Put It All Together
The key goal of final assembly is to verify that every component is put into place correctly so that it passes all of the code of federal regulations testing that is required for Dalmatian to meet.
By this point, all the air flow has to be going through the pack correctly. The first step of this is to take the pack and attach it to a Honeywell Posicheck testing station. That testing station is an industry standard test that effectively uses a computerized simulation for a lot of breathing situations. These situations include shallow breathing before the fire, deep breaths as you prepare, rapid breathing as your adrenaline rush starts to hit you, and more. The Posicheck makes sure the flow that is demanded by each breath is met with sufficient air.
It is a very sophisticated standard test that every pack starts with and each function of the pack is tested. If the pack doesn’t meet the test properly, then the technician has to identify and repair or adjust it. These repairs or adjustments are done with the guidance of the manufacturer’s service manuals. These are the by the book tests as defined by the manufacturers.
Another element that occurs that we have retained in the final assembly area is mask rebuilding. Mask rebuilding is very similar to what happens in our pre-assembly area but it is honed in our final assembly because the masks are such a critical part of our testing. Masks are disassembled and washed. Essentially, the steps are to disassemble the mask, hand-wash, disinfect, dry and reassemble.
The masks are put back together so that all seals are tested and screws are put in at the right torque. The lenses are checked to make sure the key viewing areas are free of scratches that would interfere with the user’s view. Everything is then put back together. Depending on the age of the mask we check the stretchiness of the straps to maintain that they have retained sufficient resilience to be used to hold the mask on properly. Having all the components, including masks, tested gives us a final pack.