MCALESTER, Okla. -- By working as a team at the Defense Ammunition Center Engineering Directorate, a new piece of Ammunition Peculiar Equipment, APE, was developed for the Joint Munitions Command APE Program and fielded successfully to Soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas.
Fort Hood's Ammunition Supply Point received the Army's first detonation cord measuring device March 29, 2012.
The APE 1990 Detonating Cord/Time Fuse Measuring Device accurately tracks the amount of detonation cord being issued out or returned to inventory. The machine is constructed so that the detonation cord sits on a feeder spool on one end, travels through a measuring device, and is reeled onto an issue spool on the other end.
"The APE 1990 can be used to help split up large spools into smaller spools for better support with less waste," said Frank Dilts, DAC mechanical engineering technician. "The APE 1990 is mounted on a mobile cart for convenience."
Fort Hood developed the prototype, but could not get a safety approval on their unit so they requested DAC assistance in developing a unit that had proper safety approvals.
"I took their prototype and designed a new unit and the DAC pilot model shop built the APE 1990 from my drawing," said Dilts.
Along with building the actual machine, DAC worked with JMC demiliterization and APE Management and Safety Divisions to receive a final safety approval on the APE 1990, produced an operator's manual and a complete set of fabrication drawings.
"We produced a complete package from design to safety approval of the APE
1990," said Mr. Dilts.
The JMC APE Program has requested the DAC Equipment Engineering Division build 13 more APE 1990's for Ammunition Supply Points throughout the United States, Korea and Hawaii.
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