Screwdriving Machine Helps Arrow Maker Hit Bull's-Eye
At that moment, chances are good the hunter wasn't thinking about how his arrowhead was assembled. That's the job of engineers at New Archery Products (NAP, Forest Park, IL), a manufacturer of arrowheads and other bow hunting accessories.
One of the company's most innovative products is the Spitfire mechanical arrowhead. This reusable, broad arrowhead flies through the air in a compact, folded position for optimum flight characteristics, then opens up mechanically to deploy its blades upon impact. Because of its complexity, the arrowhead had to be carefully assembled by hand. Each head required the insertion of three scalpel-sharp, 0.03-inch thick hardened steel blades; three 0.004-inch thick, flat, stainless steel retention springs; and three stainless steel miniature screws. Each component had to be registered to one another within a 0.003-inch total tolerance zone.