Long-time manufacturer of custom-molded parts using advanced processes and techniques, The Alberts Company, Inc., Montoursville, Penn., is now rotocasting polyurethane seats for waterpark rides to reduce maintenance time and costs for amusement and theme-park operators.
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Alberts Company Process Produces Polyurethane Seating to Reduce Ride Maintenance Costs

Long time manufacturer of custom-molded parts using advanced processes and techniques, The Alberts Company, Inc., Montoursville, Penn., is now rotocasting polyurethane seats for waterpark rides to reduce maintenance time and costs for amusement and theme-park operators.

The new seats feature a streamlined design that replaces traditional foam-andmetal composition with a strong, seamless polyurethane shell into which a low-cost foam pad is inserted. The next-generation seats, molded from an advanced polyurethane supplied by Innovative Polymers, Inc., Saint Johns, Mich., are waterproof and 40% lighter than old-style seats to reduce wear-and-tear on ride support structures.

Brian Mitchell, Production Manager, says, “Our rotocast polyurethane seats have a service life three to four times longer than traditional seats because the shell does not rust and the pads are easily replaced on-site without necessitating a costly and timeconsuming reclamation process.”

Background

The Alberts Company has designed and molded theme park ride restraints for amusement parks for many years. Among its customers are Busch Entertainment, Cedar Point and ride manufacturer Zamperla.

Originally, water-ride seats were built with a steel frame covered by flexible opencell foam. In service, the foam absorbed water causing it to degrade and the underlying metal to rust. For repair, seats were removed from the ride and returned to the manufacturer where foam padding was removed, the frame refurbished and new foam padding installed. The overall process was expensive, requiring a significant amount of labor plus the cost of shipping heavy seats to and from the factory.

Several years ago, The Alberts Company began investigating the use of rotocasting for molding of lightweight, plastic seats. The new ride parts were designed with a shallow depression that allowed for fast installation of a ¾-inch foam pad on which passengers sit. Seat backs were engineered to withstand use as a “hand hold” for passengers boarding and exiting a ride. The new seating proved to be a durable alternative to metal seats.

Seat Molding

Most recently, The Alberts Company began building seats from an Innovative Polymers high-performance polyurethane to realize improved processing and endproperties.

The IE-3050 polyurethane now in use is formulated specifically for rotational molding. It has a very low viscosity and a 5 to 7 minute gel time that provides for even, complete coating of mold surfaces. The mercury-free polyurethane cures in quickly, permitting part demolding in as little as 30 minutes. Completed seats combine rigidity with good tensile strength.

To mold each seat, equal parts of IE-3050 resin and hardener are mixed and injected into a fully released epoxy/fiberglass mold. The mold is then rotated along both X and Y axes at varied speeds to produce a polyurethane coating of consistent thickness on the mold surfaces. After curing, the shell is backfilled with rigid foam for added strength.

Mitchell explains, “Initial set-up for a seat is a combination of expertise and trialand-error. We make a part, cure it and then cut it up to examine wall thickness and consistency. If too much polyurethane is used, the walls may incorporate lumps of plastic while too little material may result in unacceptably thin or uneven walls. By varying processing speeds and material amounts, a formula is ultimately finalized that yields consistent, high-quality parts.”

In service, the seats molded from Innovative Polymers IE-3050 polyurethane stand up to the rigors of use, providing ride operators with the required durability and low maintenance.

New Housings are Lightweight and Corrosion Resistant with Push-Button Controls

Today’s video cameras are more sophisticated yet smaller and easier to use than ever before. However, successful underwater shooting can be directly related to the quality of the camera housing. Ocean Images and Co. Inc., Cape Coral, Florida, has perfected the process for precision molding economical, watertight housings using high performance polyurethanes to reduce weight, optimize functionality and improve durability.

The polyurethanes, supplied by Innovative Polymers, Saint Johns, Michigan, produce robust housing components that can withstand exposure to corrosive marine environments and underwater pressures at depths of up to 200 feet.

According to Keith Loson, president of Ocean Images, “We have found that polyurethanes support our ability to quickly produce high quality housings for the ever growing variety of new camera models that are being introduced to the market. The polyurethane materials that we use also offer a variety of benefits for photographers.”

Loson explains that, in addition to requiring a significantly longer lead time to machine, aluminum housings are sometimes heavier and more cumbersome to handle than polyurethane housings. The polyurethane parts are also superior to clear ABS plastic housings.

“Clear housings can produce “ghost” images on shots because ambient light is able to penetrate the housing. By contrast, Ocean Images products are molded using black polyurethane. The solid-colored housings promote improved viewing of the video screen and reduce ghosting with light penetration limited to the clear front shooting port and the rear viewing/access plate,” he says.

Ocean Images designs and builds its underwater housings for a full range of camera model and styles from Sony (including the new XR series), Canon, Sharp and Panasonic. The polyurethane housings feature positive touch, push-button controls for fast, easy camera function adjustments. The housings also offer outstanding visibility of both the viewing screen and the housing interior.

Building the Housings

Ocean Images custom designs its housings for each specific camera model. The process begins by machining an aluminum core block that is used as a pattern to cast RTV silicone rubber tools and also in the molding process. When tooling is complete, threaded metal inserts that will be cast in place as an integral part of the housing are installed and all core and mold surfaces are released. Then IE-70D black polyurethane resin and hardener are mixed in a 2:1 resin:hardener ratio and vacuum degassed to remove air bubbles that might cause voids in the final housing. The low-viscosity polyurethane is poured into the silicone mold and the filled mold is placed into a pressure tank where the housing cures at 60 psi room temperature for about three hours. When the housing is fully cured, the mold is opened and a hydraulic press is used to remove the core. The cured Innovative Polymers polyurethane has a Shore 70D hardness, flexural modulus of 250,000 psi, notched Izod impact strength of 0.5 ft-lb/in and tensile strength of 5,350 psi.

To complete each housing, front port and rear access plate openings are machined along with grooves for O-rings and seals that will ensure that the parts are watertight.

Housing handles are installed using the threaded inserts that were cast in place. Housings are then coated with a high visibility chrome yellow urethane and pressure tested to 200 feet.

About Ocean Images

Ocean Images is a family-owned business that has manufactured quality and affordable underwater video camera housings for sports and professional scuba divers for many years. The company specializes in Sony digital video camera housings and carries a large inventory for the most popular models. Ocean Images is also equipped to create custom camera housings.

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Vehicle Components Tough Enough for Grand Canyon Tours
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All-terrain vehicles used by Pink Jeep Tours Sedona to provide customers with a unique Grand Canyon Experience are specially designed and custom-built to combine off-road performance with passenger comfort. The hot pink-colored Tour Trekkers that hold 10 passengers have large vista windows for enhanced scenic views. Four-wheel drive vehicles are constructed on a heavy-duty, commercial-grade frame and feature durable grilles, fender flairs and bumper covers molded from a new generation polyurethane formulated using advanced crosslinked technologies from Innovative Polymers, Inc., Saint Johns, Mich. The TP-4004 system was selected by Prefix Corporation, which built the Trekker passenger compartments, because the TPO-like polyurethane is ultra-tough and capable of withstanding travel on rugged trails as well as the temperature extremes that characterize the Canyon. It is also easy to process even on large vehicle parts.