Air-Lock's core business focuses on providing life support hardware to enhance human performance in hazardous environments. The Titanium bearing design knowledge learned through test and simulation will be used on all suit projects moving forward. Titanium is an excellent candidate bearing race material. It offers lighter weight compared to Stainless Steels commonly used in EVA applications. It offers higher strength Aluminums commonly used in IVA applications. As ever-present budgetary restraints move the industry towards "one suit fits all applications" approaches. The knowledge and design techniques learned through these efforts will be used in support of all existing and future suit efforts including the current space suit program of record (EMU) and future programs (OCSS and AES) to market the Titanium bearing technology.Along with servicing the space industry, Air-Lock provides this life support hardware to the aerospace, military and fire fighter industries. Similar to our spacesuit products, weight reduction and low profiles are design drivers for aerospace, military and fire fighter life support hardware. A key staple of core products for those industries are quick disconnects (QDs) that utilize bearing ball locking mechanisms. Understanding the role ball contact stresses play relative to component wear and degradation can be implemented across these QD product lines; yielding lighter weight, improved wear resistant assemblies.
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