Growth through diversity and extended capabilities Western Pneumatic Tube Company was formed in 1952 to supply one product, aircraft pneumatic ducting, to the airframe industry. Capabilities soon were extended and refined. Welding of materials as thin as .004" was accomplished with consistency. Redraw facilities were developed together with tooling for production of special shapes. In the process of technical development, we became a high-production tube mill, while retaining our special capabilities and the willingness to adapt those capabilities to challenging and unusual applications. Aircraft: The aircraft industry was the first and is a continuing market for Western Pneumatic. Applications include structural, hydraulic and pneumatic systems in commercial, military and private aircraft. Sizes range from 9" diameter titanium ducting to .75" diameter high temperature applications. Space: Our tubing was part of the early Gemini and Apollo vehicles, is on the moon, and on the Venus and Mars probes. Enterprise and Columbia carry Western Pneumatic tubing into orbit. The space station also will have Western Pneumatic tubing on board. Irrigation: Stainless steel tubing 8" in diameter by .020" wall, in 42-foot lengths, solved a corrosion problem in a rotary irrigation system in the desert. Nuclear Energy: Design technology must be followed by production technology. Processes have been developed for forming and shaping tubing to precise configurations—and to the exacting specifications required by nuclear research facilities. Transition sections with round ends and fluted or shaped tube bodies have been designed and produced. Submersible Pumps and Motors: Long life and dependability are assured by welded and drawn stainless steel jackets for submersible pumps in deep wells and in fuel dispensing tanks. Solar Energy: The harnessing of solar energy for water heating has created new opportunities. Durability and long life are assured for solar heat exchanger/collectors fabricated from stainless steel tubing. Chemical Processing: Tantalum/Zircaloy/titanium in heaters and heat exchangers are used in the petro-chemical processing industry. Single wall or clad-over steel for strength, the corrosion resistant properties of costly alloys are made available in diameters to 9". Food Processing: General experience translated readily into economical solutions for food industry problems. Close tolerance rectangular cooker tubes for lunch meats assure accurate package weight. Winery processing tubing, buttering cylinders, polished tubing for candy making, and hexagonal tubing for sausage slicers are representative of products for the industry. Bellows and Metal Hose: Flexibility is an added characteristic when tubing is convoluted and used as conduit for dry or liquid bulk handling or for vibration damping. Thin-wall tubing to 10" diameter and 30 feet long in thickness as thin as .004" is produced with ductile welds suitable for the convoluting operation.