Parker pneumatic cylinders and B4 valves are specified for a Proof Pressure Test Station - recently installed at the Peterlee manufacturing facility of automotive and defence industry multinational, TRW - which pressure tests vehicle air bag heated gas (compressed air and hydrogen) inflators for wall deflection. The heated gas inflators are shipped to TRW's sister plants in Germany and the USA where full assembly of vehicle air bag systems is undertaken for most of the world's leading automotive manufacturers. Built by Bristol-based, engineering services specialist, Jordan Engineering UK Ltd, to TRW's specification, the PLC controlled Proof Pressure Test Station is designed to test up to three heated gas inflators at the same time, up to a maximum pressure of 10,000 psi.
Firstly, the inflator body end cap assembly is loaded into a nest in the test station: beam sensors, through fibre optics, signal to the PLC that a unit is present.
A specially designed Parker Pneumatic type 2ARS cylinder then extends the seal tooling head downwards to attach to the assembly.
Initially, 80% of the test pressure is achieved, followed by a pressurisation ramp of 100 psi increments until the test pressure is reached.
The inflator body is pressurised via a needle valve and fast/slow fill pressure control system to the maximum 10,000 psi rating.
The test pressure is held - during which time the inflator is checked for any deflections - then released.
In the event of the inflator being faulty, it is automatically rejected by a gripper arrangement which drops the inflator through a chute to a locked reject container.
The machine's guard door - under the control of another Parker Pneumatic type 2ARS cylinder - then opens automatically to allow the removal of positive testing inflators for production air bag systems.