Carleton Life Support Systems Inc. - Manufacturing Capabilities

Since pilots have had the need to breathe at high altitudes, Carleton Life Support Systems Inc. has been there for them, providing oxygen enriched air and committing to the safety of their mission.
Carleton Life Support Systems is a world leader in the application of air separation technology for aviation applications and in the design and manufacture of miniature sterling cycle cryogenic coolers. Bendix Aviation founded the company in 1951 and the sold the facility to Litton Industries in 1982. Northrop Grumman Corporation acquired Litton Industries in 2001 and then in August 2003, divested the Life Support division, based in Davenport, IA, to Cobham plc, Dorsett, United Kingdom. Carleton Life Support is now part of the Carleton Technologies family of companies owned by Cobham.
Since its inception, Carleton Life Support has continually challenged its employees by encouraging forward thinking and maintaining its leadership role in advanced technology for military and commercial products. Life Support has developed an attention for details and prides itself on its rich history and reputation for excellence. Today, that persistence and innovation has transformed Carleton Life Support into a world-class operation that is on the forefront of superior new technology and continued market leadership.

Manufacturing The Carleton Life Support Systems Manufacturing department is divided into three strategic business units: Life Support, Medical and Cryogenic Coolers. These departments are supported by a comprehensive Purchasing, Fabrication, and Technical Services Department.
Strategic Business Units Each Strategic Business Unit staff includes a mix of Manufacturing and Production Engineers. Manufacturing Engineers work closely with Engineering, Quality and Production to ensure the quality, function, and manufacturability of the product is maintained as products are transitioned into production. Production Engineers develop and maintain the manufacturing processes and work closely with production to resolve manufacturing issues. Both Manufacturing and Production Engineers work in teams with production personnel to improve quality and reduce manufacturing costs. Automated and manual test equipment used by the production departments utilizes the latest technology to ensure accuracy and reliability of testing data.
Fabrication The Fabrication Department boasts the following abilities: Full Machine Shop, Model Shop, Lapping, Soldering, Painting, and Parts Washing for oxygen service. The Machine Shop has three CNC vertical milling machines and four CNC lathes and one screw machine. The Lapping Department finishes all of the lapped parts used in Carleton Life Support Systems products and is capable of holding flatness of 0.00005 in and finishes to 2 micron. The Model Shop works directly with the Engineering Staff to machine prototype parts from 3-D models.
Technical Services The Technical Services Department has the capability to calibrate and maintain all of the test equipment utilized by the Production and Engineering Departments. Tech Services utilize the latest calibration technology to calibrate each test stand at regular intervals to ensure product quality.