Braid Terminations
Terminate metallic EMI shielding braids as well as Kevlar®, Tyvek®, steel and fiberglass mechanical braids.  Use for small diameter electrical cables, fiber optic cables, overbraided hoses, and towed array strength members.  UniLok is especially advantageous for applications with severe vibration, thermal cycling or high temperatures that lead to rapid deterioration of other braid terminations.

Electrical Connectors
Zero insertion force combined with extreme retention strength and vibration resistance.  The exceptionally high contact closure force applied by the shape memory ring produces a gas-tight seal between contact surfaces, resulting in a stable, low-resistance connection.  Use for munitions, missiles, high amperage buss connections and bulkhead feedthroughs. The connector is de-mated by cooling with either liquid nitrogen or HFC spray refrigerant, depending on the alloy chosen.

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Lens and Window Mounts
UniLok rings apply even pressure to mount delicate lenses in holders. When a sealed mount is required, the ring compresses a non-slotted tubular fitting onto the lens or window. A soft metal plating may be applied to the fitting to enhance sealing. Use for sapphire, germanium, ferrite and calcium fluoride lenses and windows.

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Magnet Assemblies
Bind magnet assemblies where extreme temperatures, rpm or shock loading render other assembly techniques inadequate. 

Compared to shrink rings based on conventional thermal expansion, UniLok shape memory rings offer about 10 times the shrinkage. This allows looser tolerances on mating parts while still insuring the large interference strains needed to achieve consistent clamping pressure. Installation time for shrink fits can be quite limited, while heat-to-recover UniLok rings allow unlimited time for positioning components prior to shrinkage.

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Accelerometer Assembly
Clamp mass elements and piezoelectric material against the center post of shear type accelerometers.  UniLok shrink rings provide easy assembly, consistent performance, and insensitivity to temperature extremes.

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Shaft Clamps
Reliable clamping in a lightweight, compact, balanced package.  No threaded fasteners to vibrate loose. Much smaller size than mechanical shaft collars of equivalent holding strength. Precise axial and angular positioning can be achieved since heat is used to set the clamp, rather than applying an external torque which can cause unwanted movement. Use for rotary power transmission, instrument assembly and torsion bars. We make UniLok shrink collars for small diameter shafts where other collar styles are unavailable.

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Axial Preload
Allows a precise preload force to be applied and then locked in.  Avoids the fines generation which occurs when press fitting.  Use for bearings, disk mounting, and other axially preloaded assemblies.

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Preload of Threaded Fasteners
UniLok memory metal rings installed as washers expand in length as they shrink in diameter, applying controlled preload.

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Locking Nuts
Heat shrink rings provide positive locking of critical threaded joints.  No interference with torque/tension relationship during tightening.

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Hermetic Seal
UniLok rings swage thin-walled metal cups and tubes onto headers to seal hermetic assemblies.  The ring drives the can onto the teeth and holds it there for the life of the joint. Use in the packaging of gyroscopes, sensors, fuses, and other electro/optical/mechanical packages.

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Tube Joints
UniLok heat shrinkable rings offer the controlled strength and uniformity of clamping pressure to terminate anything from thin elastomeric tubing to heavy wall steel pipe.

In this type, UniLok rings swage the tubes onto a fitting with circumferential sealing lands, teeth, on its outside surface.  This geometry is used for deformable composite tubing and thin wall metallic tubing such as aluminum conduit and ducting.
Generally, the fitting is a harder material than the tube.  The teeth bite into the tube, locally flowing the tube material to create the seal and providing a mechanical interlock for burst, tensile and bending strength.

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Swaged Fitting Tube Joint
The UniLok ring compresses a fitting onto the outside of a tube.  Teeth on the inside of the fitting barrel are driven into the surface of the tube.  This design is applicable to most metallic pipe and tube except for very thin wall (small t/d).  It is also used for attaching metal fittings to rigid composite tube and polymeric fittings to thin wall metal tube.
Typically the fitting material is chosen to be of similar hardness to the tube.  However, polymeric fittings are generally of lower hardness than the tubing.  In this case sealing is achieved by flattening of the teeth against the tube.

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Hose Termination
The UniLok ring compresses elastomeric or plastic tubing onto a fitting with closely spaced sealing lands.  Potential applications include sonar towed arrays, geophysical streamers, high temperature Viton® sleeving, Teflon® tubing, and wiring harness boots for high temperature applications.  Generally UniLok rings are advantageous for high strength or thin walled tubing where crimp rings and hose clamps fail due to insufficient retained clamping force or non-uniform clamping pressure. Thin UniLok bands can be used where the closure mechanism on other bands creates problems with snagging, space constraints or, in towed arrays, noise generation.

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Rod and Cylinder Mechanical Joints
Many designs are possible depending on the requirements and materials involved.  One cylinder may overlap the other with a UniLok ring compressing the outer cylinder onto the inner cylinder.  In other cases, each end of a coupling sleeve is compressed onto a cylinder end by a ring. The joint may hold by simple friction of smooth surfaces pressed together, or teeth can be machined on one surface to dig into the other.  The outer cylinder or sleeve is normally slotted to reduce the ring clamping force required.  Slots offer the additional benefit in toothed designs by introducing circumferential interruptions in the teeth that increase torque strength.  Use for telescoping structures, metal to ceramic joints, etc.

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High strength coupling with zero axial and angular play. 

Interlocking crenellated cylinders, high torque strength

Tamperproof Fastening
UniLok nitinol rings are ideal for security and general tamper proofing applications, offering no conventional means of dis-assembly.  Removal generally requires cutting with powered abrasive tools or cooling with liquid nitrogen.  Use for field assembly of security hardware, tamperproof closures for instruments, etc..

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Blind Assembly
Since UniLok rings are actuated by temperature, they can be installed in remote or inaccessible locations. Heating can be accomplished by placing the assembly in an oven, ducting hot air or oil to the ring, induction heating or by conduction from an electric heater element.

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