The
aluminum alloy all
housings and accessories
are cast from is highly
resistant to seawater
and wouldn't need further
finishing. So we do
it anyway! (For details
please see below.)
And while we're at
it we increase the
housing's overall strength
by another 30% submitting
it to a heat tempering
process.
This greatly enhances
SUBAL housings' resistance
to the inevitable deformation
caused by the increasing hydrostatic pressure as you go down. The same high
quality seawater resistant alloy is used in all other aluminum parts. Axles,
screws and many other parts are all made from high quality CrNi Steel alloys,
ensuring durability even in a notoriously aggressive seas water environment.
Surface
finish
To
achieve maximum surface
hardness and thereby
resistance to scratching
and other wear and
tear, SUBAL subjects
all alloy parts to
a special process called
hard coating. It results
in a protective shield
layer far harder and
thicker than could
be achieved in a standard
anodizing process.
The downside is the
hard coat only comes
in grey or black; tinting
or lightening the hue
is technically impossible.
But SUBAL is also committed
to aesthetics; so over
the top of the hard
coat -which went on
top of the already
seawater resistant,
high grade alloy cast-
we apply a coat of
paint.
Frontports
The
bodies of most SUBAL
front ports are made
from polyacetal resin,
an extremely hard and
unyielding plastic.
For even greater strength
the bodies of larger
front ports are manufactured
from seawater resistant
aluminum alloy. Of
course they are also
subject to hard coating,
tempering and multi-layer
paint coating.
The material used for the port's front lens has great impact on the quality
of photographic reproduction. All SUBAL front lenses -flat and dome lenses
alike- are manufactured from high quality optical glass. To improve light transmission
and contrast flat lenses come with anti-reflection coating on the side facing
in.
The
coat of paint
To
combine looks with
yet another protective
coating, SUBAL applies
top quality two-component
paints; photo and seawater
resistance are a matter
of course.
Plastic
parts
All
plastic parts, mechanically
shaped or cast, are
made from tough, seawater
resistant, high-grade
plastics.
O-Ring
seals
O-ring
seals applied in general
technology (i.e. in
aircraft construction
or tool making) have
proved to be well suited
for underwater technology
as well; they are seawater
resistant, available
in several degrees
of hardness and -importantly-
resistant to greases
and oils (no swelling).
SUBAL uses a very soft
grade for its housing
and port O-rings. This
has the advantage that
contaminating particles,
as long as they're
very small (i.e. dust,
sand, hair), can be
absorbed. This reduces
the risk of leakage.
The
manufacturing process
Apart
from choice of materials
attention to manufacturing
processes is important
to ensure consistent
quality, convenience
and long-term value.
All dye-cast plastic
components are practically
identical, exchangeable
and will fit as a spare
part even years later. SUBAL
applies this principle
to all levers, buttons,
dials, sprockets, lens
rings and protective
covers. Evidently the
economies of scale
created in the process
also make SUBAL equipment
more affordable. A
similar philosophy
applies to the CNC
(computer aided) manufacture
of housings and parts.
This manufacturing
process guarantees
consistent quality
and micro dimensions
from the first to the
last housing in a batch,
a requirement for the
perfect fit of all
components.
Quality
control
SUBAL
underwater housings
come with more than
your average number
of control elements.
Depending on individual
taste or requirements
this may be over the
top for some of our
clients while others
chose their SUBAL housing
for this very reason.
It was always our strategy
to make all technical
and creative features
of a modern SLR camera
accessible to the underwater
photographer as well.
Wherever possible we
place transmissions
according to their
location on the camera,
to achieve consistency
of handling and greater
convenience.
