Custom Resistor Dividers from Exxelia Ohmcraft Help Enable Innovative Downhole X-ray Inspections

ROCHESTER, N.Y., September 22, 2020 — In order to safely and successfully abandon and cap off oil wells, downhole X-ray technology is used to check the wells for any structural damage or radioactive materials. Exxelia Ohmcraft—a leader in thick-film, high-voltage, high-precision resistor design and ...


...and manufacturing—was recently tapped to develop a custom, high-voltage resistor divider for this application

For more than 15 years, Exxelia Ohmcraft has provided custom resistors for petrotechnical analysis equipment used in downhole drilling. That’s why manufacturers of the downhole X-ray inspection platform turned to Ohmcraft to help develop a custom solution for use in this new and innovative diagnostic tool, which has already generated significant demand in the market.

While cameras are able to capture images of a well’s exterior, downhole drilling X-ray platforms enable oil companies to clearly examine the inside of the well despite harsh conditions, including exposure to high temperatures, high pressures, and fluids. The X-ray inspection helps to ensure the well’s integrity and mitigate any risks.

“The process of taking X-rays deep down inside of a well involves very powerful and specialized equipment, for which the design required reliable high-voltage resistor dividers in a small form factor—a combination that manufacturers struggled to find,” said Eric Van Wormer, Vice President of Exxelia Ohmcraft. “Given our experience in downhole drilling applications and the development of custom resistor solutions, we were able to work closely with the engineers to meets their needs and help them bring this technology to life for their customers.”

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 23 Sep 2020 by Rebecca Charles

Exxelia joins Heico Corporation group

The transaction will be carried out with IK Partners, majority shareholder of Exxelia since 2015, and should take place before the end of the first quarter of 2023.   Laurans A. Mendelson, HEICO's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, along with Victor H. Mendelson, HEICO's Co-President and CEO of its Electronic Technologies Group, commented, "We are ecstatic that such a fine company, with its remarkable team members, management and products, will be part of HEICO, and we look forward to welcoming all of Exxelia's great people to the HEICO family. While furthering HEICO's strategy of expanding our already impressive range of mission-critical and Hi-Rel components for the most demanding applications, Exxelia also provides HEICO with added broad geographic and product diversity, including in the important European market."   Paul Maisonnier, CEO of Exxelia, commented, "We are excited to embark on a new stage of development with HEICO. We really appreciate the values of the Mendelson Family, which match perfectly those of Exxelia. Our goal to develop Exxelia into a world leader in Hi-Rel passive components and sub-systems for harsh environments, serving the aeronautic, defense, space and medical markets will be accelerated under the HEICO umbrella. Together we will strengthen our innovation and operational capabilities and accelerate our internationalisation strategy. We thank IK for their support over the past years, which has enabled us to establish a solid platform to support our ambitions for global growth."   Dan Soudry, Managing Partner at IK Partners and Advisor to the IK VII Fund, and Diki Korniloff, Partner at IK Partners, added: "As shareholders of Exxelia since 2015, we are very pleased to have been able to support its very talented management team through the various stages of transformation, structuring and growth of the Company, doubling its employee base to more than 2,100 people and leading to a strong increase in investment in R&D and in its manufacturing footprint. Notably, we believe that HEICO is an excellent home for Exxelia given that they share common values and we are very pleased HEICO is acquiring Exxelia. We'd like to take this opportunity to wish the team and HEICO all the very best for the future."     About HEICO Corporation HEICO Corporation is engaged primarily in the design, production, servicing and distribution of products and services to certain niche segments of the aviation, defense, space, medical, telecommunications and electronics industries through its Hollywood, Florida-based Flight Support Group and its Miami, Florida-based Electronic Technologies Group. HEICO's customers include a majority of the world's airlines and overhaul shops, as well as numerous defense and space contractors and military agencies worldwide, in addition to medical, telecommunications and electronics equipment manufacturers. For more information about HEICO, please visit website : www.heico.com.

Space & Military Grade Passives at CMSE - booth # B13 -

CMSE is one of the most recognized conference dedicated to the use of component in military and space systems. As a key supplier of highly reliable passive components, Exxelia will be displaying in booth B13, a wide variety of military and space-qualified capacitors (ceramic, tantalum, film, electrolytic aluminum), wound magnetics solutions and EMI/RFI filters. Two new ranges of MIL-qualified tantalum capacitors: MIL39006/22 & MIL39006/25  The recently introduced ranges of MIL-qualified tantalum capacitors will be showcased on the company booth (B13). MIL 39006/22 and MIL 39006/25 respectively equivalent to CLR79 and CLR81 types feature hermetically sealed cylindrical tantalum cases and axial leads are available in T1, T2 T3 and T4 cases with extended capacitance and voltage ratings. MIL 39006/22 is qualified for voltages from 6V to 125V and provides from 1200µF @ 6V to 56 µF @ 125V. MIL 39006/25 is qualified for voltages from 25V to 125V and delivers from 680µF @ 25V to 82 µF @ 125V. Both ranges combine high energy density with a large operating temperature range of -55°C - +125°C and H vibrations and shocks resistance. Alsic 20G, Aluminum Electrolytic capacitors with large operating temperatures  Alsic 20G is a range of radial leaded aluminum electrolytic capacitors for typical use in military and aerospace high frequency switch-mode power supplies requiring advanced performance under all operating conditions. Alsic 20G operational rated life is 8,000 hours at rated voltage and 105°C, and provides from 330µF @ 500V to 80 000μF @16V. The range features ruggedized design with insulating aluminum case and tin coated leads. With capacitance stability at high temperature, low inductance and impedance, competitive ESR and high ripple current, these capacitors are perfectly adapted for mission-critical applications.  C48X dielectric: NPO and X7R advantages combined Under working voltage, C48X dielectric provides equivalent capacitance values to an X7R material with the advantage of a very low dissipation factor (less than 5.10-4). It can also withstand very high dV/dt, up to 10kV/µs which makes it perfect for pulse and charge/discharge applications for firing units. Exxelia’s C48X capacitors, available from 200V to 5kV with EIA sizes from 1812 to 16080, are ideally suited for power applications where heat dissipation may be detrimental to performances and reliability, such as 400Hz Aircraft, Ignition systems, and Space, or as Precision/filtering capacitance in thermally challenged environment for AC or DC voltage.