Abstract: A thermal valve unit is provided for use with an oil filled screw compressor. The thermal valve unit can be affixed to an exterior pipe segment and can include a thermally responsive element in thermal communication with compressed air traversing through the pipe segment. The valve unit can include a movable valve member actuated by the thermally responsive element that opens and closes oil passages to selectively route oil either to a heat exchanger prior to being delivered to the oil filled compressor, or directly to the compressor without passing through the heat exchanger.

Abstract: A thermal valve unit is provided for use with an oil filled screw compressor. The thermal valve unit can be affixed to an exterior pipe segment and can include a thermally responsive element in thermal communication with compressed air traversing through the pipe segment. The valve unit can include a movable valve member actuated by the thermally responsive element that opens and closes oil passages to selectively route oil either to a heat exchanger prior to being delivered to the oil filled compressor, or directly to the compressor without passing through the heat exchanger.

Abstract: A mirror includes a mirror body with a reflective coating on at least one mirror surface. The mirror body is formed of a plastic into which a filler is mixed. The mirror body is preferably formed by injection molding of a mixture of the plastic and the solid filler. The mirror is used in optical imaging applications such as an infrared optical system.

Abstract: A mirror having improved resistance to heat distortion and loss of dimensional stability when exposed to heat radiation . The mirror has a substrate of glass or plastic having front and back surfaces which can be of similar or different shape , and is coated with similar or dissimilar low-emissivity reflected layers on both surfaces. Radiation is reflected by the back surface (away from the mirror) thereby reducing amount of energy which is absorbed at the back surface of the mirror. This equalizes the temperature through the mirror and reduces thermally included warping of the mirror.

Abstract: Low-cost composite infrared windows that are transparent to long wave infrared radiation (8-12 microns) that provide sufficient strength and impact resistance for automotive-type environments, and the like. The windows may be used with night vision systems for automobiles, surveillance imaging systems, and other applications requiring low cost, long wave infrared windows. In one embodiment, the composite infrared window is a sandwich comprised of a polyethylene plastic film bonded with an acrylic adhesive to a relatively thin (0.015-0.040 inch) silicon substrate. The thin silicon substrate is mechanically stiff and low cost, and transmits in the 8-12 micron bandpass. The thin (0.001-0.007 inch) plastic film provides an exterior particle impact absorbing layer sufficient to enable the use of the window in automotive applications.

Abstract: Production of precision reflective mirror surfaces on low cost, lightweight molded plastic substrates (10). The process involves making a master pattern (12) having a precision machined contoured surface (13) corresponding to the precision mirror surface desired on the plastic substrate. A release layer (14) and a reflective layer (17) are applied to the master pattern and then transferred to the molded plastic substrate (10), with a curable replication layer (18) therebetween preferably comprising a filler-reinforced polymer composition which is compatible with the polymeric substrate and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) which closely matches the CTE of the substrate. The replication layer (20) is cured to replicate the precision of the surface (13) of the master pattern (12), which can be reused to produce a multiplicity of high precision molded plastic mirrors (21).