Back to news

Exxelia Ohmcraft Custom Resistors Enable Rapid COVID-19 Testing

ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 26, 2020 — Exxelia Ohmcraft plays a crucial role enabling rapid testing amid the global novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as experts have said that widespread testing is critical to containing the spread of the virus and reopening cities.

Diagnostic medical device companies have been working tirelessly to develop testing solutions, particularly those that can provide rapid and reliable results. To make these test kits possible, manufacturers turned to Exxelia Ohmcraft—a leader in thick-film, high-voltage, high-precision resistor design and manufacturing

The new all-inclusive rapid testing solutions involve processing patient samples using a thermocycler, an instrument that is used to amplify DNA and RNA to identify COVID-19. The thermocyclers utilize high-ohmic-value, low-noise surface mount resistors from Exxelia Ohmcraft to function. The resistors were required to meet tight specifications, including a small form factor to enable the testing devices to be portable.

“Due to the current crisis, the customer was moving extremely quickly to get these test kits developed, produced, and into the hands of as many healthcare systems as possible. As a U.S. manufacturer with industry-leading lead times, Exxelia Ohmcraft was able to provide custom resistors essential to their mission,” said Eric Van Wormer, Vice President of Exxelia Ohmcraft. “We are proud to partner with companies committed to helping fight COVID-19.”

Exxelia Ohmcraft’s technology utilizes the proprietary Micropen electronic printing system to “print” precise, narrow, serpentine lines with resistive ink on a ceramic substrate, producing higher performance resistors over a wider range of values on a smaller surface area than is possible with conventional film resistor technology.

Published on 28 May 2020 by Stephane PERES

Exxelia Ohmcraft : High Voltage Resistors for the World’s Most Advanced Medical Applications

Our resistors are designed for a variety of products to be used in medical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. From small, implantable, and non-invasive devices, to large diagnostic imaging equipment, Exxelia Ohmcraft resistors are chosen by medical manufacturers because the operating environments are high voltage and magnetic fields where accuracy and stability are paramount. Exxelia Ohmcraft’s proprietary Micropen® precision printing technology produces superior resistor products ideally suited for medical applications, printing resistors with electrical characteristics that outperform our competitors. Our technology allows us to write a very exact serpentine pattern with more precise line width and length than conventional screen printing. Our Exxelia Ohmcraft serpentine patterned resistors produce superior electrical characteristics, including:     High Voltage (1 - 5 kV up to 50kV) Low Noise / High Ohmic Values Superior TCR and VCR (25 < TCR < 200 ppm/°C)  Resistor Value (> 1 MΩ up to 10 TΩ) Pulse Handling Capability Tolerances to 0.1%       Medical Instruments and Equipment Exxelia Ohmcraft is committed to enabling medical instrument and equipment manufacturers to continue miniaturizing their products without comprising on performance. Physicians and their patients rely on our resistors to maximize the functionality and reliability of designed for each device. Our unique Micropen® precision printing technology produces the pulse-handling capabilities needed for critical medical circuits. Exxelia Ohmcraft’s resistors are found in most defibrillators and across the spectrum of diagnostic imaging equipment.   Products: HVC, SM, HVR, HVD, and Custom   Applications: External defibrillators Internal defibrillators Electrocardiogram (ECG) systems   Medical Instrumentation Improvements to patient monitoring, diagnostic, analytic and medication delivery systems have resulted in an increased quality of patient care. These patient-interface instruments require highly stable components to ensure the accuracy of critical data needed by physicians, nurses, and diagnosticians. Micropen® precision printing technology enables us to manufacture high ohmic-value resistors with ultra-tight TCR and VCRs capable of producing the critical measurements and data required to diagnose, treat and prevent further medical action.   Products: HVC, SM, HVR, HVD, and Custom   Applications: Patient monitoring systems Medical power supplies Respiratory systems Drug pumps Drug delivery systems Prosthetics Medical cables Blood analyzers Laboratory analyzers DNA analyzers   Diagnostic Imaging Advances in diagnostic imaging have led to more accurate and precise diagnoses. As a result, more treatment and preventative options become available to patients. Exxelia Ohmcraft’s resistors are used for many diagnostic imaging applications based on proven reliability and functionality. Imaging equipment manufacturers rely on our leaded and surface-mount resistors to provide the precision and performance required by advanced imaging methods. Tightly controlled TCR and VCR, low noise, and enhanced ESD tolerance make Exxelia Ohmcraft’s high-voltage and high-value resistors a premium component to any medical imaging application.   Products: HVC, SM, HVR, HVD, and Custom   Applications: CT units X-ray systems Ultrasound devices Mammography devices Nuclear imaging systems PET scanners Radiography devices MRI devices Exxelia Ohmcraft is the leader in high performance resistor design and manufacturing. Our proprietary Micropen precision printing technology enables superior precision thick-film resistors. Exxelia Ohmcraft can meet the most challenging space instrument specifications for high voltage and high value resistors.   Exxelia Ohmcraft’s sister division, Exxelia Micropen Medical is at the forefront of medical device product development, providing design engineers with unique insights on conceiving and implementing new designs and features. 

Exxelia Ohmcraft's cutting-edge resistors redefining reliability in the aerospace industry

Exxelia Ohmcraft provides designers of space instrumentation with resistors that are the foundation for building robust power supplies, sensors and imaging equipment. Exxelia Ohmcraft products have helped push forward scientific advancements in mass spectrometry, image intensifiers, X-Ray sources and spectroscopic analysis. We provide standard and custom products to many market leaders with the reliability that makes Exxelia Ohmcraft the resistor of choice for such critical scientific space applications.   Our unique Micropen precision printing technology produces ultra-stable resistors with exceptional reliability that are perfectly suited for space flight applications. For over 20 years, Exxelia Ohmcraft has been designing resistors used in instruments on various spacecrafts. Our resistors enable the analytical equipment designed for strategic science missions which creates the space technology that explores outer space. Exxelia Ohmcraft technology produces a superior resistor. The combination of our longer serpentine pattern and high-aspect ratio gives our resistors unmatched design flexibility, linearity, stability and low noise capability as well as:     Ultra High Voltages up to 60 kV Extremely tight tolerances to 0.1% Very low TCR with extended temperature range Very low noise / Very low VCR Ultra-high stability         Custom designs for Space applications Exxelia Ohmcraft ability to design and deliver custom resistors is essential for space instrumentation designers. Our engineers work closely with you to design resistors that match your exact specifications. Surface-mount resistors, dividers and networks Extensive experience designing custom resistors and supporting source control drawings (SCD) for existing and new designs Engineering Models Flight Models Exxelia Ohmcraft can perform Lot Acceptance Testing (LAT) on our resistor products using a number of Space and Military Specifications, including: NASA EEE-INST-002 Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 MIL-PRF-55342, MIL-PRF-49462 and MIL-PRF-83401 MIL-STD-202 ESCC 4001 (ESA/SSC 4001)   Our expertise in designing for military applications spans across a spectrum of products, each contributing significantly to advancing military capabilities: Scientific Instrumentation   Products: MCH, HVR, HVD, HVA and Custom designs Applications: Mass Spectrometers Ion Mobility Spectrometers Test Equipment Signal Generators Chemical / Mineral Sample Analysis Instrumentation Power Supplies   Products: MCH, HVR, HVD, HVA and Custom designs Applications: High Voltage Custom Power Supplies Vision Systems   Products: MCH, HVR, HVD, HVA and Custom designs Applications: Image Intensifier Circuits  Optical Spectrometers Photomultipliers     Exxelia Ohmcraft is the leader in high performance resistor design and manufacturing. Our proprietary Micropen precision printing technology enables superior precision thick-film resistors. Exxelia Ohmcraft can meet the most challenging space instrument specifications for high voltage and high value resistors.   Exxelia Ohmcraft’s sister division, Exxelia Micropen Medical is at the forefront of medical device product development, providing design engineers with unique insights on conceiving and implementing new designs and features. 
Back to news