At the SAMPE Long Beach conference and exhibition this past May, our management and sales team had the chance to speak with various exhibitors and attendees on topics related to the importance and value of proper thermocouple application to aviation and aerospace autoclave manufacturing processes.
SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering) is a great venue for exhibitors and attendees to gather the latest information on the composites industry, new technology and manufacturing trends.
The TE Wire team at SAMPE 2016, left to right: Joanne Ward, Pat Durkin and Robert Canny.
(Vlad Fedorchak was behind the camera.)
The attendance during the two days of exhibition and three days of technical sessions was impressive. The attendance at our AccuClave composite temperature measurement booth was very busy. The TE Wire & Cable team, comprising of Robert Canny, Joanne Ward, Vlad Fedorchak and myself, took the time to gather important voice of customer (VOC) data on our patented AccuClave® product family.
What we Learned from Users of Premade Aerospace Thermocouples
I was pleased to see that our team was consistently engaged speaking with engineers and technicians interested in autoclave thermocouples and extensions system solutions. Each day, users related how our patented AccuClave premade T/Cs were helping to save time and money in their composite production.
The feature that was mentioned the most was the ease of sealing our wire where it passed through the tacky tape under the bag. Over the two days, we heard over and over again how our unique wire insulation shape allowed the clean room layup team to save time and money with a 100% vacuum seal where the wire went under the bag.
One of the biggest benefits that was most frequently mentioned is the fact that the AccuClave T/Cs and AccuFlex™ flat T/Cs do not have to be stripped back or the two wires separated like some old technology red and white wire.
Through end user feedback we heard the horror stories about poorly sealed wires causing a vacuum test failure in debulking processes and during the actual cures. I'll be sharing more details in the near future.
Know the REAL Cost of your Aerospace Thermocouples
Those who think they are saving money by making their own aviation and aeronautics T/Cs using red and white wire often only look at the purchase price of the wire and tend to omit any overhead and intrinsic costs associated with the manufacturing of the T/Cs by hand. But if they look at the cost or non-price savings by eliminating poor bag seals, lost cures, and scrap it becomes evident that the no-leak AccuClave premade autoclave TC is the best most cost effective solution to temperature measurement for curing composite parts.
What has been your experience? Have you compared the cost and performance difference between pre-made thermocouples and doing it yourself? If so, what have you learned?
We'd love to hear from you.
See also:
The topic of non-price benefits is discussed in Building Value and Long Term Relationships.
Learn more:
- 4 Pitfalls of Invar Tool T/Cs and How to Avoid Them
- When Failure is NOT an Option: Aerospace Composites [Infographic]
- Top 3 Blogs for Composites Manufacturers Looking to Improve Quality, Reduce Waste
- How to Improve Aviation / Aerospace Composite Curing Quality [Video]
