Le Bourget, France (June 17, 2001) – Device Technologies, Inc.'s Spring-Fast® has been cleared for all Gulfstream Aerospace-approved maintenance and overhaul centers, opening the way for the composite wiring protection system's use in as many as 1,400 facilities around the world.

“This is a strategic win with a premier aircraft that broadens our international client base,” DTi President Nicholas Petri said. “We anticipate a steady demand from these maintenance and overhaul centers for application on the full range of Gulfstream business jets.”

Gulfstream's approval follows a series of Spring-Fast selections for other airframes, including the Boeing/USAF C-17, Agusta's HITRON TEN A109 helicopters for the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Eurocopter/U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphins.

While Petri welcomed the new application at the Gulfstream service centers, he expressed disappointment at the slow acceptance of Spring-Fast at many aerospace companies due to long and complex specification procedures.

“Spring-Fast is not being more widely used simply because the aerospace industry makes it amazingly complicated and slow to change specification paperwork to include a new product or method,” Petri explained. “Our product is a simple one that offers a significant increase in aircraft safety and provides million of dollars in production savings. The inertia required to ‘change the way things are done' is unfathomable. We commend the engineering staff at Gulfstream for their efforts to recognize this value engineering opportunity in a very expeditious manner “.

Spring-Fast is a composite of polymer encapsulated spring stainless steel enhanced by a protective cushion. It has been approved by the U.S. Defense Department and Federal Aviation Administration per NASM 22529/2 for all aircraft applications.

The product quickly snaps into place on openings in avionics racks, bulkheads, and other airframe structures – using only the pressure applied by an installer's fingers. Once mounted, Spring-Fast remains indefinitely in position to provide a cushion between sharp metallic edges and an aircraft's wiring, cabling and tubing.

Spring-Fast's faster installation time saves hours of work per aircraft – whether on the production line or in retrofit applications. The result is a 30 to 60 percent reduction in the cost of preparing an aircraft when compared to the use of traditional adhesive-applied nylon grommets.

The new-technology edging replaces traditional nylon grommets, which require toxic adhesives to install. Nylon grommets eventually can dry out and become brittle – cracking or falling off the installed surface and leaving wires or tubing exposed to sharp-edged metallic surfaces.

Another Spring-Fast benefit is the elimination of workers' exposure to hazardous materials and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), since the Device Technologies grommet edging requires no toxic adhesives.

Device Technologies originally developed Spring-Fast for the electronics industry, and it is widely used today in computers, network switching systems, hospital equipment and other applications.

The company subsequently began offering Spring-Fast to the aerospace industry, and the product has been gaining growing recognition as wiring protection becomes an increasingly important safety issue after the TWA Flight 800 and Swissair 111 airliner crashes.

Device Technologies is based in Marlborough, Massachusetts, U.S.A., and operates a 9,000 square-foot Class A manufacturing facility for the production of Spring-Fast®. The ISO 9001:2000 Certified and AS 9100 Compliant company has established an international sales and support network for its aerospace sales.

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Jeffrey Lenorovitz
The InfoWEST Group
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e-mail: jleno@infowestgroup.com