Paging Mueller, Bowlsby, Bleyseng and Jaroen Options

[r_towle]

Hi guys,

Through a local DOD contractor I found a few small shops that will make Berillium Diaphrams...

Apparently the new fighter jets use alot of the material, so they are set up to work with it, and do small runs...

So , what I need, to get a price, is CAD drawings of the diaphram, and the piece that gets pressed into the middle..

I have been told that they can do it, based upon my description.

So, did anyone ever make a drawing of the diaphram...or maybe please......mike...could you...

Rich

[Katmanken]

Copper sheet would prolly be too soft. Berrylium copper is a spring and can be obtained in various thicknesses and tempers. (full hard, half hard, quarter hard).

I've designed parts using the stuff so I prolly have design info in a box in the basement- somewhere.

Stuff is EXTREMELY TOXIC if ground. Makes a lotta places not want to deal with it.

Anyhoo, stuff aint that hard to emboss features in. Made embossed parts once with little "V"s. Was told it couldn't be done. Off I went. Little fixture, coupla crude dies, wham, bam and workable parts.

Looking at Brad's page, the diaphragm has addressed the same problems I ran into. One, berrylium copper doesn't like to stretch too much without cracking. Two, radii in the embossing areas is critical to good parts, and three, it can be done.

Done a lotta progressive die sheet metal parts and this thing is cake to do - once the dimensions are obtained. Worked with Mr. Brunk (Brunk tooling) a buncha times making formed titanium parts. He was a master die maker from the old school and made unbelievable things with simple dies or from a progressive die line. (steel strip into machine, formed parts on a retainer strip out).

Anywhoo, you need a hardened form die to emboss the plates and a cut die to cut the diameter and punch the holes simultaneously. The hole die can be done easily with EDM wire. The form die has to be machined or ram EDM'd. (burned).

If the dies are right, then the parts could be made repeatably and relaibly. Put a sheet into the form die, and whack it with a BF hammer to form the embossing. More than one whack is ok as the dies prevent overforming the material. Remove from the form die, place in the punch die and whack with a BF Hammer.

Voila, instant part.

So, what to do?

1. Anybody have access to a rockwell hardness tester? Need to find out temper of material
2. Anybody have aloose part and a micrometer? Measure raw material stock thickness away from embossed (stretched) areas- prolly at rim is best.
3. Anybody have access to an optical measuring system? Laser or comparitor. A simple comparitor with XY readouts and a cross sectional slice of the part can do it. Need to pot the diaphragm in clear epoxy so the cut and grind won't distort the part.

Guess what we really need is an engineer with lunchtime access to a company materials lab to get the temper and dimensional info.

Ken