|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
October 10, 2007 - Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA) and Surface Generation Limited today announced that they have successfully used reconfigurable pin tooling technology to develop advanced composite ballistic amour for the global security industry. MSA used a high pressure P20 tool steel variant of Surface Generation's patented Subtractive Pin Tooling (SPT) technology to rapidly iterate competing designs, materials and production solutions.
Developed to speed large and short run product time to market by as much as 40%, SPT technology uses beds of square pins which are moved into a near-net position and then machined to create mold tools. These can be easily modified by adjusting individual pin heights allowing designers to optimize products more rapidly than is presently possible. This flexibility greatly reduces the lead-time required to make tools, allowing organizations to build one-off prototypes and / or customize products economically. For further information contact:
Mine Safety Appliances
Surface Generation MSA (NYSE: MSA) is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of sophisticated safety products that protect people's health and safety. Sophisticated safety products typically integrate any combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive line of products is used by workers around the world in the fire service, homeland security, construction and other industries, as well as the military. Principal products include self-contained breathing apparatus, gas masks, gas detection instruments, head protection, respirators and thermal imaging cameras. The company also provides a broad range of consumer and contractor safety products through retail channels. These products are marketed and sold under the MSA Safety Works brand. MSA has annual sales of approximately $914 million, manufacturing operations throughout the United States and Europe, and more than 40 international locations. Surface Generation is a leader in the field of rapid tooling systems and markets its proprietary Reconfigurable Pin Tooling technology to the world-wide pattern making and mould tool manufacturing sectors. The company's unique Near-net-shape Pin Tooling and Subtractive Pin Tooling processes reduce the time and cost required to manufacture tooling by up to 90% and time to market by up to 40%. Founded in 2002, the company manufactures equipment, patterns, tooling and components for European and North America customers in the Aerospace, Automotive, Motorsport and Defense sectors.
|