By Staff
Thomas Tingle
Record Managing Editor
It's made here in Madison County and it's on its way to New York where the New York City Police Department Bomb Squad will use it.
Teledyne Brown Engineering today will unveil its prototype WaterSabre Fluid-Jet Cutting System at its Sparkman Drive headquarters in Huntsville. The system, which the New York bomb squad will use, provides quick response in gaining access to the interior of devices, containers, vehicles and structures using abrasive-containing, ultra-high-pressure water discharged through a jet at supersonic velocity.
Teledyne Brown Engineering designed the system and Excellence Inc. of Madison built the truck that houses the unit.
According to Rick Davis, director of external communications at Teledyne Brown, last August, Teledyne sold its first WaterSabre to the New York City Police Department Bomb Squad. It is the first production unit to be sold, but a prototype was built more than a year ago. Earl Presson, chief engineer at Teledyne Brown, said the prototype has been shown to several police departments throughout the country during the year with positive response.
"While using ultra-high-pressure water to cut through things is not new, but using it in a mobile application for remote entry is," Presson said. "We do expect to sell more of these this year. We will be unveiling our prototype today. Another unit has been built that will be sent to New York. There, the New York City Police Department Bomb Squad will detail it."
Davis said the unit facilitates tasks such as breaching an explosive device, cutting into a suspicious container, or making an opening for life-saving measures. The jet cutter can be either attached to a hazardous-duty robot for remote operation or hand-held for direct operation by an individual.
Excellence spokesperson Darrell Jones said the Madison firm did the design work for the truck that houses the unit. When the order came in from New York last August, Excellence designed and built a new truck and delivered it to Teledyne Brown last October for Teledyne to do the engineering of the unit.
Presson said he's proud to know that Teledyne Brown in Huntsville and Excellence in Madison joined together to built this special unit and as more are sold, both names will be recognized throughout the country.