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Issue Date: 20th February 2007
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Morgan Advanced Ceramics supplies ceramic components for NASA’s orbital wide-angle light-collector (OWL)
Leading
ceramic component manufacturer, Morgan Advanced Ceramics, has secured a
contract with Photek to supply hexagonal ceramic insulators for intensifiers
used in NASA’s OWL mission. OWL is the world’s first earth-orbiting
system designed to study air showers initiated by ultrahigh-energy cosmic
rays (UHECR). The use of ceramic in the OWL’s ‘eyes’ will
allow an accurate image of these particles to be generated and will enable
scientists to make significant discoveries about their origins - whether
they are harbingers of new physics, associated with hidden dimensions, or
generated high-density trapped defects of space left over from the Big Bang.
When UHECRs enter the Earth’s atmosphere a disk of ultraviolet fluorescence
flashes through the night’s sky, travelling at nearly the speed of
light, and lasting for only a few tens of microseconds*. The OWL’s
eyes must therefore be large so they collect as much of the UV signal as
possible and it is essential that the intensifiers are accurate to show
a true representation of the UV light.
“We were looking for a partner that would be able to supply the high-precision,
dimensionally accurate ceramic components that are fundamental to the intensifier,”
says, Mr Gareth Jones, Managing Director, Photek. “We chose Morgan
Advanced Ceramics for its knowledge and expertise in the industry and proven
precision engineering capability.”
Ceramic was an ideal choice of material for the intensifiers for its electrical
and mechanical properties. Ceramic is a good electrical insulator which
is an important characteristic for the intensifiers. In an intensifier a
lens focuses an image into a vacuum tube, which is made of ceramic, and
a photocathode at one end releases electrons by the photoelectric effect
of the incoming photons.
“There was an immediate challenge surrounding the design of the component,”
says Yannick Galais, Commercial Manager, Morgan Advanced Ceramics. “During
the manufacturing process the component is fired in a kiln and it shrinks
by around 20% in size as it is sintered. Tight control of raw material production
and the methods used to manufacture the part are essential to ensure that
it shrinks evenly in all directions without distortion and cracking.”
The accuracy of the component is paramount. Galais continues: “We
also had to achieve an extremely tight tolerance of five microns.”
The two companies together came up with a unique 168mm across flats, hexagonal
design that enables the intensifiers to fit together easily in a honey-comb
style, for maximum collection of UV light.
Morgan Advanced Ceramics has shipped three pairs of the component to Photek,
where they have been assembled and taken to Rutgers University, New Jersey,
USA, for testing prior to installation. OWL is due for launch in 2010 and
the project is expected to need more than 100 intensifiers per eye.
For more information on Morgan Technical Ceramics visit www.morganadvancedceramics.com
or contact one of our sales offices below:
UK & Eire
Morgan Technical Ceramics, Bewdley Road, Stourport, Worcestershire, DY13
8QR, UK
Tel: +44 1299 872210 Fax: +44 1299 872218 Email:uksales@morganadvancedceramics.com
Mainland Europe
Morgan Tehnical Ceramics, Teplitzerstr. 27, D-84478 Waldkraiburg, Germany.
Tel: +49 8638 6004 326 Fax: +49 8638 6004 327 Email:ales@morganadvancedceramics.com
North America
Morgan Technical Ceramics Inc, 26 Madison Road, Fairfield, NJ 07004, USA
Tel: +1 800 433 0638 Fax: 1 973 808 2257 Email:ssales@morganadvancedceramics.com
Asia
Morgan Technical Ceramics, 158 Jiajian Road, Jiading, Shanghai 201818, People’s
Republic of China.
Tel: +86 21 5990 0687. Fax: +86 21 5990 3241 Email: mmsh@public.sta.net.cn