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NSWC Crane Lights the Way Anywhere, Anytime

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090502-09
Release Date: 5/2/2009 3:10:00 PM

From Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Corporate Communications

CRANE, Ind (NNS) -- Known for expertise in pyrotechnics and ordnance, the Special Missions Center at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) developed and deployed Improved Exothermic Rod Igniter (IERI) - a
reliable, practical solution for the warfighter.

The elite warrior previosuly had to carry twice the number of igniters actually needed, and critical mission time was wasted lighting the torch rods. The Special Missions team developed a new type of igniter with a better reliability rate, approaching 100 percent.

"Many have been delivered to the warfighter. Everybody loves them, and if they don't have one, they want one," said Brent Voigtschild, project lead for NSWC Crane's Special Missions Center.

IERI is an innovatively designed, developed and tested technology that "proves to have a reliability rate in the high nineties," Voigtschild continued.

Placed inside a rod made by Oxylance Inc. and attached to an oxygen torch system, an exothermic cutting system is completed. Steel, concrete, or any other ferrous or non-ferrous material can be rapidly cut once the underwater and aboveground torch is assembled.

Technical experts faced challenges when developing the IERI, such as directing the output of molten metal onto the torch rod and shelf life affecting reliability over time.

Voigtschild and his team addressed designed the igniter with cored pellets, which placed a tapered hole through the pressed pellet. This detail increased the reliability and focused the molten outputs in the proper direction.

Additionally, the aluminum cap on the output end of the igniter was "coined", which consists of placing an "X" stamp on the end of the cap. This feature further guaranteed that the igniter output effectively reached the torch rod. The design is also a completely sealed unit, which benefits product shelf-life.

IERI won 2006/2007 Outstanding Patent of the Year in the Third Annual Patent Awards Ceremony at NSWC Crane. The awards ceremony focuses on military value to the elite warrior to ensure the best products are created for the rapidly changing combat environments they face.

For more news from Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, visit www.navy.mil/local/crane/.