Curtis Connection Newsletter

Powers Up!

In This Issue

We celebrate one year of distributing our newsletter with this issue. I hope you have found it useful for something other than lining the birdcage or swatting the occasional mosquito.

In this issue, we highlight Curtis products that are in aircraft, military  vehicles, and other machines. Read about an application AMETEK has for Curtis filters and terminal blocks in portable cooling systems. Or how Curtis is helping to rid military aircraft of problems that can result when struck by lightning.

You can be sure that all Curtis products are made with quality and unsurpassed precision. The company recently received ISO 9001:2008 recertification after a grueling inspection process at our Nogales plant.

You will also find some good news that came from our attendance at the MVEC and EMC 2011. For a real treat (or maybe not), go to our Website where you’ll find me, Steven Powers, starring in a video interview from the EMC Show. Tom Cruise, eat your heart out!
Enjoy.

Steven

News from Nogales

The first thing she said to the receptionist: “What sort of quality program do you have here?” And with that, the plant’s ISO recertification process began.

Two days and hundreds of questions later, the quality auditor awarded Curtis a three-year recertification to the ISO 9001:2008 quality standard.

“Everyone worked very hard on each individual cell,” says Mario Sanchez, plant manager. “We staged a trial audit, and the competition was brutal to try to achieve zero non-conform.”

Each cell that performed up to strict standards would receive a gold star pin as part of the
“Be a Star” program. Throughout the year, all employees, both in Nogales and in Milwaukee, reference the Quality Manual and implement the ISO 9001 procedures.

The Nogales plant conducted a trial run during the two weeks prior to the auditor’s visit. Employees worked to ensure all procedures were correct and all continuous improvement initiatives were being properly implemented and documented. The result: zero non-conform. “Nada,” says Sanchez. “Not one non-conforming issue.”

The plant celebrated its success with a company barbecue. Lots of “carne asada”—tacos,  salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo. And, since there were no non-conforms, everyone was a star, and everyone received a gold pin.

ISO 9001 standards relate to quality management systems designed to help organizations ensure they meet the quality requirements of their customers. Third-party certification provides independent a company confirmation that meets the stringent requirements. Katie Livingston and Larry Lazar in Milwaukee are responsible for driving the success of this program (Katie actually created the “Be a Star” program). Terri Minor and Mario Acosta are also integral members of the audit and compliance team.

 “The whole company did a great job,” says Curtis  President, Steven Powers. “It demonstrates the type of commitment Curtis has to product quality and continuous improvement initiatives that our customers demand and deserve.

Lightning Protection, Lightning Fast

“Please be sure your seatbelt is fastened, your seat back and tray tables
 are in their full upright and locked position, all carry on items are stored properly, and all electronic devices are turned off.”

So goes the standard flight attendant’s speech you hear on everycommercial flight. The seatbelts and tray tables and carry-on items all make perfect sense. You don’t want anyone or anything flying around the cabin while taking off or landing. But what about the electronic devices? Can it really matter if I’m using my cell phone or reading from my Kindle?

“Those electronic devices emit signals,” says Outman Industries President, Tom Outman. “They can mess up an airplane’s radar and navigation equipment.”

Fortunately, Curtis Industries makes filtered connectors that can cost more than standard filters, and so far the FCC has not required them on all airplanes.

The Department of Defense is a different animal entirely. They often require replacement of standard mil spec connectors with filtered connectors that fit into the same footprint, the same connection space and are intermatable with the standard, unfiltered version of that connector.

These filtered connectors have other applications as well. Currently, Outman and Curtis are partnering to create a lightning protection filter for a secondary supplier to the DOD. The filter will protect military jets from losing electrical functions in the event they are struck by lightning.

Filtered connectors are a custom product and often have long lead times. They can also add significantly to the expense.

“Everybody hates using filtered connectors,” says Outman. “That’s one reason we’re successful in this market. When others quote three to six months delivery, we can quote four to six weeks. And our price is usually 25 percent cheaper, too.” “The military is the perfect customer for this product,” says Curtis Regional Manager, Kurt Johnson. “But we’re also looking for other applications.”

Outman Industries provides application specific RFI/EMI/EMP and sealed filtered connectors to the military, avionics, and electronic markets.

MVEC Show Pays Off

A lead generated at the Military Vehicles Exhibition and Conference last year has been working with Curtis through G.L. Smith Associates to develop a portable cooling unit for military transit vehicles.

AMETEK Rotron of El Cajon, California provides AC and brushless DC motors, fans, blowers, heat exchangers, and other products to military and aerospace customers worldwide. Using the same condenser motor they use for the Toyota Prius, AMETEK currently has need for two new Filter Networks EMI custom filters, one for BEL in India and the other for a large European Transit Case manufacturer.

Volumes could go up substantially as this filter could be added to other customer projects in the future. AMETEK views this Curtis filter as a “universal filter” to be used within all future transit case military programs.

The AMETEK prototype unit is a 3.2 KW portable Environmental Cooling System that takes 220 VAC, 50 Hz single phase and rectifies it to 270 VDC. It requires about 2KW or so of output current at less than 10 amps.

G.L. Smith Associates, Yorba Linda, California, specializes in Passive Components, Electro-Mechanical Assemblies, EMI/RFI Shielding, Interconnections, Magnetics and Materials.

Print out Curtis Connection Newsletter April 2011 - 1.97mb PDF - Requires Adobe Reader
Print out Curtis Connection Newsletter March 2011 - 2.38mb PDF - Requires Adobe Reader