PLASTIMO COMPASSES : 40 YEARS ON THE RIGHT COURSE
ONLY THE BEST WILL DO !
For ultimate quality, Plastimo selects the best components in order to ensure that your compass is a highly dependable instrument which will provide years of reliable service.
· A sapphire equips
every compass : its hardness is a warranty for the long life and precision
of your compass.
· All Plastimo compasses feature an anti-vibration system, which ensures
a minimal contact between the pivot and the sapphire cup ; the latest-born
"Vibration absorber" device damps spinning caused by high-speed
pounding and vibration
· A compass is a meticulously engineered instrument : all the "precious"
components are produced by Swiss clock-makers, worldwide famous for their
legendary precision.
· The soft Viton® diaphragm or the semi-soft ultra-sound welded
diaphragm is fully waterproof and has an extreme expansion and retraction
capacity : it compensates the fluctuations in fluid volume caused by the differences
in temperature and atmospheric pressure.
· All plastic components -and more specifically the material used for
the dome- are carefully selected to withstand shocks, UV-rays and harsh marine
environment.
· The crystal transparency of the dome and the exceptional magnifying
index of the fluid contribute to the perfect legibility of the card.
Needless to say, all Plastimo compasses comply with the regulation… but Plastimo's stringent requirements are even more demanding : at every stage of production, each compass is tracked, checked and thoroughly inspected, so that quality is never a coincidence.
· Accelerated ageing tests, carried out in our laboratories, guarantee that the dome and all other components are totally impervious to UV rays.
· Vibration tests used to simulate the vibrations generated by rough sea and high-speed : the card must remain absolutely stable, whatever the vibration frequency. While the regulation requires tests from 7 to 40 Hz, Plastimo challenges its compasses to tests between 5 and 100 Hz.
· Temperature tests : our compasses are tested in heated and refrigerated cabinets from +60° to -20°C (+140° to -4°F). Even in these extreme temperatures, the compass must not leak or develop bubbles.
· Stability tests : when the card is deflected (40° or 90°), it must return to its original position and settle within a predetermined time (called the "half-period").
· Precision and accuracy are tested on each cardinal point. After a 95° deflection, the card must return to its original position, within a 1° maximum allowance.
· Packaging protection : in order to guarantee optimum protection during transport, we regularly drop test our packaged compasses from a 1 metre height to a hard surface.
· Final quality
tests : assembled, packaged and ready for shipment, Plastimo compasses are
once again inspected with a statistical sampling.
