is second only to diamond, making them capable of withstanding fast moving particles, harsh chemicals, heat up to 1,000°C, and pressures to 10,000 psi, depending upon configuration. Ideal for aerospace applications, they are suitable for providing front surface optics protection in guidance and vision systems.

Available in sizes from 1/4" to 10" dia. and 1/2 mm to 1" thick, Meller Sapphire Windows can include A/R coatings along with stepped edges, elliptical edge shaping and holes, slots, and mounting wedges. Providing flatness held to 0.5 fringes of HeNe, parallelism from 20 to 2 arc/secs., they have surface finishes from 60-40 to 40-20 scratch-dig.

Meller Sapphire Windows are priced according to configuration, size, and quantity. Literature and price quotations are available upon request.

A new electric power conversion system for subsea power distribution that was developed as a Phase II SBIR for the US Navy has subsequently been delivered by Diversified Technologies, Inc. of Bedford, MA, USA.

The PowerMod™ Subsea MVDC Power Distribution System features pressurized power conversion modules that measure 18" dia. (457.2 mm) and operate at depths down to 3,500 meters. Allowing the transmission of up to a megawatt at medium voltages over thousands of kilometers, this bi-directional system converts 10 kVDC to 375 VDC directly at the seafloor.

Permitting grid or loop configurations with multiple power sources, the PowerMod™ Subsea MVDC Power Distribution System is ideal for charging unmanned undersea vehicles and other applications. It can be powered from high voltage onshore generators or from undersea sources such as hydro-thermal or wave power generators at 375 V, with their voltage up-converted to 10 kV. Modules provide a 90% probability of operation for 25 years.

The PowerMod™ Subsea MVDC Power Distribution System is priced from (USD) $500,000 per node, depending upon configuration.

Custom manufactured clad composite wire that can combine several properties into a single wire for all types of medical device manufacturers has been introduced by Anomet Products of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

Anomet Medical Clad Wire can combine up to three materials in order to meet specific design requirements, performance, and cost criteria; especially where solid wire is limited. Combining one or more precious metals and a core material into a single wire, this composite wire can be formulated to achieve various combinations of corrosion and wear resistance, strength, conductivity, formability, biocompatibility, radiopacity, and more.

Typical configurations of Anomet Medical Clad Wire for implantable devices include: Platinum-iridium clad tantalum, Platinum clad MP35N, Silver cored MP35N, 316LVM clad tantalum, Nitinol clad platinum, and Gold clad nitinol. These wires have a smooth consistent finish and can be manufactured in sizes from 0.002" to 0.125" O.D. with 2% or more cladding thickness.

Anomet Medical Clad Wire is priced according to configuration and quantity. Samples and price quotations are available upon request.

An ergonomic scissors that is specifically designed for cutting optic cable jacketing and especially the Kevlar aramid fiber insulation is available from Xuron Corp. of Saco, Maine.

Xuron Model 9180 Kevlar Shears feature a special serrated cutting edge that holds slippery high tensile Kevlar aramid fibers and prevents them from sliding out while cutting. Combined with a proprietary sharp cutting edge, these scissors were designed especially for clean-cutting Kevlar insulation and have tapered tips for easily penetrating the cable jacketing.

Offering both precision cutting and exceptional tool life, Xuron Model 9180 Kevlar Shears have cushioned soft rubber hand grips, a handy return spring, and cutting edges made from a tough alloyed steel that are heat treated to a hard 58-60 RC. Comfortable to hold in either hand, these ergonomic scissors have no cumbersome finger loops.

Xuron Model 9180 Kevlar Shears are priced at $30.50 (list) and are manufactured in the U.S.A.

A pneumatic saw and clamp setup that produces a stress-free cut on thick steel plate without a HAZ (heat affect zone) typically caused by torch cutting has been introduced by ESCO Tool of Holliston, MA.

The ESCO APS-438 Air-Powered Saw and Quick-Clamp sets up fast using a 2"W steel track and has two wedge-style clamps that attach to steel plate up to 15'W by 3.5" thick and accepts the saw. Ideally suited for the on-site fabrication of ships and other large structures, the clamp lines up quickly and the pneumatic saw produces a stress-free cut with no HAZ.

Eliminating the damage and danger associated with torch cutting, the ESCO APS-438 Air-Powered Saw and the Quick-Clamp attaches without tack welding. Powered by a 3 HP pneumatic motor, the saw rigidly mounts onto a bracket that glides along a steel track on four V-grooved steel wheels and cuts with ±1/8" accuracy. The tracks come in 5' to 15' sections.

The ESCO APS-438 Air-Powered Saw and Quick-Clamp sell for $6,495.00 (list) and are also available for rent.

Stafford Manufacturing Corp. has introduced a broad line of over 1,000 stainless steel shaft collars, couplings, and mounting components for applications requiring frequent wash-down.

Stafford Shaft Collars, Couplings & Mounting Components are machined from FDA- and USDA-approved 303 and 316 stainless steel and are fully corrosion-resistant. Ideal for building food processing equipment, conveyors, and packaging systems requiring frequent wash-down, they are offered in 1-pc, 2-pc, hinged, set-screw, and flanged styles with various bore configurations and special features including keyways and special mounting modifications.

Suitable for use as stops, spacers, and mounting devices, Stafford Shaft Collars & Mounting Components come in 0.25" to 10" standard I.D. sizes and the couplings come in 0.25" to 3" I.D. sizes with standard metric sizes also offered in both.

Stafford Shaft Collars, Couplings & Mounting Components are priced according to style, size, and quantity.

A line of miniature sapphire and ruby balls for a wide range of applications including precision bearings, valves, stylus tips, fiber-optic and optical components has been introduced by Meller Optics, Inc. of Providence, RI.

Meller Sapphire & Ruby Balls are offered in 42 inch and metric sizes from 0.1 mm to 0.5" dia. with 0.000025" sphericity and ±0.0001" basic diameter tolerance and feature Mohs 9 hardness. Capable of withstanding up to 50,000 psi, these robust, chemically inert miniature balls have a 2,000ºC melting point, are biocompatible, and provide excellent optical transparency.

Suitable for a wide variety of applications, Meller Sapphire & Ruby Balls exhibit zero porosity and have surface finishes of 20-10 scratch-dig or better. They have a 0.2 coefficient-of-friction and are non-magnetic. These versatile balls can also be drilled and precision ground into miniature plano-convex lenses.

Meller Sapphire and Ruby Balls are priced according to material, size, and quantity; delivered from stock. Samples are available upon request.

A new clamshell style pipe fabrication machine that can part and bevel at the same time and then counterbore for matching pipe I.D.s or pipe that is out-of-round has been introduced by Esco Tool of Holliston, Massachusetts.

The Esco COHOG Split Frame Machine has a robust stationary ring machined from 7075 aluminum alloy that is hard coated and supports a custom steel forged, heat-treated and nickel-plated rotating ring. Capable of parting and beveling simultaneously, this machine can produce a 37.5º x 10º counterbore in order to match up I.D.s and out of round pipe.

Available in eight sizes for pipe ranging from 2" to 48" O.D., the Esco COHOG Split Frame Machine can be precisely aligned, self-squares, and attaches quickly without shims or guesswork to provide vibration-free operation. The COHOG can be powered by pneumatic, hydraulic, and electric motors and modular tooling makes it fast and easy to change setups.

The Esco COHOG Split Frame Machine is priced from $10,500.00, depending upon size and are available for sale or rent.

Metallurgically bonded platinum- or nickel clad molybdenum wire for use in devices subjected to high temperatures, high vacuum, and oxidation is available from Anomet Products, Inc. of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

Anomet Clad Molybdenum Wire is a metallurgically bonded alternative to solid wire and is capable of withstanding temperatures up to 1,200°C, depending upon the material and application. Featuring either platinum or nickel cladding, depending upon the desired surface properties, this metallurgically bonded wire is available straight, spooled, and as ribbon.

Providing superior ductility, formability, and weldability, versus wire that is plated or produced using deposition methods, Anomet Clad Molybdenum Wire is offered in sizes from 0.004" to 0.060" O.D. with claddings from 14% to 38% by weight, and 4.5 to 55 microns, depending upon dia. Applications include high vacuum devices and components for furnaces and sensors.

Anomet Clad Molybdenum Wire is priced according to configuration and quantity. Literature, samples, and quotations are available upon request.

A PEF (pulsed electric field) pasteurization system for any pumpable (viscous) food product that achieves >5 log bacteria kill without heat or chemicals is available from Diversified Technologies, Inc. of Bedford, MA, U.S.A.

Diversified Technologies' PEF System pasteurizes liquefied food product in a chamber by employing brief pulses of very high voltage to achieve >5 log bacteria kill. Eliminating the use of heat or chemicals, this FDA-approved system will not alter the flavor or consistency of foods or juices and can be custom engineered to provide up to 10,000 LPH throughput.

Requiring much less energy than conventional pasteurization methods because of pulsing, Diversified Technologies' PEF System generates electrical pulses at up to 60 kV/cm field strength; with power levels from 150kW to 750 kW and full control over pulse and frequency.

Diversified Technologies' PEF System is priced from (USD) $250,000.00 up, depending upon configuration. Literature and quotations are available on request.

A new Chainmaille plier tool kit designed to let users easily pickup, open and close, and manipulate jump rings comfortably without wrist strain and excessive neck bending is being introduced by Xuron Corp. of Saco, Maine.

The Xuron TK3700 Chainmaille Plier Kit features three specialty pliers that were especially created to enhance user comfort and control. They include the Model 486 plier with a 90° bent nose that lets users pick up jump rings without twisting their wrists, the 475 short nose plier which is ideal for opening and closing jump rings with greater control and better sight lines, and the 485FN flat nose for heavy wire and steel jump rings.

Especially designed to enhance user comfort and control when creating and repairing chainmaille, the Xuron TK3700 Chainmaille Plier Kit comes packed in a handy canvas pouch with pockets to protect each tool. The durable tools are made from high carbon steel which is blackened to prevent glare and they have ergonomic handles with soft cushioned hand grips, and concealed return springs.

The Xuron TK3700 Chainmaille Plier Kit sells for $53.50 (sugg. retail) and is made in the USA.