Auburn Manufacturing Inc. (AMI) — a Mechanic Falls, Maine-based developer, manufacturer and marketer of textile products for extreme-temperature industrial applications — has been awarded a $3.5 million, five-year contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to supply more than 200,000 yards of its AMI-SIL® fabric to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (NSY) in Bremerton, Wash., for use in hot work operations during ship repair.
AMI-SIL silica fabrics are third-party-certified and comply with the ANSI/FM 4950 performance-based standard for hot-work fabrics. The standard is a requirement under the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 51B: Standard for Fire Prevention During Welding, Cutting and Other Hot Work. The company reports the fabrics can withstand temperatures of 1800°F on a continuous basis, compared to 1000°F for AMI’s fiberglass fabrics, and have a melting point exceeding 3000°F. AMI also notes that when used horizontally for welding protection, one layer of AMI-SIL AS3600 fabric — which has a “Pad” rating per ANSI/FM 4950 — can withstand molten metal slag without burning a piece of paper directly under the fabric.
“The contract reflects the continued confidence the Department of Defense has in our products,” said Kathie Leonard, President and CEO, AMI. “We’ve been supplying hot work safety fabrics to the Navy for over twenty years under various contracts, and are now well over 1.5 million yards. Our AMI-SIL fabrics have consistently passed the government’s rigorous inspections and meet all their specifications.”
All of AMI’s manufacturing operations are carried out at the company’s facilities in Maine. Leonard noted that retaining its U.S. manufacturing based helped AMI win the contract.
June 10, 2014
