magnilux - Astronomy Technology Today

INDUSTRYNEWS
PRECISE PARTS
Offers Online Build-An-Adapter Service
Precise Parts is well
know for its services in
designing and machining
one-of-a-kind telescope
accessories in aluminum,
stainless steel, brass,
bronze, titanium, and
Teflon. All of their products
are custom made.
The company fabricates
hard to find replacement
parts for vintage telescopes
and can replicate a
part based either on an
existing unit, a picture, an
engineering drawing, or
even a simple sketch.
Precise Parts can also
design an entirely new part
to fulfill a specific need.
The company specializes
in fabricating high-quality
custom adapters, with fast
turn around, for astronomy
and astrophotography applications,
although it also make parts for other fields as
well.
To make designing and ordering your
custom precision adapter even simpler,
Precise Parts has created the automated
Build-An-Adapter online ordering system.
With its extensive knowledge base of
telescope, camera and accessory specifications,
the Build-An-Adapter tool can quickly
determine sizes, threads, diameters and
finish required to create a custom adapter
to match most instrument and accessory
combinations.
The Build-An-Adapter tool is surprisingly
simple to use. Steps are clearly defined
throughout the process and there is a comprehensive
FAQ section to help with the
process. And at any time in the process, you
can contact Precise Parts directly if you have
any questions. Shown is a screen shot of the
process
We decided to test the range of the
Built-An-Adapter service by asking it to configure
an adapter for an unlikely application:
using a Questar Standard 3.5 as a guidescope.
Hey, it could happen! To further stress the
system, we specified that the adapter must
mate an autoguider (in our case an Orion
StarShoot Autoguider) to the axial port of the
Questar 3.5. The result With only five
mouse clicks we had designed a custom
adapter that fit the bill. Another click added
the custom designed and fabricated, blackanodized
aluminum adapter, with internal
anti-reflection treatment and dust caps, to
the Precise Parts shopping cart – and at a very
reasonable price.
We were very impressed with the
simplicity of the comprehensive Build-
An-Adapter service and are satisfied that it
provides a great resource for astro-imagers by
providing precise adapters for any application
– even those as unlikely as that of our test
application. For more information, please
visit www.preciseparts.com.
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY 19