For more than 30 years, Margie Mattingly has been at the forefront of high-temperature accelerometer design. Focusing on Sensing Systems and working with her strongest team ever, she has developed a new product line which delivers world-beating performance at a much lower cost.
I remember the first time I saw an accelerometer in a 600°C oven. The door opened and there was this device, about the size of a walnut. It was vibrating on a shaker and producing a flawless output signal. This thing’s incredible, I thought. Even though it’s glowing red hot, it can reliably measure virtually imperceptible changes in vibration. These devices have found their way onto satellites, the space shuttle, and almost every jet aircraft engine in the world.
I was hooked on the world of high temperatures and I was in exactly the right place to learn more. A number of the world’s leading experts in this area worked in the building and I was fortunate enough to be mentored by them. Within a couple of years, I was overseeing projects. Later, I designed a number of sensors myself such as the first piezoelectric accelerometers.
These mission critical components can operate continuously from – 269 to 760°C and they have a lifespan of about 500,000 hours. Understanding the science to find the right materials, as well as developing the processes and assembly techniques that would allow these sensors to operate in such extreme environments has been a fascinating series of challenges.
Meggitt has developed many industry firsts in sensor design dating back to 1947 when the business was founded under the Endevco name.
One of the reasons for our success is that the company invests heavily in promoting an atmosphere of creative thinking focused on unique but practical product development. That’s also why we can attract such impressive talent: one of my colleagues, Bruce Wilner, recently received a lifetime innovation award from the Shock and Vibration Exchange. He has been with the company for 52 years and holds 30 patents – when you think what an achievement it is to file even one patent, this is a remarkable accomplishment. Our younger engineers aren’t doing too badly either: Tom Kwa holds six patents in areas such as micro pressure and acceleration sensors, some of which are under 0.1mm in size.
Today, being the market leader is still our goal. We’re focusing particularly on expanding in the test and measurement market, partly because in a recession customers monitor their equipment more closely to avoid costly maintenance and increase lifespan. To keep ahead, we’re always looking for ways to reduce overall costs and to add more functionality at low cost.
A number of the world’s leading experts in my area worked in the building. I was fortunate enough to be mentored by them
I wondered, for example, if we could adapt a design from one of our sister companies as a template for a range of low cost, high volume sensors with very high performance. Further inspiration came as I was replacing a threaded fitting in the sprinkler system in my yard which had been run over for the nth time.
I came up with the idea of a sensor pod which threads into a variety of mounting bases. By mixing a few sensors with different bases you can create 15 different types of sensor with varying specialisms. We filed a patent in February 2014 and we launched in September. We’ve now expanded the design’s modularity, allowing us to make many different products at a substantially lower price.
I think these developments are only really possible because of the extraordinary legacy we have. Right now, for example, we have the father of low-noise cabling coming back in to help us upgrade designs for our Swiss facility.
Overall, the strength of our current position is the result of careful but bold acquisition over the years and, today, our expertise is focused on centres of excellence around the world: aircraft sensor and electronics in Switzerland, crystals in Denmark, test and measurement sensors, cable and connectors here in California.
Expertise and innovation isn’t just about our products, though. There are interesting developments on the operational and manufacturing side too. Now we have these high-volume products, we’ve had to look at how we raise output because we’re expecting some big sales this year. There’s room to streamline and we’re having some great discussions about that now.
In all the work I do here, I can see a whole new generation of talent emerging and I am delighted we are laying down the foundations for tomorrow’s breakthroughs. I’m mentoring a very bright engineer and to help her and others that follow, I’ve formalised all I’ve learnt over the years in a training manual. I’ve also developed spreadsheets that can run the complex calculation models we need. That means new joiners will be able to take advantage of the foundation I helped create and then speed past my accomplishments to create their own.
The training I’ve had here has always been strong, from core skills like technical writing to obtaining an MBA. Within a year of getting that degree, I was promoted to an engineering manager and Meggitt has always allowed me to explore different paths- I’ve been programme manager, chief engineer and operations manager, where I was actively involved in compliance issues and classifications.
We have come a long way in high-temperature sensors since that oven door opened to give me my first view. We led the way back then and we’re entering a new phase of firsts today. We’re growing fast and we’re at a point in the evolution of the group as a whole where there are opportunities for energetic and determined engineers to explore more avenues than ever, in sensing systems and beyond.
There’s no doubt in my mind that if I was going to do it all again, I’d come to exactly the same place.