Metal Detectors and Carbon Fiber Composites: An Odd Couple
If you are on the hunt for metals, you wouldn’t necessarily expect composites to play a role in the search. But that is precisely what is happening with a customer of ours.
Thousands of people around the word use metal detectors for gold prospecting (or other metals) as their primary occupation. When a metal detector is the tool one uses to provide for their family, a high quality tool can be worth its weight in gold. And when that tool is something you carry all day, a lighter tool is essential. This is where we come in.
Our customer makes metal detectors and needs custom, collapsible, telescoping tubes to comprise the central shaft of the detector. The industry standard material for these shafts is aluminum. The customers wanted a unique product that was more ergonomic. Carbon fiber lightened the load and allowed for organic curves. The tubes are a custom shape that provide smooth nesting for its collapsed state, tight clocking for stability when at full extension, exceptional performance for extreme field conditions, and a lighter swing weight.
These parts also need to have a beautiful finish since they are used for a premium quality product line with a high price point. Using modified closed mold techniques, we are able to provide high gloss surfaces that highlight the beautify of the carbon fiber material. In order to maintain the surface quality, a wipe-on ceramic coating is used to protect the finish.
Our customer chose us because of our developmental approach to the work and our ability to handle the type of production required for this kind of finished piece. High-speed production lines cannot match the level of surface quality the customer needs. With greater than 250 sets per month and over 3000 units per year, this type of production job is in our sweet spot for exceptional quality and reliable delivery.
We are always excited to tackle a new challenge but it’s even more gratifying when you know you are helping individual people around the world put food on the table.
