LH Spring 2014

January 2014
During intersession (Jan 1-Jan 21) I worked on production. I have continued straightening, polishing and fusing. Still no bending and therefore no painting.

Polishing: As discussed in a meeting, we no longer have to polish the second side of SciFis when the black grit gets beneath the cladding.

Straightening: On January 10th we started using an aluminum rod to straighten fibers. The straightening 5x6 collars were all sanded/wire brushed and the entire set up was put into the PVC. This is in hopes that the rust issue will be eliminated.

Fusing: Fusing has been going well. There was an issue with the fuser one day where the pressures were not high enough but luckily Brendan was in the lab to fix it. It has since run as it was before. Strength tests have proven that most fuses withstand up to 1000g. Alex did a preliminary test for light transmission and said it was an acceptable amount. On the rare occasion that a fuse goes wrong, we take a spare light guide, cut it to length, polish, and fuse.

Shipping: The boxed ordered from Uline were too big to fit through a single door. If a 6" cut is made around the top of each box, they can fit about 10 bundles and fit through a door.