Manufacturing
Manufacturing in the space industry creates some of the toughest requirements on performance, quality, and reliability.
Measurement Solutions
Taylor Hobson products deliver an in depth understanding of characteristics such as surface finish, contour, form, radius, roundness, harmonic analysis, alignment, straightness, flatness, parallelism and squareness providing vital feedback for improvements in design and production.
- Servo Control Valve Parts (Flow control Valves & Hydraulic Actuators)
- Fuel Injection Parts
- Pressure and Flow Sensor Parts
- Blades and Blisks
- Re-useable Launch Vehicle parts
- Thruster Assembly and Thrusters
- Launch Vehicle Assembly Jigs
- Assembly of Rocket Turbo Pumps
- Gyroscopes
- Precision Mechanical Assemblies for the Launch Vehicle
- Mechanical Fuses
- Electron Beam Welded Parts
- Hemispherical Resonator Gyros
- Sun Shield Parts Machining & Inspection
- Optical Parts for Satellite Positioning
- Optical Parts for Imaging
- Satellite Electronics Housing
Camera for Satellite (Star Tracker)
LUPHOScan platforms are interferometric, scanning metrology systems based on MWLI® (multi-wavelength interferometry) technology. They are designed to perform ultra precision non-contact 3D form measurements mainly of rotationally symmetric surfaces, like aspheres, spheres and flats.
Due to the scanning approach, there is no limitation in aspherical departure.
Thruster Assembly & Thrusters
Taylor Hobson’s Micro Alignment Telescopes are used to assemble the refractory material in the Thruster concentrically.
Assembly of Rocket Turbo Pumps
Taylor Hobson’s unique stacking system helps engineers improve the assembly process of the Rocket Turbo Pumps. The assembly of Turbo pumps is more accurate and two times faster than traditional methods.
This ensures the Rocket parts are assembled well ahead of their time of launch.With Satellite and ISS launches increasing every year, on time assembly of critical components helps the industry achieve and exceed their targets.
Case Study: Critical surface analysis of damaged bearing assembly from the International Space Station
Measurement and analysis using Form Talysur® PGI surface measurement system and Talyrond® roundness/cylindricity measurement system.
The analysis enabled NASA experts to determine the cause of the damage to the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), a 10-foot diameter ring that allows the station’s solar panel array to rotate and track the sun. Until the cause was found and the problem fixed, the station’s starboard solar array could not be properly rotated for optimum power generation.
A damaged trundle bearing assembly - one of twelve aboard the starboard SARJ - was removed and returned to earth aboard the space shuttle. Each trundle bearing assembly includes three rollers, each of which is essentially a tapered roller bearing comprising a tapered sleeve fitted onto an internal rolling element bearing. The positions of the rollers in their housings, along with the clearance requirements of the styli on the Taylor Hobson instruments, presented some unique challenges.
The team relied on the Talyrond®, a high-precision roundness/cylindricity measurement instrument, outfitted with optional Radial Straightness Unit for axial profiles, while for circumferential profiles it used the Form Talysurf® PGI, a surface measurement device. Using some very imaginative part positioning, the team was able to take advantage of the unique versatility to, in effect, use a “roundness” machine to measure straight features and a “straightness” device to determine the round features.