- David Clark Company
-
David Clark Company, Inc. 
Type Private Corporation Industry Electronics and textiles manufacturing Founded 1935 Founder(s) David M. Clark Headquarters Worcester, Massachusetts, United States Key people Robert A. Vincent, President Products Communication headsets, protective clothing and equipment Operating income $20 to $50 million (est.) Employees 300 (est., D&B) Subsidiaries Air-Lock, Inc. Website davidclark.com David Clark Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer, best known for (both active and passive) noise attenuating headsets with boom microphones for use in military aviation, commercial aviation, industry and professional communication in high-noise environments. Their distinctive, sage green colored headphones are often seen being worn by aviators, firefighters and newscasters.
Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the company was founded in 1935 by Mr. David M. Clark. It started in the textile business with the development of unique knitted materials for specialty undergarments and over time evolved to making products that protect people and save lives.
David Clark Company (DCC) is housed in a four-story building containing approximately 215,000 square feet (20,000 m2) of working area. DCC designs and manufactures a wide variety of aerospace and industrial protective equipment, including pressure-space suit systems, anti-G suits, noise attenuating communication headset systems and several medical/safety products. A pioneer in the field, DCC has been involved in the design and manufacture of air-space crew protective equipment since 1941, beginning with the design and development of the first standard anti-G suits and valves used by allied fighter pilots during World War II. The experience gained over the ensuing years includes intimate association with airframe manufacturers, test forces and operational air-space crew and support personnel which provides the knowledge necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of technical requirements for the design, development, manufacturing, and support of aerospace crew protective equipment systems.
David Clark Company is uniquely qualified in the design and manufacture of pressure/space suits, having pioneered this highly specialized field developing partial pressure suits for NASA's Bell X-1 rocket-powered research aircraft in the 1940s, and full pressure suits for the D558-2 and North American X-15 research aircraft in the 1950s. DCC's X-15 suit design became the basis for all of its subsequent full pressure suits, including the space suits worn by astronauts for the first U.S. extravehicular activities (EVA) conducted during NASA's Project Gemini.
Since 1946, David Clark's continuous pressure suit research and development efforts, sponsored largely by the Department of Defense to support its USAF high altitude aircraft (Lockheed U-2 and SR-71) programs, resulted in the late 1980s development of a new generation pressure suit aimed at improved pilot comfort, reduced stress and fatigue, and improved maintainability. The resultant S1034 Pilot's Protective Assembly (PPA) proved to be lighter weight, cooler, more comfortable, less burdensome and easier to maintain than all prior models. The S1034 PPA has since become the USAF and DoD standard pressure suit and served as the basis for NASA's S1035 Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES), which was adopted for the Space Shuttle program, replacing DCC's (partial pressure) S1032 Launch Entry Suit (LES). Both the S1034 PPA and S1035 ACES continue to be used operationally by USAF and NASA, respectively.
Throughout the 1990s, DCC conducted Engineering Design and Development activities for the USAF Advanced Technology Anti-G Suit (ATAGS) program. This included pattern grading, small scale production, development of production documentation, as well as design and analysis of advanced ATAGS/Combat Edge vest designs for F-22 Raptor applications and/or equipment incorporating advanced materials for reduced inflation times, minimized thermal burden, and improved comfort.
David Clark Company continues its design and development of aerospace crew protective equipment as advanced materials and processes become available. Among the most recent efforts was the design and development of the Tactical Flyer's Ensemble (United States Patent 7,076,808). The basis for the design of this ensemble of equipment was to facilitate aircrew performance by minimizing the effects of environmental stress factors associated with flight operations. This was primarily accomplished through the use of advanced materials and a consolidation of garment functions within a wholly integrated design. Research has also been conducted to develop the next generation of advanced pressure/space suit systems which will be required to satisfy emerging manned space exploration requirements. This included the development of the S1035-X ("D-suit") in the late 1990s and the follow-on Enhanced Mobility ACES circa 2005.
In 2008, David Clark Company, along with its wholly owned subsidiary, Air-Lock, Inc. of Milford, Connecticut, partnered with Houston, Texas based Oceaneering Space Systems to develop the Constellation Space Suit System (CSSS) for use on the upcoming Constellation program.
In 2010 they worked on the Red Bull "Stratos" project to develop the pressure suit that was to be worn during Felix Baumgartner's record skydive attempt.[1]
References
External links
Categories:- Manufacturing companies based in Massachusetts
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
