Engineering

Product Design & Development

A laboratory or industrial room with various machinery, pipes, and control panels. There is a monitor on a table displaying a close-up of a machine part, and the room has a metallic wall with diamond plate patterns.
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Babington Burner Combustion Testing
National Oilheat Research Alliance
Plainview, NY

our approach

One Team. One System. One total development

Babington’s engineering philosophy combines systems thinking with cost discipline to deliver innovative solutions—on time and on budget. We use a top-down, iterative approach to identify customer needs early and manage costs throughout the Product Development Process (PDP), including:

  • Product Definition Stage

  • Preliminary Design Stage

  • Detailed Design Stage

Dedicated product teams drive each project—supported by cross-functional experts in engineering, marketing, purchasing, and manufacturing. Using proven methods like Quality Function Deployment (QFD), we translate customer requirements into technical performance targets, aligning every detail with lifecycle cost and mission success.

Whether designing new platforms or modernizing existing systems, Babington delivers engineering you can trust—from the burner and beyond.

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case study

Engineering The Next-Generation Containerized Kitchen

the Enhanced containerized kitchen (CK-E)

3D model or schematic of a small industrial or storage facility with multiple buildings, storage tanks, and surrounding pathways.

the Customer:

U.S. Army

Description:

The Army Containerized Kitchen (CK) is a self-contained mobile field feeding system configured in an 8-ft by 8-ft by 20-ft expandable container-shelter that provides a rapidly deployable food preparation capability. The CK can prepare any type of food, including military UGR-H&S and UGR-A rations and is transportable by a 7 1/2 ton, 4-wheel trailer and capable of feeding up to 800 soldiers three times per day.

Military personnel in camouflage uniforms serving food at a chow line inside a mess tent.

Upgrade and modernize the Army’s largest field feeding platform into a safer, more user-friendly, and energy-efficient system by integrating Babington’s closed-combustion appliances, engineering an improved wing wall and winch system, and redesigning the mechanical room for better access, safety, and serviceability. The objective: extend the CK’s operational life, improve crew safety and comfort, and lower long-term sustainment costs—while maintaining the system’s full feeding capacity.

the objective:

The Army’s legacy CK—originally fielded in 2001—is aging and increasingly unsustainable, with many units approaching 25 years in service. The core challenge: develop an upgraded system that solves key performance and safety issues while reusing as much of the existing CK infrastructure as possible. The effort required targeted engineering by the Babington team to correct known problem areas and introduce value-added enhancements for improved functionality.

Key issues included:

  • Failing wing walls, degraded flooring, and rust-prone components.

  • Excessive internal heat and noise from open-flame appliances.

  • Ventilation failures causing carbon monoxide (CO) exposure risks, and underperforming ECUs.

  • Complex generator servicing and excessive logistical burden.

the challenge:

the solution

Green military-style mobile command or communication trailer with stairs leading to a door, surrounded by trees in an outdoor setting.

  • Wing Wall Retrofit: Lightweight aluminum mono-panel flooring with integrated jacks, water drainage, and non-slip surface—eliminating plywood degradation and improving safety.

  • Closed-Flame Appliance Integration: Replaced legacy open-flame MBUs with JP-8 fired closed-combustion Airtronic Burner appliances, reducing heat, noise, and CO risks.

  • Integrated and Insulated Support Structure: Permanent mounted and collapsible support frame with insulated ceiling, enabling fast, safe setup with fewer personnel.

  • Generator Slide-Out Assembly: Enabled safe fueling, improved airflow, and easier maintenance by relocating the 10kW AMMPS generator on a sliding mount.

  • Integrated Thermal Modeling: Babington conducted CFD modeling and thermal analysis to evaluate interior heat loads and guide ECU selection.

  • LED Lighting Upgrade: Replaced legacy fluorescent fixtures with energy-efficient LED systems, maintaining normal, blackout, and emergency lighting functionality.

key innovations:

Isometric illustration of a green shipping container with a sloped roof, mounted on a chassis with two black wheels.
Large modular structure with solar panels, green and white containers, and various technical equipment, resembling a small off-grid research or living space.
A green trailer with stairs leading to a door and a window, revealing a room with computer equipment inside.

CK-E Deployment: From Transport Mode to Operational Mode

The outcome

The Enhanced Containerized Kitchen (CK-E)

BEFORE: Legacy CK System

  • A mobile stainless steel kitchen or food service setup with counters, utensils, and storage drawers.

    Interior of Legacy CK Kitchen

    Inside the legacy CK, showing the central cook station beneath the overhead exhaust hood and ventilation system, with the food preparation area behind it.

  • A soldier in camouflage uniform cooking vegetables with steam rising from a large pot in a military kitchen.

    Operator Exposure to Heat and Emissions

    A food service specialist prepares meals over an open-flame MBU burner, working in extreme heat and directly exposed to carbon monoxide (CO) and combustion byproducts.

  • Large metal pot with green beans boiling on a stove with open flame, surrounded by people in military or camouflage uniforms.

    Open-FLame Combustion

    A close-up of the MBU’s open flame, highlighting the intense radiant heat and direct release of combustion byproducts into the kitchen environment.

  • Large military tent with a green fabric cover, partially collapsed, inside a warehouse. The tent's fabric is torn, and it is supported by metal framework, with some parts fallen down and others upright. The floor is concrete, and there is a red metal roof structure overhead.

    Degraded Wing Wall

    The CK’s expandable wing wall showing signs of structural fatigue, water damage, and corrosion after years of field use, environmental exposure, and failing winch and cable systems.

  • Large metal worktable with a textured surface in an industrial workshop.

    Damaged Flooring

    The CK’s original plywood floor, degraded by trapped moisture, corrosion, and heavy foot traffic in high-use zones.

  • A section of a tent or booth wall with a window opening, showing black and dirt marks on the white fabric, and a small green bag or container hanging above the window.

    Deteriorating Canvas

    The insulated fabric cover exhibits tearing, UV wear, and water intrusion—contributing to poor insulation, difficult setup, and costly replacement.

AFTER: Upgraded CK-E System

  • Industrial kitchen with stainless steel appliances and equipment, including ovens, refrigerators, and ventilation system.

    Modernized Kitchen Layout

    The interior of the CK-E shows closed combustion appliances and an open floor plan that improves workflow, thermal comfort, and operational flexibility.

  • People in a food truck or kitchen preparing and serving sandwiches to customers.

    Flexible Serving Line

    Foodservice personnel operate efficiently moving through the serving line. The new kitchen layout supports both internal and external serving line configurations, allowing units to adapt based on mission needs and customer preference.

  • Commercial stainless steel kitchen equipment with drawers, vents, and internal machinery, likely part of an industrial cooking or cleaning system.

    Closed Combustion Eliminates Open-Flame Hazards

    Airtronic closed-combustion burners are integrated into all CK-E cooking appliances—eliminating open-flame hazards and dramatically reducing internal heat, noise, and CO exposure.

  • Large industrial solar panel in a factory setting, with part of the panel lifted up at an angle, showing its underside and mechanical components.

    Lightweight Wing Walls with Electric Winch

    Lightweight, drainable wing walls feature corrosion-resistant materials . An electric winch system replaces the legacy manual cable setup—improving safety, reliability, and ease of deployment.

  • Empty interior of a food truck with white insulated walls, stainless steel cooking equipment, and a gray non-slip floor.

    Insulated Fabric Support Structure and Durable Flooring

    An integrated fabric support structure also serves as an insulated ceiling—improving thermal comfort, setup time, and overall safety. The upgraded, water-resistant flooring withstands moisture and heavy use, eliminating the degradation issues of the original plywood design.

  • Military green portable generator with open doors inside a warehouse.

    New Mechanical Room with Slide-Out Gnerator

    The mechanical room has been reconfigured to include a slide-out generator mount assembly, allowing safe and easy access for fueling, maintenance, and operation. This design improves airflow and reduces noise inside the kitchen during use.

Download CK-E Brochure