When we were first approached by the Aerospace Industry to create a
modified version of our Motor Sports Surface Plate for use as an Epoxy Test
Bed to float air bearing equipped devices, we jumped at the chance. It seemed
like an easy transition to what we had already been doing for twenty years in
major Race Car Shops around the country. Ignorance is bliss or so they say as
we packed up and traveled 2500 miles to install our first true Aerospace Test
Bed. We soon discovered that although similar in many ways, the nuances and
levels of accuracy are somewhat different between the Surface Plate and the
Test Bed. I have been told that the Epoxy Test Bed idea was hypothesized in an
Aerospace journal back in the early 1970's and yet no one has developed this
idea to any degree until Precision Epoxy. As we have moved forward and have
learned more about this application, we now have a better understanding and a
clearer focus about what
is involved in creating a Test Bed that is a solid, useful and productive
investment for the Universities and Research Facilities employing our
services. We have now developed special epoxies and application techniques to
suit the special needs of the Epoxy Test Bed and its user. Our Test Beds meet
or exceed the criteria of acceptance required by this specialized industry.
Since our
involvement with the Aerospace Industry, we have learned a lot about and
realized what little knowledge we have concerning this fascinating field. We,
as most, simply had taken for granted the professional people and hard work
involved in the development and deployment of satellites into space that we
all benefit from so much on a daily basis. What we do know is Epoxy and Flooring and
we are proud that our knowledge, desire and talent affords us the opportunity
to be included in a very small way with the continuation of research and
development within the Aerospace community. I realize that my Epoxy
experience and background of the past 40 years has been preparing me for our
development and application of the Epoxy Test Bed.
All our Test Bed installations are personally installed by Mike and Dianne
Ramy, owners of Rock Art, Ltd. and Precision Epoxy Products. This means for
all planning, design, contracting and logistics coordination, you are always dealing
with the actual people doing all the work at your location.
All our epoxies are custom formulated in-house and are designed to meet or
exceed requirements for use in your facility.
We require an area of
approximately 20' x 20' in size adjoining the Test Bed installation area to
set up a work shop, to stage and mix epoxies, to access application tools and to
prepare and cleanup as needed. We first lay down plastic and cardboard as a
sub-floor to protect existing flooring from possible spills and/or splatter. A
very big advantage to the Epoxy Test Bed installation is that we can move all
our materials, installation tools and equipment through a normal three foot wide
doorway. The Test Bed can also be installed at any size or shape desired to fit
in any room configuration.
We have included key
components from our Epoxy Surface Plate into our Epoxy Test Bed applications
such as the
'Advanced Grounding System'
for static control. The access ramp can also be incorporated within the
aluminum retaining wall for easier deployment of test units on and off the
Test Bed. We have also stepped up our level criterion from 0.003 inch or
better for Surface Plates to 0.001 inch or better for Test Beds. Standard
Test Beds of 500 square feet or smaller in size require a two week
installation period. This includes, but is not limited to, sub state
preparation, penetrating primer application, mounting of temporary form work,
4 each 1/4" pours of FP-90 Epoxy, removal of temporary form work,
mounting of custom fabricated permanent aluminum retaining wall onto initial epoxy
pours' perimeter, installation of grounding system, two more 1/4" pours of
FP-90 Epoxy System, applying foam padding to inside of retaining wall and
final detailing of completed project. Some application environments or larger
Test Beds may require or
allow for variations in procedures and scheduling. Pricing for 'Turn-Key' Test
Bed installations start at $150.00 per square foot, plus travel expenses to
your location. Due to the complexity of this application, we only offer
professional installations.
