Instron New Horizontal System

The tension bed is a mission critical item for NATSC to provide assets to the fleet as required. The current tension bed requires a new horizontal system that will be replacing an antiquated system that is limited and only capable of testing hose assemblies. The new system will allow the ability to test both hose assemblies and towed array modules, eliminate a single point of failure for critical manufacturing system, provide a common programming language, have a common operator interface for all tension systems, use common work instructions, use common maintenance procedures and, by design, is inherently safer. Further, Instron Partner software is currently being run on the tension bed and all of the programming for testing of assets is compatible with the Instron built Bluehill Universal software. Re-writing of these programs by a different vendor would require a 30-week process by highly skilled engineers, totaling a cost of $150,000 for software with an additional cost for hardware upgrade solution. Instron is the only viable company able to provide the hardware and services to upgrade the tension bed located in the NATSC facility. Instron is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the tension bed and has the proprietary information required for the upgrade. No other company is capable of upgrading the current NATSC tension bed without considerable re-work. The upgrade and software installation are not available via resellers. Instron performs all upgrades, installations, retrofits, and updates with their own personnel for their systems.