PlaneWave Instruments Unveils Revolutionary Enclosures for Telescopes and Advanced Instrumentation
ADRIAN, MI — September 19, 2024 — PlaneWave Instruments, a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-tech observatory-class telescopes, is proud to announce the launch of its latest innovation: the PlaneWave Enclosures. These state-of-the-art Enclosures are designed to address the unique challenges of housing advanced telescopes and gimbal systems for remote and autonomous applications. Offering a significant leap forward in structural integrity, environmental protection, and rotation speed and acceleration, these enclosures have been designed to support the requirements of space-situational-awareness and lasercom ground stations.
With over 17 years of experience in the astronomical research market, PlaneWave has developed a deep understanding of the limitations of traditional telescope enclosures. This expertise has lead to the creation of the PlaneWave Enclosures, which are engineered to enhance the performance of today’s most advanced astronomical research, commercial, and defense applications.
“Our goal has always been to push the boundaries of what is possible in astronomy research and to support the needs of our advanced-applications customers,” said Richard Hedrick, President and CEO of PlaneWave Instruments. “With the introduction of our new Enclosures, we’re addressing critical issues that have persisted in the industry for decades. We believe these Enclosures will not only protect the instrumentation but also elevate the reliability and productivity of the entire observatory system.”
Key Features of PlaneWave Enclosures
Rotation of Full Structure on Industrial Sealed Baffling:
PlaneWave Enclosures are designed to rotate the entire structure on industrial sealed bearing, greatly improving structural rigidity and allowing for higher rotation velocities. This innovative approach simplifies and strengthens environmental sealing, reduces the overall footprint, and allows for simplified isolation of the telescope and instrument pier from the enclosure and support structure. The use of high-reliability, industrial commercial-off -the-shelf (COTS) bearings and servo motors enhances Mean Time Between Repairs (MTBR).
Tighter Fit to Enclosed Instrumentation:
PlaneWave Enclosures are designed with a tighter fit to the enclosed instrumentation, eliminating human occupancy considerations from permitting requirements. This design minimizes interior air volume, benefiting temperature and humidity regulation, and allows for the use of smaller optical windows and more power efficient HVAC systems. The reduced footprint and enhanced rigidity also make these enclosures ideal for trailer-mounted systems.
Addressing the Challenges of Traditional Domes:
Traditional clamshell and rotating domes present several challenges, including difficulties in environmental sealing, permitting requirements due to human occupancy, and large footprints. PlaneWave Enclosures overcome these challenges while retaining the benefits of traditional domes, such as protection from wind buffeting and solar heating. Additionally, the PlaneWave Enclosures are optionally available with a robotic window frame, which offers even greater protection of enclosed equipment by providing an internal, secondary shutter that moves with the optional window, in sync with the enclosed telescope. This provides the highest levels of environmental protection available in a commercially available observatory enclosure.
“Our Enclosures provide a robust and efficient solution for today’s advanced telescope systems,” Hedrick continued. “We’ve taken into account the evolving needs of the various users and industries we support and have created a product that meets those needs head-on, with the same precision and reliability that is synonymous with PlaneWave Instruments.”
PlaneWave Enclosures are now available for order, offering a groundbreaking solution for remote and autonomous astronomy, satellite observation, lasercom ground stations, and other applications that demand the highest levels of performance and protection.
For more information on PlaneWave Enclosures or to place an order, please visit www.planewave.com or contact our sales team at Sales@PlaneWave.com.
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