2/11/2001 – Italian company's designation of Spring-Fast® broadens rotary-wing applications for the new-technology system that protects wires and hydraulic lines
Anaheim, California (February 11, 2001) – Device Technologies, Inc.'s Spring-Fast® grommet edging has been chosen for installation on A109 Power helicopters built by Italy's Agusta, including special-mission versions ordered by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Deliveries of Spring-Fast have begun to Agusta Aerospace Corporation in Philadelphia, PA, the wholly-owned Agusta U.S. subsidiary that is outfitting A109 Power helicopters for the Coast Guard's HITRON TEN (Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron Ten) program.
“The A109 Power marks an important new application of Spring-Fast on helicopters, where the operating environment requires a maximum of protection for wiring and hydraulic tubing,” Nicholas Petri, Device Technologies' president, said. “Spring-Fast is perfectly adapted to the U.S. Coast Guard's HITRON TEN version of the A109 Power, which carries a state-of-the-art mission equipment avionics package.”
Spring-Fast 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.
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.
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 30-60 percent reduction in the cost of preparing an airframe when compared to the use of adhesive-applied nylon grommets.
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.
The A109 Power marks the second use of Spring-Fast on U.S. Coast Guard helicopters. The other was in an avionics upgrade program performed on more than 30 Coast Guard Aerospatiale HH-65 Dolphins.
Spring-Fast® is a composite of polymer encapsulated spring stainless steel enhanced by a protective cushion. The grommet edging has been approved by the U.S. Defense Department and Federal Aviation Administration per NASM 22529/2 for all aircraft applications.
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 company has established an international sales and support network for its aerospace sales.
Device Technologies, Inc., is exhibiting at the HeliExpo 2001 in Anaheim, February 11-13: Stand # 2138
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