Overview

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense (EBA&D) Company is a leading provider of Plastic Bonded Explosives (PBX) to the aerospace and defense industries. EBA&D's staff of scientists and engineers have extensive experience in the scale up and production of PBX products to meet DOD, aerospace and commercial requirements as well as developmental and specialty applications. No matter what the use, our products are designed to meet customer specifications in an efficient and cost-effective way. With our team of experienced chemists and technical personnel, as well as a diverse array of high-tech processes and analytical instrumentation, we are well established as experts in the field of energetic materials.

Application

Plastic Bonded Explosives are used in various forms such as Sheet, Detonating Cord, Paste, and Pressing Powders.

Description

Plastic Bonded Explosives, commonly referred to as PBX generally consist of a PETN, RDX or HMX base explosive, plasticizers and binders resulting in a less sensitive, water-proof explosive.

Manufacturing Capabilities

EBA&D's PBX manufacturing facility is located on our 1100 acre site in Graham, Kentucky. It consists of central processing areas for mixing, extruding, cutting, explosive warehousing and various Load Assemble and Pack (LAP) areas. EBA&D manufactures over 200,000 pounds of PBX products annually and can accommodate projects in the development, scale up or production phase. Some capabilities are:

• Precision Roll Milling
• Hydro-Cutting
• Extrusion

PBX Development Lab—EBA&D maintains a core capability in PBX development for new, improved, modified and specialty PBX products to meet our customer's needs. We have successfully developed custom pressing and cast-cure powders as well as emulsion coating processes and IM explosives including:

• PBXN-301 (Navy IM Explosive)
• Various Composition A Explosives
• Polyurethane Based Low Velocity Sheet Explosive
• PBXW-17 (IM Qualified Explosive)

PBX Mixing and Extruding—EBA&D produces various PBX products in a batch process ranging from five to one thousand pounds to reduce waste and provide for developmental and low rate production for new products. Through our precision roll milling, extrusion and hydro-cutting we can accommodate most design configurations from blocks and sheet to strips and tubes and maintain high dimensional tolerances for Reactive Armor applications.

PBX Products

• Primasheet® 1000 (PETN, MIL-E-46676A)
• Primasheet® 2000 (RDX, MIL-E-46676A)
• Primasheet® 3000 (HMX Based)
• LF-2 (Reactive Armor application)
• ACE^TM Advanced Cutting Explosive (OES-0006)
• SOB® Slip On Boosters (MIL-E-46676A), NAVSEA DWG 6545554
• Explosive Paste (Extrudable C-4 Like Explosive)
• KYX Blocks (RDX Based)
• IM Explosives
• PBXN-10
• PAX-1 and 2
• PBXN-8
• YJ05 — cast cure
• C4
• MK 75 Hose charge

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