Portfolio
Night Vision
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Night Vision, Inc. approached Catalyst to assist with the development of a set of panoramic night vision goggles. The customer had a concept and rough prototype of the goggle set but needed assistance with the helmet attachment mechanisms and further proof of concept. Previous units used only myoptic or bioptic approach which limited the soldier’s field of vision. Catalyst machined the initial prototype casings out of aluminum which worked well for design verification, but would prove time and cost prohibitive for production. Customer had committed to presenting a prototype out of a high impact plastic material to a branch of the US military in six weeks. Catalyst helped refine the ergonomics of the design and optimize the parts for high tolerance molding. Catalyst then built 5 bridge production tools in a 3.5 week time frame. After tuning the molds, tolerances were able to be consistently held that were +/-.002” in .020” wall sections an inch deep. The material was 20% glass filled Ultem which is very challenging to mold into thin features. |
