880arm
Flashlight Enthusiast
Last month I had the privilege of visiting SureFire during a trip to California and receiving a tour of their facilities. Since that time I have been struggling to write a recap of the visit due to 1) other obligations (mainly work) and 2) difficulty in putting the experience into words. As imperfect as it may be, I have finally published a write-up of the SureFire tour. This is the short version . . .
For the record, I didn't get to see any super-secret prototypes but I did get a pretty good look at the overall production process. I wasn't able to photograph everything I saw but it was a real thrill and should help me better understand how lights are produced and also gives me even more appreciation for the many SureFire lights in my collection.
I'm completely ignorant about the intricacies of machining but, even so, the speed and precision of the equipment was amazing. They can turn a bunch of raw materials into almost-finished parts in a hurry!
After the machining process, parts are shipped to local vendors for anodizing or whatever finishing process is required and then sent to the assembly facility. I suppose it was what I expected, lots of workstations with lots of people doing some incredibly detailed work, but I was still surprised at how much of the work is done by hand. I could only take one photo in this area but it's larger than it looks . . .
This photo was taken near the end of the assembly process where they are working on the tailcaps. The bulk of the technicians are out of sight at the far end of the area where they are working with the LEDs, optics, reflectors, etc. To the left of this photo is where the batteries are installed into the lights, they are tested for operation, and placed in their packages. From there, it's off to the warehouse are for shipping.
Throughout the tour I kept noticing some of the old classics in various display cabinets and such. As a collector of these old lights it was pretty neat to see them (or parts of them) on display in the same places they were producing the latest and greatest.
Even now I can't believe they let me in and I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity. It was a very awesome experience! :twothumbs
Check out the full write-up if you would like to read more about it or see a few more photos.
For the record, I didn't get to see any super-secret prototypes but I did get a pretty good look at the overall production process. I wasn't able to photograph everything I saw but it was a real thrill and should help me better understand how lights are produced and also gives me even more appreciation for the many SureFire lights in my collection.
I'm completely ignorant about the intricacies of machining but, even so, the speed and precision of the equipment was amazing. They can turn a bunch of raw materials into almost-finished parts in a hurry!
After the machining process, parts are shipped to local vendors for anodizing or whatever finishing process is required and then sent to the assembly facility. I suppose it was what I expected, lots of workstations with lots of people doing some incredibly detailed work, but I was still surprised at how much of the work is done by hand. I could only take one photo in this area but it's larger than it looks . . .
This photo was taken near the end of the assembly process where they are working on the tailcaps. The bulk of the technicians are out of sight at the far end of the area where they are working with the LEDs, optics, reflectors, etc. To the left of this photo is where the batteries are installed into the lights, they are tested for operation, and placed in their packages. From there, it's off to the warehouse are for shipping.
Throughout the tour I kept noticing some of the old classics in various display cabinets and such. As a collector of these old lights it was pretty neat to see them (or parts of them) on display in the same places they were producing the latest and greatest.
Even now I can't believe they let me in and I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity. It was a very awesome experience! :twothumbs
Check out the full write-up if you would like to read more about it or see a few more photos.
