As many newsletter readers will know,
alongside being the first Australian watch manufacturer, we also
manufacture parts for parallel precision industries. This side business
is called NH Micro, and operates out of our workshop in Brookvale.
Over the last 4 years we’ve been manufacturing parts for the space,
medical, quantum computing, scientific instrumentation, microfluidic and
communication industries - to name a few. We employ a team of young
Australians who have grown and developed amazing manufacturing skills.
Our strength is in our people, in our talented machinists, engineers,
toolmakers and watchmakers. An oasis of ultra-precision manufacturing.
Recently we were approached by an Australian company to produce
optomechanical components that are destined for the moon. That’s right -
parts manufactured in our workshop in Brookvale, are not just going to
space, but to the moon!
This component is a navigational instrument that will guide a lunar lander to it’s final landing position. It
uses four lasers to range-find against the lunar surface, and it will
provide position and velocity feedback to the spacecraft. Reading
between the lines, the tie between horology and navigation is
unmistakable.
Centuries after ship's chronometers made by technology-enabled
horologists helped guide explorers across the globe, contemporary
technology-enabled watchmakers are helping make navigational instruments
for the next generation of explorers. Except, in the new frontier…
space.
These components are incredibly tricky to manufacture, and have pushed us to develop and invent new processes for programming, holding, and measuring the parts.
The part in the photos here is not quite finished, in fact it was the
first part we made. The next parts will be made from titanium instead of
aluminium. We use aluminium for testing when it comes to parts like
these since the cost for titanium is high, and making mistakes in
aluminium is also much more gentle on the machine/tools we use.
I love sharing projects like these,
especially when they are not protected by confidentiality agreements and
non-disclosure agreements. Enjoy!
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