Gold Coast Hobby

An igniter is a device used to ignite a rocket engine. In Estes rocketry, an igniter element is a strip of resistance wire with a coating of pyrotechnic material on it. In the system it performs like a resistor in an electrical circuit. As electricity passes through micro-clips connected to the igniter, the igniter begins to glow and give off heat. The pyrotechnic material coating is ignited and is the last step in the ignition. Igniters must be installed so that the coating is touching the dark-colored propellant grain. If the igniter is not touching the grain, this could cause a misfire. Heat created by the igniter is not great enough to cross a gap between the igniter and propellant grain -- There must be direct contact between the igniter and the propellant.


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