US aerospace defense supplier Marotta Controls has officially launched its latest patented shape memory alloy (SMA) pinner, a non-pyrotechnic resettable locking device. The SMA pin puller was originally developed for missile fin locks and can be used as a precise timing and high reliability separation mechanism.
For decades, pyrotechnic pin pullers have been used in the aerospace and military fields. These devices are easily damaged during use, so full functional tests cannot be performed before deployment. Replacing the disposable pyrotechnic pin puller with a SMA pin puller enables customers to conduct a comprehensive functional review of this lock during a full test phase to obtain a more reliable solution. SMA pin pullers are also much smaller than pyrotechnic pin pullers.
Marotta Controls has now integrated its SMA pin puller with a high-performance control actuation system for control surface position locking of aerospace and weapon platforms. During the test, a low current (2 Amp) pulse can be used to unlock the SMA pin puller. Before entering the field, you can trigger and reset as many times as needed to meet the system-level performance test requirements. In practical tasks, the device can use a high current (12 Amp) pulse to unlock a maximum side load of 250 pounds (about 113.5 kg) in less than 90 milliseconds, in a temperature range of -54 ° C to 71 ° C Works.
Marotta Controls said that the technical maturity and manufacturing maturity of its SMA pin pullers have reached the U.S. Department of Defense's defined level 7 standard and have passed a variety of certification tests, including shock and vibration, temperature shock, acidic atmosphere, humidity , Sand and dust. MarottaControls expects to deploy the first SMA fin locks in the field by the end of 2020.