Narrator: Welcome back aboard! Fishing for boat improvement?
Well you caught it. Right here at Ship Shape TV.
Wolf: John, these are virgin
polycarbonate pellets which are used in the manufacture
of the Perko Battery Switch.
John: What are the physical characteristics
of polycarbonate as a base material?
Wolf: Polycarbonate has excellent impact resistance,
extreme toughness and it also has good electrical properties
which are necessary for the battery switches.
John: Awesome. Hey I want to tell everybody
who we have the privilege having back on the program
This is Wolf Nennig.
And Wolf is the director of engineering
down here in Miami, Florida.
This is Perko Incorporated.
Which is a 430 thousand square foot manufacturing facility
for marine hardware. And you guys are one of the leading
industry experts in making battery switches.
And how do we go from these pellets,
to actually forming the housing for a battery switch?
Let's talk about the machine that's behind us.
Wolf: Okay. First of all we start off
by drying the pellets in that large drying hopper behind us.
And the pellets are dried for 3 to 4 hours
before we can process them.
John: Now is this a process of heat?
Or is this a process of high pressure?
Wolf: It's a process of both.
The plastic is melted inside the barrel,
and then it's injected under high pressure into the mold.
John: So the auger becomes a plunger,
and it moves the shot to the mold.
Alright now how hot is the the material?
Wolf: The material is heated up to around 600 degrees
John: Okay, and can I touch this at this point?
Wolf: Certainly.
John: Alright cause I want to show everybody
one of the housings. It's a little bit warm but
it is manageable.
And, this is the housing
What do we do with this portion right here on the battery switch?
Wolf: Okay this is the sprue and that's where the
plastic is injected into the mold.
And then it's drilled out as a secondary operation.
John: Well let's talk about the internal components
on the battery switch. Where is that made?
Wolf: The copper segments are made in our stamping department.
John: Could you take me over there?
Wolf: Let's go!
John: Very good!
(*hammer clank*)
Wolf: John I want to show you the material
that we use in our battery selectors here.
We use 4 inch wide by 3/32 thick copper.
And Steve, a punch press operator,
he's punching out four of the components
that make up the inside of the battery switch.
John: Is that what these parts are right here on this table?
Wolf: That's correct.
John: Now what exactly are these parts here Wolf?
Wolf: Those three are the segments that actually
connect to the battery terminals.
John: I know that you make a lot of different battery
switches here at Perko.
Which one is he punching parts out for?
Wolf: This is for our four position battery switch.
John: Now I heard that you guys do something pretty
unique in the testing of your battery switches.
And where is that done? Over in final assembly?
Wolf: It's in final assembly and I'll be glad to show it to you.
John: Awesome let's take a look!
Wolf: Okay!
Wolf: John, this board represents all the various
battery switches that we assemble here at Perko.
John: You got to be kidding me! That's quite a few.
Wolf: Yes we do! Now this young lady here
she's riveting the copper
segments to the back plate.
John: I see that we have several working stations here.
Wolf: We have a couple of assembly
stations where the switches are assembled
with all the various components.
All these components
are made here at Perko.
John: Okay, now I've heard that you guys to a lot testing.
In fact, every battery switch
gets tested before it goes out to a boater.
Is that true?
Wolf: That's true. We test them once before
they are ultrasonically assembled.
And we test them again after they have been
ultrasonically assembled.
John: What percentage of return
do you get with the battery switch?
Are they pretty reliable?
Wolf: These are very reliable.
We get a fraction of a percent
back a year. That's minuscule.
John: Awesome. Wolf thank you so much
for all the information. Hey right now we need to take
another time out. But keep it right here
because when we come back, we're gonna be back
out on the water. And we're gonna be dealing with battery switches.
This time at Ship Shape University,
we're gonna show you how to maximize
the battery switch.
Especially starting the engines
and running your 12 volt accessories.
We'll cover it, right after this.
Congratulations John and staff!
Ship Shape TV is celebrating it's
10th season on the air!
Great job!