PLOWSHARES : The Cutting Edge: Computing / Technology / Innovation : Getting More Bang for Rescue Device Bucks

Defense industry explosives aren’t usually intended for humanitarian purposes. But Hi-Shear Technology Corp. of Torrance, a producer of aerospace systems, is trying to develop a new Jaws of Life-type rescue device powered by the explosive cartridges it now sells for powering jet fighter ejection seats.

If the effort succeeds, the rescue device could eventually account for 50% of the company’s sales, transforming it from a defense-dependent contractor to a diversified commercial manufacturing firm, according to Don Novotny, Hi-Shear’s vice president for business development.

Hi-Shear won $700,000 in government funding for the project last year under the Clinton Administration’s technology reinvestment program, a centerpiece of the Administration’s defense-conversion efforts.

The government funding amounts to half the projected development cost of Hi-Shear’s rescue device. The project also includes participation by the Torrance Fire Department, which will test and evaluate the device.

Conventional rescue devices operate on hydraulic pressure fed by a gasoline engine and pump, and they require a crew to set up the machinery. The cumbersome hoses that carry hydraulic fluid also limit rescue operations in cramped areas. For example, the devices often cannot be used in a collapsed building after an earthquake, Novotny said.

Hi-Shear’s device, which resembles a large pair of scissors, will be lighter and less expensive than a Jaws of Life. Each stroke of the scissors would require the use of a single cartridge. Cutting open the roof of a car, for example, would require four cartridges. Thus, each sale of the device ensures a steady business in cartridges.

Novotny said Hi-Shear’s device will cost less than half the $10,000 to $15,000 price of a conventional Jaws of Life device. Hi-Shear hopes to be able to introduce the product at a price of only a few thousand dollars so it can win orders from the hundreds of rural and volunteer fire departments unable to afford conventional systems.

Hi-Shear’s explosive cartridges for military customers must meet strict quality standards because a pilot’s life depends on them in an emergency. The cartridges are also used to separate stages of high-value rockets and deploy antennas on spacecraft.

Novotny says competitors should have a tough time figuring out the chemical composition and physical configuration for a cartridge, thus giving the firm a crucial lead in the new market.