Month: May 2018

May 25, 2018

Why Intrinsic Safety Ratings Matter

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As any manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders, or linear position sensors will tell you, achieving intrinsic safety ratings of ATEX, or IECEx (European) isn’t easy.  And it isn’t cheap.

But it is important and if you are considering ways to maximize your global market for your hydraulic cylinders or systems. Making sure your vendors are compliant with these standards is really a requirement.

ATEX or IECEx certified products are essential in any location that may contain, or has activities that produce explosive or potentially explosive atmospheres. One of the most commonly touted is the environment on an oil rig. Others that you might not think of as being particularly explosive, such as a flour or steel mill.

What’s the difference between ATEX and IECEx?

The name ATEX comes from the French ATmosphère EXplosibles, describing the equipment and use of a product to be located in an explosive atmosphere. The ATEX certification is mandatory across Europe and involves all stages of a product from  manufacturing, to installation and use of the equipment.

There are two subsections of the standard which can be defined as;
Directive 99/92/EC – The ATEX Use Directive focuses primarily on the health and safety of workers, working in potentially explosive atmospheres. It involves the correct selection, installation, inspection and maintenance of Ex equipment.
Directive 2014/34/EU – The ATEX Equipment Directive primarily concerned with trade, considers the equipment that will be used in potentially hazardous areas and involves the manufacture and sale of Ex equipment.

IECEx stands for International Electrotechnical Commission Explosive. While ATEX is limited to Europe, IECEx is an international certification accepted in several countries. It also facilitates international trade of equipment and services for use in explosive atmospheres.

Some of the benefits in choosing a product that has IECEx certification include;

  • Reduced testing and certification costs
  • Reduced time to market
  • International confidence in the product assessment process
  • Genuinely less risk in deployment into potentially explosive environments

As with ATEX certification, IEC Ex provides assurance that everything from the equipment and install to manufacturing, operation and maintenance of the certified products comply with IEC international standards and are suitable for their purpose.

Although there are some small differences between each certification, ATEX and IEC Ex are very similar. The main difference is the geographical location where the certification is recognized. While ATEX is a requirement in Europe, IEC Ex is accepted across several countries internationally including the USA.

CPI Sensors are both ATEX and IECEx intrinsic safety rated.

In 2017 CPI announced the SL2000 Linear position sensor which represented a number of firsts in the world of harsh duty hydraulic position sensors.

  1. First to acheive subsea ratings to 5000ft immersed in seawater.
  2. Only reliable system for linear position sensing on cylinders over 10 meters or telescoping cylinders.
  3. First system to incorporate two long proven measurement technologies into an ultra reliable package. (Draw wire and magnetostrictive)
  4. First sensor of this type to achieve both subsea and IECEx and ATEX safety ratings.

As we said in the beginning, it wasn’t cheap, and it wasn’t easy, but achieving this has made our sensor better, and more cost effective for deployments both above and below the sea.  Whenever you need something that lasts.

For more information on CPI’s Intrinsic Safety Ratings, and our SL2000 Linear Position Sensor, visit our website at http://www.cpi-nj.com

Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/why-intrinsic-safety-ratings-matter/

 

May 14, 2018

CPI’s Active RPG Defense System for the US Military

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While CPI is certainly well known for its Waterproof Switches and Linear Position Sensors, lesser known are certain patents and intellectual property that CPI regularly develops.  One of the most exciting ideas has to be CPI’s RPG Active Defense System

For over a decade, military forces around the world have been looking for a system that can defeat short range missile attack.  Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s) and other ordinance have continued to become more and more lethal to ground vehicles and helicopters, and just increasing armor is not a deterrent and carries its own set of issues.

There have been systems under development for many years but problems related to current systems abound.

  1. They mostly try to hit a rocket with a shotgun blast. Problem is the shotgun blast hits friendly troops near the vehicle too.
  2. They respond slowly and can respond to only one attack at a time.
  3. They can be defeated easily by new RPG 30 tactics which lead with a bullet in front of the missile which fools many of these systems into releasing their ordinance too early.
  4. The current systems are not suitable for aircraft due to the collateral damage issue.
  5. They are very expensive.

The CPI system consists of the Active Rotating Countermeasure (ARC) System and Rocket Towed Barrier (RTB) munition shown below. These patented system elements represent unique innovations combined with highly developed technologies which greatly improve threat neutralization, providing the most reliable and effective system for protecting both ground vehicles and for the first time, helicopters, from MANPADS of all types, while eliminating unintended damage/casualties.

How the CPI Active Protection System Works

The CPI Rocket Towed Barrier combines two patented parts of CPI’s RPG missile defense approach. First is the “Rocket Towed Barrier” or RTB. This is essentially a munition containing a small parachute like barrier made of Kevlar or other material which deploys behind a short range rocket which tows it into the path of the incoming threat(s).  The RTB system utilizes existing technologies in novel and effective combinations. The system does not rely on future technological breakthroughs, such as airborne lasers, nor does it embody unrealistic operating requirements such as “hitting a bullet with a bullet.

Second is the ARC system, a continuously rotating turret that can bring a wide variety of ordinance to bear on incoming threats, in a fraction of the time of current systems.

The RTB utilizes a variety of defeat modes which include fuzing, deflection, and flight disruption.  Since defeat is not based on destroying the incoming threat, probability of successful countermeasure is greatly enhanced.  Barriers can be configured as simply as a Kevlar shield, or can incorporate features such as decoy IR, planar cutting charges, or percussion charges.

The RTB system is non-fratricidal (no primary explosives or deadly hail of shot pellets). The system is much safer for situations involving dismounted troops or non-combatants. This presents a major advantage over other proposed systems like Trophy® and QuickKill.

CPI System Licensing

Currently, CPI is looking for a partner who is willing to license and develop this unique technology. If you are responsible for munitions development for any aspect of the military, we believe that this design is both cost effective to prototype and has significantly more potential than all current active protection systems.

Please contact Mac Stuhler of CPI today for more information.

Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/cpis-active-rpg-defense-system-for-the-us-military/

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