CUSTOM TELESCOPING TUBING FOR METAL DETECTOR COMPANY


APPLICATION:

Metal detector support shafts. Variable length carbon fiber telescoping tubing. 

PREVIOUS LIMITING TECHNOLOGY:

Extruded aluminum.

CHALLENGE:

Non-cylindrical, ergonomic-shaped carbon fiber tubing in 3 lengths that telescope inside one another for an expandable, variable combination of total lengths. Perfect cosmetics required right out of the mold. Secondary precision machining needed for locking mechanisms and fitted attachments.

SOLUTION:

We use sheets of carbon fiber pre-preg wrapped onto a semi-rigid heat expandable mandrel. This is then placed inside a rigid aluminum clamshell mold during cure to create a tight-tolerance ID / OD tube for precision fitment, allowing each tube to slide inside the other freely but precisely. This process also provides excellent cosmetics. Ceramic coating is then applied for enhanced durability.

Image shows table in industrial work space and custom tooling for non-cylindrical precision tubes. There are three black rectangular pieces of tooling made of aluminum laid out on the table. In the center tool there are channels for tubular inserts.
Images shows three non-cylindrical carbon fiber tubes of variable length laying side-by-side on a white surface. There are machined holes visible in the tubing.
Image of non-cylindrical carbon fiber tubes in telescoping tube formation, expanded to show partial length. The structure is laid across a white surface.
A man is walking along a hillside with exposed red soil. There are grasses and trees in the background. He is wearing a baseball had and headphones. He carries a metal detector and is sweeping the surface of the ground with the flat disk that detects metal. (image courtesy Garrett)
A man is crouching down on a rocky hill and picking up the metal that his equipment has detected. There are trees and bushes in the background. He is wearing a baseball had and headphones. He is holding his metal detector off to one side as he grabs his find. (image courtesy Garrett)