Month: November 2015

November 26, 2015

Honda Jet and CPI Take To The Sky.

As if Honda of Japan didn’t have its fingers in enough pies, it seems that it is finally poised to take on the aviation industry. Long a dream of founder Soichiro Honda, Honda Jet’s development began several years before his death in 1991 and has only just now received FAA final approval for production of its first business jet, the Honda HA-420. The plane was entirely designed and built in its US based facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, and is expected to enjoy robust sales in the North American market.

Despite a soft post 2008 market for business jets, and numerous delays in production since an initial target in 2007, Honda has finally delivered a unique market proposition that targets a high end customer with luxury and style, but at an entry level price for similar offerings. For a mere $4.5 million, you can have one of the most unique, stylized personal business jets ever built, able to fly almost 500 mph and seat 7.  Honda claims its plane is lighter, faster and more fuel-efficient than competitors that include brand names like Cessna and Embraer of Brazil.

The Honda HA-420 is a work of art inside and out. Designed and evangelized by Honda engineer Michimasa Fujino (now Honda Aircraft Co.’s CEO), the jet offers unique style and innovation. The two GE engines made specially for the jet each offer 2000 lbs of thrust and are positioned above the wings instead of below them. The porpoise-like nose design is said to have been inspired by a Salvadore Ferragamo high-heel shoe. The high tech plane is expected to appeal to the entrepreneur who sees the jet as an expression of innovation, accomplishment, and unique personal style.

CPI Thermal Switch Solution – The M2 Plugstat

Another inspired decision by Honda Aircraft team was the decision to use CPI’s M2 thermal switch to help control critical hydraulic fluid distribution systems. While the actual design of the Honda jet hydraulic systems are proprietary, hydraulic fluid typically resides in a reservoir and is routed to various systems that power everything from wing surfaces to brakes. The M2146 was created from our Plugstat line of glass-sealed thermal switches, designed for slow make and break applications from 0 to 650 F with very close tolerance temperature sensing. In Aircraft hydraulic systems this switch can be used to reliably operate temperature driven flow valves on various hydraulic reservoirs once a temperature limit is exceeded.

The M2146 used on the Honda jet is almost a completely standard part, modified only to provide a mil-spec connector interface. In general all CPI thermal switches can be engineered cost effectively to provide custom connectivity and electrical interfaces.

We heard that the first customer order was delivered by Honda only days before Christmas. The fellow had ordered it almost a decade ago. Well I guess anything that special is worth waiting for.

 

This content was originally posted at https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/honda-jet-and-cpi-take-to-the-sky/

November 1, 2015

Making the Switch to Balloon Lighting.

Once again CPI switches have made it into an application that we couldn’t have envisioned in a month of Sunday’s… This time our switch is lighting up the construction industry, both literally and figuratively, in an application that poses a creative solution to a real world problem.

As anyone who drives a car can tell you, highway and roadside construction crew’s often work at night, and all through the night. For years crews used traditional light towers to illuminate their work, causing an almost unnatural radiance that motorists could not fail to notice miles down the road. But while these fixed tower stations could illuminate large area’s they also can have a tendency to create washed out visibility, effectively blinding oncoming motorists leading some states to pass laws restricting their use in construction areas adjacent to active traffic. Minimum road setbacks are defined and angling of the fixed lights is critical to prevent these and other issues.

Enter the light balloon: In this creative solution, diffused light is provided through, well… a balloon which typically emits 360 degrees of non-blinding light that is both safe for drivers and alerts them to oncoming roadwork. Because the light is not point sourced, it can be positioned directly on the shoulder of the road closer to the actual work site. And unlike light towers, some designs can actually be attached to construction vehicles to go where they go as work proceeds, keeping the light source where its needed without constant repositioning.

In this technology, our client 8:12 Illumination uses a high temperature HID lamp is used that can emit almost 500,000 lumens and there is a fan that inflates the balloon and runs continuously to cool the bulbs. Care must be taken that any deflation of the balloon does not allow the balloon to come in contact with the active lamps or a fire could result. In this application our E1134 Switch was chosen to provide the safety shutoff in cases of sudden puncture or deflation to insure that the balloon never touches active lamps. If the bag deflates due to high winds, motor failure, or for any other reason, the bag falls on top of our switch thereby shutting off power to the bulbs.

The CPI Limit Switch Solution for all Occasions

CPI’s E1134 Interlock Limit SwitchThe CPI E1134 Roller Lever Flush Mount Limit Switch is in fact ideal for this application. As shown, it has a straight lever actuator with a hard Nylon roller and the switching mechanism is completely sealed in neoprene. All parts are completely made of high grade stainless steel and the neoprene seal is both 100% waterproof and affords an operating temperature range up to 185F. This can be extended even further by using our santoprene sealed switch with an operating temperature up to 220F.

For electromechanical safety applications, there is no more reliable or versatile limit switch product line in the world today than CPI’s E-series limit switch. Off the shelf configurations come in a wide variety of mounting and electrical specifications with many actuator types to choose from. And of our course our 60 years in limit switch design means that if you need custom, we have the deep engineering know how to do that.

To discuss your application, contact a CPI representative today or visit http://www.cpi-nj.com

 

This content was originally posted at https://www.cpi-nj.com/safety-limit-switch-balloon-light