Eagle's Lair
Members Roster

November 27, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen:

A week ago we started a new series of updates that highlights several of our sponsors who provided extensive resources for us to make our test session number # 7 at the Black Rock Desert possible.  In this update we are going to introduce you to UREMET Corporation and how their products and engineering resources provide engineering and manufacturing solutions for Team North American Eagle™.

UREMET Corporation is the leading supplier of amusement ride wheels in the world.  If you have ever ridden a roller coaster in your life, chances are you probably rode on a UREMET Wheel! The name is derived from the process of bonding the urethane to metal, and hence “UREMET.”  It is ironic that after 25 years in business, UREMET Corporation would find itself building the wheels for the fastest ride on earth, the North American Eagle™.   These wheels are designed to run over 800 mph faster than a typical roller coaster.

Located in Santa Ana California, Mark Moore at UREMET Corporation supplies replacement wheels for over 300 different rides in over 70 amusement parks and 12 manufacturers.

Not only has UREMET provided the rear wheels for the Eagle, but has done a lot of the engineering.  Working with John Mittleider, Mark Moore from UREMET traveled to the Seattle area many times to meet with Ed Shadle, Keith Zanghi, John and Steve Green from Eagle Machine, Inc. to sit in on design sessions.  The highly proprietary design may look simple to a person standing by, but hidden is all the engineering and design features that make these wheels safe to speeds just under 950 mph.  The information is so valuable that photos released for publication have been altered.  People reading the website and even industry insiders are unaware of the extensive amount of engineering that has occurred.

Working with Dassault Systèmes CATIA V5, the design team was able to work together even though thousands of miles separated the members involved.  Mark, Steve and John were on the phone with Ed so much, that during a one-month billing period, Ed’s cell phone bill had exceeded the previous years total!

The task of the wheel manufacturing was so large; we divided the workload between UREMET Corporation and Eagle Machine, Inc.   UREMET took responsibility for raw materials of all the wheels and provided machining operations for the entire rear wheels, less the center hubs.   Due to the proprietary design, extensive tooling, and exotic milling machines, Eagle Machine, Inc. finished up the center machining and built the front and mid-wheel assemblies.

When it came time to heat treat rough-cut materials, Ed was unable to secure a capable supplier.  It was Mark Moore and his team that searched through their extensive list of Tier 1 suppliers and found a heat-treating company.

We can’t emphasize enough the impact UREMET Corporation has made to the team.  When you consider all the engineering, Finite Element Analysis, the conversion of CATIA V5 dataset to machine language, the machining, and the extensive bearing selection process that took place, it is amazing what they are capable of providing.  Mark and his team pulled out all the stops and met the target dates that allowed us to head south with over 100 tons of equipment and 44 team members.

During our test session # 7, UREMET Corporation also provided all of team housing while onsite.   In addition, Mark was onsite during the entire week.

Team North American Eagle™ is pleased to be associated with UREMET Corporation. They are an integral part of the team that will break the world land speed record.

We invite you to add a comment, or remark, about our program or the site.

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