IfA Instrument Shop
We design and build scientific instrumentatioN
History
Since the late 1960’s we have been involved with scientific instrumentation for astronomy. We have instruments at the PS1 and PS2 Telescopes, UH 88″ telescope, NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, Gemini North Observatory, Subaru Telescope, AEOS Telescope Facility and the Mees Solar Observatory. We are fortunate to be able to contribute to science by building and supporting astronomical instrumentation.
We are a full service provider for scientific instrumentation offering:
Design and design consulting
Prototyping
Manufacturing
Fabrication
Assembly
Testing and troubleshooting
Integration
Assembly and Testing
Key Benefits
All warm and cold testing is done “in house”. The Instrument Technicians work together with Electronic Technicians and Systems Programmers to troubleshoot problems encountered during a testing session. Modifications or repairs can be done with minimal down time to the mechanism or assembly.
Dichroic Assembly for the IRTF
UH 88″ UHWFI Filter Wheel and Housing
ASSEMBLY AND TESTING
Capabilites
- Clean Assembly Rooms for optical installation and mechanical assembly.
- Cold testing can be conducted in one of our liquid-cryogen-cooled test dewars. This has the advantage of a relatively short cycle time.
- Cold testing can also be performed within the instrument itself. This has the advantage of being able to test large mechanisms at controlled temperatures.
- Leak detection with our Varian 979 Helium Leak Detector at our Hilo facility.
Equipment
Manoa
Hilo
Services
Some of our Customers
- UH Chemistry Department
- UH Physics Department
- Hawaii Institute of Geophysics & Planetology
- Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory
- Cancer Research Center
- Hawaii Natural Energy Institute
- Oceanit
- WIYN Observatory
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Oceanit MOST II
We try to stock the common materials to minimize lead times.
Mānoa Instrument Shop Equipment
Milling
- Bridgeport Series 1 Milling Machines (2) with DRO.
- Kearney & Trecker Universal Milling
- Machine with DRO. Travels: 42″ X-axis, 14″ Y-axis, 19″ Z-axis.
CNC Milling
- Hurco VM1 CNC Machining Center
- Travels: 26″ X-axis, 14″ Y-axis, 18″ Z-axis.
- Hurco KM-3P CNC Milling Machines Travels: 24″ X-axis, 14″ Y-axis, 5″ Z-axis.
- Hurco BMC-50 CNC Machining Center
- Travels: 52″ X-axis, 30″ Y-axis, 23.6″ Z-axis.
Turning
- Monarch EE Toolmaker’s Lathes (2)
- South Bend 17″ Lathe
- Monarch 20″ Lathe
- Lodge and Shipley 30″ Lathe
EDM
- HSS 250 Wire EDM
Grinding
- K.O. Lee Surface Grinder
- Darex End Mill Sharpener
- Darex M5 Drill Sharpener
Sawing
- DoAll 30″ Vertical Band Saw
- Johnson Horizontal Band Saw
- Everett Abrasive Saw
- Scotchman Cold Saw
Sheet Metal
- Peck, Stow & Wilcox 16 gauge Shear
- Chica
- o 16 gauge Box and Pan Brake
- Wiedemann R-2 Turret Punch
- Dayton 4-ton Notcher
- Pexto 4-ton Single Station Punch
Welding
- Lincoln Precision TIG 375 (GTAW & SMAW)
- Airco CV-250 MIG Welder with Spool Gun (GMAW & FCAW)
- Wilt Annealing Furnace
- MBC welding positioner
Inspection
- Mitutoyo Optical Comparator
- Brown & Sharpe Intrimiks, .275″ – 8.000″
- 24″ x 36″ Granite Surface Plate
- 48″ x 72″ Granite Surface Plate
- Brown & Sharpe Gage Block Set
Miscellaneous
- FlexArm Tapping Unit
- M&W 36000 BTUH Recirculating Chiller
- GibbsCAM 2012
- PEPS Wire EDM V8
- Solidworks 2012
Facilities
- 5,240 sq. ft. Air Conditioned Shop
- 850 sq. ft. Welding Shop and Material Storage
- 2-ton Capacity Bridge Crane
- 5000 pound capacity Forklift truck
Hilo Instrument Shop Equipment
Milling
- Bridgeport Series 1 Milling Machine
CNC Milling
- Hurco VMX-24 CNC Vertical Machining Center. Travels: 24″ X-axis, 20″ Y-axis, 24″ Z-axis.
- Auerbach FBE-1500 Horizontal Machining Center with Universal Head. Travels: 59″ X-axis, 35″ Y-axis, 39″ Z-axis.
- Benchman XT
Turning
- Monarch EE Toolmaker’s Lathe
- Clausing Colchester 15″ Gap Bed Lathe
CNC Turning
- Hardinge Cobra 65 CNC Lathe
- South Bend Lathe Magnaturn 612
Grinding
- Taft-Pierce Surface Grinder
- Darex M5 Drill Sharpener
Inspection
- Starrett 24″ x 36″ Granite Surface Plate
- Starrett 36″ x 48″ Granite Surface Plate
- 12″ Granite Master Square
- Starrett-Webber Gage Block Set
Welding
- Lincoln Square Wave 355 GTAW Machine
- Millermatic 300 GMAW Machine with Spool Gun
- Miller Spectrum 2050 Plasma Arc Cutter
Sawing
- Dake 41″ Vertical Band Saw
- Metalmizer Cut-Off Saw
Sheet Metal
- National 12 gauge Hydraulic Shear
- National 12 gauge Box and Pan Brake
- Rotex Turret Punch
Miscellaneous
- GibbsCAM
- Cyclone Abrasive Cabinet
Facilities
- 5,100 sq. ft. Air-Conditioned Shop
- Clean Assembly Room
- 5-ton Capacity Bridge Crane
- 5,000 lb. Capacity Fork Lift Truck
Instrument Shop Materials
- Aluminum 6061-T651, 7075-T651, 3003-H14, 5052-H32
- Stainless Steel 303, 304, 316, 440C, 17-4PH
- Steel 1018, A36, 4130, 4340
- Titanium 6AL4V
- Copper, 101 (OFHC), 102 (OFHC), 110, 145
- Brass, 360, 464
- Magnesium AZ31B
- Phosphor Bronze 510
- Nickel Aluminum Bronze
- Black Delrin & Delrin AF
- Teflon
- Vespel SP-3
- G-10 Fiberglass
- TZM Molybdenum
- Tungsten 3970
- Inconel 718
- Graphite AXF-5Q-CF
- Copper Tungsten
- Invar
Instrument SDS
| wdt_ID | ITEM # | TRADE NAME | MANUFACTURER | PART NO. | REVISION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | A-9 Aluminum Cutting Fluid | A-9 Aluminum Cutting Fluid | 10/01/2011 | |
| 2 | 2 | Acetone | Fisher Scientific | A11-200 | 07/03/2011 |
| 3 | 3 | Acetylene | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 19/11/2009 | |
| 4 | 4 | Aircosil Flux | Airco | 29/09/1995 | |
| 5 | 5 | Argon | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 21/08/2009 | |
| 6 | 6 | Argon/CO2 Mix (75%/25%) | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 25C | 27/05/2009 |
| 7 | 7 | Brazo Flux | Union Carbide | 20/03/2006 | |
| 8 | 8 | Century Grease | Century Lubricants Co. | ST-80 | 19/03/1992 |
| 9 | 9 | Chevron GST Oil ISO 46 | Chevron Products Company | 01/03/2012 | |
| 10 | 10 | Chevron Hydraulic Oil AW ISO 32 | Chevron Products Company | 16/02/2012 | |
| 11 | 12 | Chevron Supreme Motor Oil SAE 30 | Chevron Products Company | 04/10/2006 | |
| 12 | 13 | Chevron Utility Oil | Chevron Products Company | 10/11/2005 | |
| 13 | 14 | CO2 | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 24/11/2009 | |
| 14 | 15 | Contact Cement | DAP Weldwood | 11/08/1999 | |
| 15 | 16 | Cool Tool II | Monroe Fluid Technologies | 06/05/2011 | |
| 16 | 17 | CRC Isopropyl Alcohol Cleaner | CRC Industries, Inc. | 3201 | 13/05/2009 |
| 17 | 18 | Crud Begone | Intech | R99CRUD | 01/09/2001 |
| 18 | 19 | CryoTiger Gas PT-30 | Brooks Automation Inc. | 09/10/2006 | |
| 19 | 20 | Dykem Steel Blue Layout Fluid | ITW Fluid Products Group | 09/04/2010 | |
| 20 | 21 | Dykem Steel Red Layout Fluid | ITW Fluid Products Group | 07/05/2010 | |
| 21 | 22 | Eccobond 286 White, Part A | Emerson & Cuming | 17/01/2012 | |
| 22 | 23 | Eccobond 286 White, Part B | Emerson & Cuming | 14/12/2010 | |
| 23 | 24 | Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler | Elmer's | 19/04/2011 | |
| 24 | 25 | Elmers Wood Gluw | Elmers | E7010 | 05/05/2011 |
| 25 | 26 | Eutector Flux 180 | Eutectic Corporation | 14/05/1993 | |
| 26 | 27 | Gojo Natural Orange Pumice Hand Cleaner | Gojo Industries, Inc. | 27/04/2011 | |
| 27 | 28 | Goo Gone | Magic American Products Inc. | 18/10/2010 | |
| 28 | 29 | Helium | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 21/08/2009 | |
| 29 | 30 | Helium/Argon/CO2 Mix (88.2%/9.1%/2.7%) | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 90 | 05/01/2009 |
| 30 | 31 | Henry 430 ClearPro Floor Tile Adhesive | W.W. Henry Company | 01/07/2006 | |
| 31 | 32 | High Vacuum Grease | Dow Corning Corporation | 15/06/2012 | |
| 32 | 33 | Isopropanol | Fisher Scientific | A416-4, A451-4 | 04/11/2010 |
| 33 | 34 | Kasenit Surface Hardening Compound | Kasenit Company Inc. | 07/01/2003 | |
| 34 | 35 | Krylon Spray Paint | Sherwin-Williams Company | 31/03/2007 | |
| 35 | 36 | Liqui-Nox | Alconox, Inc. | 14/07/2006 | |
| 36 | 37 | Loctite Threadlocker Blue 242 | Loctite Corporation | 242 | 23/11/2010 |
| 37 | 38 | Loctite Threadlocker Red 271 | Loctite Corporation | 271 | 23/11/2010 |
| 38 | 39 | LPS Force 842 Dry Moly Lubricant | LPS Laboratories | 2516 | 30/09/2009 |
| 39 | 40 | Mapp Gas | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 16/07/2004 | |
| 40 | 41 | Methanol | Fisher Scientific | A412-4 | 04/06/2012 |
| 41 | 42 | Mobil Almo 525 | ExxonMobil Corporation | 19/07/2007 | |
| 42 | 43 | Mobil DTE Heavy/Medium | ExxonMobil Corporation | 19/08/2011 | |
| 43 | 44 | Mobil DTE Light | ExxonMobil Corporation | 13/11/2009 | |
| 44 | 45 | Mobil Vactra Oil No. 2 | ExxonMobil Corporation | 24/08/2012 | |
| 45 | 46 | Mobil Velocite 6 | ExxonMobil Corporation | 07/11/2011 | |
| 46 | 47 | Mobilfluid 424 | ExxonMobil Corporation | 19/05/2005 | |
| 47 | 48 | Moldmaker | Gesswein | 600 | 01/01/2002 |
| 48 | 49 | Moly Dee | Castrol Industrial Inc. | 27/08/2012 | |
| 49 | 50 | Mother | Mothers | 5100 | 05/02/2005 |
| 50 | 51 | NAPA Spray Paint | Martin-Senour Company | 01/06/1992 | |
| 51 | 52 | Nitrogen | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 19/08/2009 | |
| 52 | 53 | Nozzle Dip | Weld-Aid | 7096 | 02/12/2011 |
| 53 | 54 | Nozzle Kleen #2 | Weld-Aid | 7022 | 14/11/2011 |
| 54 | 55 | Oatey H-20 95 Flux | Oatey Company | 10/06/2005 | |
| 55 | 56 | Oxygen | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 24/02/2010 | |
| 56 | 57 | Plasti Dip | Plasti Dip International | 20/10/2004 | |
| 57 | 58 | Propane | BOC Group or Air Liquide | 21/08/2009 | |
| 58 | 59 | Prussian Blue | Permatex, Inc. | 80038 | 11/01/2010 |
| 59 | 60 | Re-Li-On Cutting and Tapping Fluid | Remi Corporation | 01/01/2007 | |
| 60 | 61 | Rustlick Ultracut 250R | ITW Fluid Products Group | 15/12/2011 | |
| 61 | 62 | Rustlick Ultracut WS500A | ITW Fluid Products Group | 15/12/2011 | |
| 62 | 63 | Rust-Oleum Enamel Primer | Rust-Oleum Corporation | 21/11/2006 | |
| 63 | 64 | Rust-Oleum Spray Paint | Rust-Oleum Corporation | 05/04/2006 | |
| 64 | 65 | Saf-T-Eze Anti-Seize | STL Compound Corporation | 29/12/2011 | |
| 65 | 66 | Simple Green | Sunshine Makers, Inc. | 01/02/2012 | |
| 66 | 67 | Simple Green Anti-Spatter | Sunshine Makers, Inc. | 13/05/2013 | |
| 67 | 68 | Smart Cut | UKAM Industrial Superhard Tools | 13/12/2001 | |
| 68 | 69 | Snap Silicone Spray | Pennzoil/Quaker State Company | S630 | 06/09/2002 |
| 69 | 70 | Snoop | Swagelok Company | 30/01/2012 | |
| 70 | 71 | Starrett Cleaner for Granite Surface Plates | L.S. Starrett | 20/04/2005 | |
| 71 | 72 | Starrett Tool and Instrument Oil | L.S. Starrett | 11/04/2012 | |
| 72 | 73 | Stay Clean Liquid Soldering Flux | J.W. Harris Co., Inc. | 20/08/2010 | |
| 73 | 74 | Stick Wax Lubricant | Castrol Industrial Inc. | 23/06/2011 | |
| 74 | 75 | Tap Magic Pro Tap | The Steco Corporation | 15/08/2011 | |
| 75 | 76 | Tricool MD-1 | Trico Manufacturing Corp. | 01/01/2011 | |
| 76 | 77 | Tricool MD-7 | Trico Manufacturing Corp. | 01/01/2011 | |
| 77 | 78 | Turtle Wax White Polishing Compound | Turtle Wax | 29/05/2003 | |
| 78 | 79 | Wright | Weiman Products | 26/05/2009 | |
| 79 | 80 | Zynolyte Spray Paint | Zynolyte Products Co., Inc. | 16/12/2004 |