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Harco Laboratories Receives Product Innovation Recognition by Frost & Sullivan for its Pioneering High Temperature Sensor
Dec 5, 2005
Palo Alto, Calif. — December 5, 2005 — Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis of the Advanced Sensors for Aerospace Applications Market recognized Harco Laboratories, Inc. with the 2005 Product Innovation Award in the field of aerospace sensors for its design of an advanced, innovative high temperature sensor (HTS).
Harco’s HTS can operate at temperatures of up to 1450°C, as found in aircraft engine chambers. Even its continuous operating limit of 1260°C is well above conventional sensor limit of 1040°C, and this represents an important breakthrough in terms of high temperature sensing in harsh aerospace environments.
Conventional high temperature sensors suffer from a critical fault – at sufficiently high temperature, an alteration of the crystalline metal lattice results in a decrease in mechanical properties. Harco has sought to overcome such problems by fabricating its sensors with a unique Metal Matrix Composite (MMC). MMC is composed of components from the same group of transition elements embedded with nano-particles deposited throughout the base material and within the grain boundaries.
"The nano-particles in MMC act to inhibit grain growth and hinder the movement of dislocations, thereby stabilizing the structure under elevated temperature and load," says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Rajesh Kannan. "This ensures structural stability elevated temperature and load in a corrosive environment, as well as providing inertness in an oxidizing environment."
Added to this is the random orientation of these particles, which greatly reduces the uptake of ionic contaminants by providing a circuitous path for their migration. Tests with the sensor have proved very encouraging and have demonstrated a minimal loss of material under high temperature cyclic oxidation conditions after more than 10,000 cycles.
HTS fabricated using this MMC can be designed either in thermocouple or resistance temperature detector (RTD) form, encased in a sheath of the same material as the sensing element. The upshot of this and the MMC properties is that it enables accurate, reliable, and long-term temperature measurement in excess of 1260° Celsius (C) {2300° Fahrenheit (F)}. In addition, it is possible to condition sensor output to meet user requirements. Harco is now extending the continuous operating temperature limit to 1450°C.
In addition to the HTS, Harco has also developed a miniature magneto-optical sensor (MOPS) for proximity, displacement, or rotation sensing in aircraft. This is a miniature solid-state device and can be used as a proximity sensor to sense control displacement or to measure pump, motor, or gear rotation.
Overall, Harco's new HTS sets a new industry standard with its elevated temperature limit and unique material capabilities. For its pivotal endeavors in revolutionizing high temperature aerospace sensing, Harco Laboratories is recognized with the Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Innovation.
Each year, the Product Innovation Award is given to a company that has demonstrated a superior ability to develop/advance innovative products in relation to products from competing vendors. The Award recognizes the successful adoption or invention of new technology that has become a part of a well-designed product family. It also lauds winning product development strategies and the degree to which the product has met customer-stated needs and requirements.
About Harco Laboratories, Inc.
Founded in 1951, Harco Laboratories designs, manufactures, and internationally distributes advanced aerospace sensing products, and has seen revenues increase by 300 percent and manufacturing lead times decrease by 60 percent in the last eleven years. The company's research portfolio is a key driver for this, and recent patents are in the area of air data sensing, proximity detection, position-sensing applications, in addition to high temperature sensing thermocouples and RTDs. HARCO is a supplier to companies such as Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus and Embraer. Its quality system is certified to Management System Standards ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100:2004. It is also accredited by Nadcap for welding and brazing. Core design, development and manufacturing are located in Connecticut, U.S.A. with additional manufacturing in Mexico. For more information on HARCO, visit www.harcolabs.com.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit www.frost.com.
Contact:
Stacie Jones
210.247.2450
Stacie.jones@frost.com
