The WASP machines were created to apply gummed paper tape to aerial fireworks shells, and automate this most labor-intensive aspect of shell manufacture. These are true CNC (computer numeric control) machines that run off a laptop or desktop PC. They will effortlessly paste your shells, and produce the exact same paste job, all day long, every time.
The WASP machine applies a continous strip of gummed paper tape to spherical shells in an exact and precise manner. The WASP3 software uses a proprietary algorythm to provide a uniform covering of the shell for a perfectly round break.
In the picture below an ink marker was used to show the base pattern that the tape follows. The open "pole" at the middle of the shell is soon covered with the subsequent layer which is applied on a 90 degree axis. The next layer is applied on the 3rd axis to ensure full, even coverage. Note the accuracy of the pattern.
Shells pasted on a WASP machine are constructed in a typical fashion except that a small magnet is inserted into the fuse hole instead of the time fuse. The shell is then placed on the WASP machine and pasted and burnished. The magnet is located by using another magnet (or any other ferrous object) and then, using a cork boring tool or sharp knife, a "plug" of pasted paper is cut out around the magnet to reveal the fuse hole. The crossmatched time-fuse is then inserted and sealed to the shell with string and glue, or a short "tube well" that is filled with a plug of adhesive around the fuse. A few strips of gummed tape seals the shell.
* There are several other ways of fusing WASP shells. Manufacturers worldwide have developed many different methods.
