Early in our company history, we realized there is speed, flexibility, and cost savings in running our own facilities to handle and test energetic materials. Shipping new energetic devices is a huge obstacle due to DOT process time and lab testing costs. By operating a test site, we can quickly fabricate, assemble, transport, and detonate at one location.
Energetic Material Formulation
Typically, our R&D programs involve new energetic or reactive material (RM) formulations, improvements, or optimization. This process requires facilities with specialized equipment. Once fabricated, these RM’s are tested for safety and performance, e.g., total energy content, reaction rate, detonation speed, shock transmission, shock propagation, shock sensitivity, and sound speed.
Energetic Loading and Assembling
This is a unique skill set that is critical to safety and seamless execution of experiments. We have experience and facilities to support energetic assemblies from detonators to reactive bullets, to shape charge jets, to fragmenting warheads. These processes require detailed consideration of fabrication tolerances, assembly procedures, and tooling. For examples small-scale, high-fidelity munitions (left), final assembly (center), and large-scale surrogate sea mines (right).
Infrastructure for Test and Evaluation
Our explosive test facility is in Burnet County. It includes an 8,000 ft2 ballistics lab with hydroballistic tanks capable of simulating depths greater that 1000ft. for testing ballistic systems. Our arena and control room are shown along with a JMEM-Style arena test that can accommodate 20lb net explosive weight fragmenting warheads. Our engineers are experienced in using multiple techniques and high-speed diagnostics to measure pressure fields, impulse, energy, and fragmentation of ordnance prototypes. The control room has power and climate control at a safe distance to allow engineers and customers to view demonstrations on site by closed-circuit live video.
The test range has a 140ft deep freshwater quarry lake for underwater explosions, ballistics, or underwater UUV testing. The lake has multiple easements and high vantage points for imaging as well as 10-15ft year-round water clarity. Near the quarry lake are multiple shallow water ponds and an 80ft long trench. Photos of our ballistic and hydroballistics lab along with an aerial view of the quarry lake are shown. The building offers: indoor range for gun trials and projectile testing, a shallow water aquarium allowing underwater ballistics with excellent high-speed video, and a high-pressure tank to simulate deep water conditions with high-speed video recording. EMPI has a Type 10 FFL and explosive manufacturing ATFE license.
After 20 years of operating as a profitable small business, we are interested in exploring a strategic partnership and/or financial investment to access new markets and accelerate growth by teaming up with a larger, established organization that provides complementary strengths in: business development and program capture; as well as product development marketing and distribution, and manufacturing capabilities.