SwRI’s Precision Mechanical Fabrication Shop has extensive experience in the fabrication of precision parts for spaceflight systems. The shop operates under a quality program that meets the requirements for NASA and the military. The shop has provided mechanical components for many successful space missions.
Services provided by the shop include:
- Rapid prototyping and End Item hardware fabrication
- CNC machining
- Water jet cutting
- EDM
- Precision welding
Special Processes Laboratory
Our Special Processes Laboratory supplies a variety of services to the Institute and other clients. These services are quick turn-around and completed in-house.
Metal Treatment
- Chromate conversion on aluminum per
- MIL-C-5541E and ASTM B117
- Chromate conversion on magnesium
- Passivation of stainless steel per QQ-P-35C
- Anodizing of aluminum per MIL-A-8624F
- Colors: black, red, blue and grey
- Black oxide of stainless steel
- Ebonal-C
Plating
- Gold electroplating per AMS 2422D, nickel electroplating on, electro-less gold, and electro-less nickel on the following materials:
- Copper
- Brass
- Magnesium
- Aluminum
- Stainless steel
- Plastics
- Electro-less copper
- Electro-less tin
- Copper electroplate
- Tin-lead
Silkscreen Printing
- Components
- Equipment panels
- Labels and signs
- Magnetic and reflective signs
Chemical Machining and Etching
- Stainless steel (up to .012)
- Brass
- Aluminum
Machining
- Equipment panels
- Gaskets
- Plastics
Etched and Photo Printed Labels
- Fotofoil (Soft anodized aluminum)
- Colors: black, blue, red
- Etch and backfill stainless steel
- Wall and desk nameplates
Printed Circuit Boards
- Double-sided plated thru holes
- Multilayer (up to 6 layers)
- Flexible circuit
- Polyimide
- Teflon
- RT duroid
- Rogers TMM3, TMM4 Ceramic
- Photo-plotting