Cutting Explosives

Working with Safety Management Services (SMS), Apollo helped an explosives manufacturer by designing, building, and installing a custom, remote-operated saw in under 3-months.

Explosives fill a vital role in many industries and can be tailored to a variety of applications. The saw we created is capable of simultaneously cutting several pieces of detonation cord to length for final use in several aerospace applications. Because the cords are made with explosive compressed powder, special provisions had to be made both in the design and during assembly to ensure that the energetic powder does not activate and damage or destroy the machine. Additionally, the saw and all its moving parts, are bonded and grounded to prevent static electricity activating the explosive powder. These requirements among others made this effort unique, exciting, and challenging.

Thank you to SMS for the vital role they played in providing hazard analysis support and expertise in processing energetic materials.