The new D-CAT air trap
 

Hi all, its been over 6 years since I designed and started manufacturing the CAT - Composite Air Trap, during these 6 years the design was updated a little and became the CAT-V2 sporting an ABS plastic base system, black FR4 end caps and chromed barbs.

The concept remained the same however as it worked.

Over time more products have emerged on the market following a similar theme, so I've had a long hard look at the design, studied air bubble behaviour in fuel and along with a colleague who runs an engineering company and is a keen jet flyer we have developed the new D-CAT.

The official launch will take place at Jetpower this year, where I will show the 2 most popular sizes in the new range and hopefully one for the 300N + turbines too.

I dont want to give too much away but the new design has some unique features which I believe are not used by any other manufacturer, suffice to say it will raise the bar just like the original CAT series.

The D-CAT contains no filter, so fuel flow is unrestricted, the system uses no glue so it can be used with petrol/gasoline engines too, it can be totally dismantled, full 360 degree mounting brackets allows the D-CAT to be rotated to any angle without having to remove or reposition the mounting brackets, cnc machined and anodised, option for user to fit Festo connectors if required although it will be supplied with chromed barbs as these are still the best and safest way to connect a pipe. The list goes on but I don't want to give too much away just yet!

Testing is underway, both bench and full flight testing are in progress - we don't envisage any issues.

There is currently planned to be 3 versions, D-CAT-M which will cover turbines up to 200N, the D-CAT-L which will cover 200-300N turbines and the D-CAT-U which will cover 300-500N turbines, hopefully we will have all three at Jetpower.

As a design the new D-CAT will be incredibly strong, very efficient, lightweight, easy to mount and adjust, good looking and following testing by a 3rd party suitable for applications outside RC models.

The current CAT-V2 range will be run alongside the new product for a short time, due to my father passing away a few months ago production of CAT-V2 had to be put on hold for family reasons, I'm just starting to manufacture again and once I have fulfilled some large trade orders I will re-introduce them to my web site. I will carry some of the CAT-V2 product at Jetpower too for those who wanting this product.

I will post more info closer to the time.

Thank you for all your support and hope you like the new D-CAT when it launches.

marcs

please supply with spare o-rings if components are separable. :-)

I might :rolleyes:

marcs

Transparency to see air bubbles internally - trouble shooting purposes

Yup has that.....

marcs

Latest update on the new D-CAT.

So here is some more information around this new unique design - the new product is called the D-CAT series and this stands for DUAL CELL AIR TRAP
As the name implies the design incorporates two 'cells', why you may ask, good question......

I've always been aware that any pickup device delivers a level of restriction on the fuel flow, in addition due to debris or contaminants in fuel the pickup medium can over time become clogged. The result can be a restriction on fuel flow and this can lead to cavitation and associated problems further down the fuel delivery line. The ideal solution would be to have a pickup without any filter medium which introduces an opportunity for clogging - almost all products on the market today use some form of filter medium at the pickup.

Just having an 'open' pickup in the centre of the device is not in my eyes enough security against air bubbles which travel around in the air trap during flight, yes the majority do tend to follow the outer cell/tank of the UAT but it's not good to assume this is always the case.

The D-CAT has a unique inner cell which 'shields' the open pickup positioned in the centre of the device, air bubbles will move around in the normal way in the outer cell remaining clear of the pickup. If air bubbles do enter the inner cell then special vents at each end bleed these air bubbles back into the outer cell/tank as soon as the D-CAT tilts a fraction from parallel - its very much like a spirit level, the slightest inclination of the level and the bubble moves from the window.

So the D-CAT contains no pickup filter medium so allows free flowing fuel with no chance of clogging or restrictions. The 'cells' are transparent so you can see inside to check if your fuel system is performing as it should. The whole unit can be dismantled as no glue is used to service etc. The new mounting system allows full 360 degree rotational freedom so the D-CAT can be positioned with total freedom in your jet. Supplied with custom made chromed barbs for maximum bore size, customers can add Festo fittings if required as the thread sizes are designed to allow this.

Attached is the pre-production D-CAT being used for testing, the production D-CAT will be fully colour anodised, the grub screws used to secure the D-CAT to its mounts will be flush fitting to the mounting frames and the barbs will be chromed

Launching at Jetpower in September this new edition to the CAT range raises the bar to a new level.

Looking forward to chatting and meeting you at Jetpower where I will be happy to show you the new D-CAT.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2176474

marcs

Wow looks like a fantastic product Mark! You where really thinking outside the box on this one. Glad to see a new idea! :)

Appreciate the comment and yes felt it was about time the concept moved forwards.

marcs

Wow, looks like a work of art. Happy customer here with your 130 and 80ml CATS and looking forward to more products. The 130 replaced a UAT in a 120N system and there is no comparison - the CAT flows so much better. Pump Vmax was down .4 with just that change.

TT thats the whole reason behind my thought process, the flow needs to be as clean as possible as it makes such a difference, appreciate your support.

marc

Marc,

I am a complete convert of your CAT thinking and your fantastic service. The D-CAT with your new free/open flow, together with the incorporation of the various wishes we have all expressed, can only make for a total winner - at a new level.

Well done.

Jan

Looks good Marc, Great to see new ideas and products.

Looks heavy. I like my CATs :)

Jan, Alex, Andy, appreciate the comments and support.

Andy, it is heavier than the CAT V2, we have spent a lot of time adjusting machining processes to lighten the whole unit, the detail in the mounts shows this. For the protection it offers I would find other areas to loose a few oz's to compensate if it were me :)

marcs

The concept is fantastic though. I like the way you think and are pushing the envelope using technology to address this issue. This looks like a great product.

Wich tubing will it be designed for? On the CAT, it is allmost impossible to fit normal Festo tubing

It's not impossible. I like them tight. Take some needle nose plyers and spread out the tubing. It slides right over without hardly any effort.

What Tygon are you using, the stuff I use which I think is 6m OD fits perfectly.....

marcs

I don't use tygon, i use Festo tubing 4 and 6 mm. And i don't like to ekspand the tube with plyer.

Interesting how do you get it on to real tight fits? (some heat the tube, but boy that's cumbersome...too me!)

I just use my man hands. Not everyone has them. Ha!

If you don't like pliers nor warming the tube (which can be done in hot water) then maybe use a pencil and push this into the end, it will ease the opening a little which helps.

In reality whatever fitting size I use some wont like it for some reason, the D-CAT will have barbs supplied, the customer can fit them or fit any other fitting he likes (preferably Festo/SMC) so hopefully this will satisfy a few more customers :rolleyes:

marcs

He,he, sorry for asking. I just use another product that comes with Festo QS fittings. No problem.

I will keep on using Supertrap from Intairco. They listen to customers and supply what the customer wants, instead of trying to make fun of them.

Well, for someone who publicly makes fun of Bob's name, I don't think that the comment is really appropriate.
I am not sure if you realize how insulting your ID is.