Introducing the new aluminum Ram-Shell hull.

Hello,

Earlier this week we discussed reports of ruptured polymer Ram-Shell hulls occurring in certain training configurations. Since then we have completed testing of a revised design intended to permanently eliminate this issue.

The Solution: Aluminum Ram-Shell Hull

The updated Ram-Shell hull is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum rod and then plastic coated to provide both structural strength and barrel protection.

This design provides several advantages:

• Substantially higher structural strength compared with polymer (> 10x).
• Improved resistance to pressure spikes caused by hard projectiles.
• Greater consistency across a wider range of barrel bore tolerances.
• Plastic coating to prevent metal-to-barrel contact and reduce wear (color options are TBD).
• In case of over-pressure, hull deforms rather than shattering.

Because these hulls are machined metal rather than molded, the material and manufacturing cost is higher. However, we believe reliability is the most important factor in a training system.

For that reason, Ram-Shell will cover the cost difference for customers transitioning to the aluminum hull design.

What Happens Next

Early Production of the aluminum hulls is now underway with more production scheduled pending statistically significant durability testing. As units become available, we will begin shipping replacement hulls to customers who have experienced failures or who are using earlier polymer versions.

An email with replacement options will be (has been) sent to existing customers with instructions provided. If you are a customer that has an all-polymer hull and have not received our communication, please check your email's spam folder or reach out.

Additional updates will be posted in the newsletter as production progresses and durability testing concludes.

If you have questions or would like to discuss your specific configuration, please feel free to use the Contact Us Page.

Thank you again for your support and for helping us continue to improve the Ram-Shell platform.

— Ben
Ram-Shell

A technical update regarding Ram-Shell hull durability.

Hello,

Over the past several weeks we have received a few reports from customers experiencing ruptured Ram-Shell hulls. While occasional damage can occur in high-pressure systems, the number of reported cases exceeded what our initial testing suggested would occur in normal use.

After reviewing returned components, test data, and user feedback, we have identified several factors that appear to contribute to these failures:

• Higher projectile loading forces than originally anticipated, especially when harder projectiles are used.
• Variations in raw material batches compared with the early production material used during development testing.
• Loose barrel bore diameters in certain training platforms, which reduce the radial support provided to the hull during discharge.

When these factors occur together, the resulting internal pressure can exceed the structural margin of the current polymer hull design, leading to rupture or localized tearing near the base of the shell.

Examples of Observed Hull Damage

Below are examples of returned hulls that illustrate the types of failures that have been observed in the field.

In ALL cases the shell-base still contained the charge and the event did not result in secondary damage, but it is clear that the current design does not provide the reliability margin we want for long-term use.

We believe strongly that training equipment should be both reliable and predictable, and we take these reports very seriously.

Over the past week we have been working on a revised hull design intended to eliminate this failure mode entirely.

A follow-up update later this week will outline the solution and how we will support customers moving forward.

Thank you for your patience and for the feedback that has helped us identify and resolve this issue.

— Ben
Ram-Shell