The dial assembly shown here was designed and fabricated for use in an aviation application. Used as differential and altimeter indicators, these dials help the pilot to determine altitude and atmospheric pressure.
This assembly consisted of three separate dials that were assembled together and finished as a unit. The individual dials were injection molded blanks that we sourced through one of our approved suppliers. The secondary machining of the molded blanks was completed at Prime Products using a combination of CNC milling and turning with extremely tight tolerances. The parts were then de-burred, liquid-honed, annealed and thoroughly cleaned to prepare for the finishing process.
Once ready for painting, the dials were individually spray painted white using Enthone 50-110RX ink to achieve the desired light transmission of 2.7-2.8. Next, we assembled the pieces using STYCAST 1266 epoxy adhesive.
The assembly was then spray painted black with Nazdar ADE52, and tested for opaqueness on a customer-supplied fixture. Using a special process developed over many years, the white graphics were laser etched to remove the black paint while leaving the white paint in-tact.
After etching, the Amber BAC 3353 and Red BAC 1229 inks were then individually screen-printed using custom screens that were made in-house. We meticulously checked each unit for light leaks, and touched them up as necessary until the product met our customer’s exacting standards.
To learn more about this project, see the table below or contact us directly.