Back to news

NEW INVAR TUNING ELEMENTS WITH SELF-LOCKING SYSTEM

Exxelia announces the release of new world-unique invar tuning elements featuring a self-locking system. The product has been designed to respond to increasing demand for high frequency tuning elements for space applications.

Working frequencies in Space applications are shifting to Ka, Ku or even Q band, while cavity filters are undergoing the general trend towards miniaturization: this context calls for a much more precise and stable tuning element now offered by Exxelia Temex, daughter company of Exxelia, through their last innovative and unrivalled solution to incorporate a self-locking system into their Invar Tuning Elements.
Invar-36 is a unique Iron-Nickel alloy (64 % Fe / 36 % Ni) sought-after for its very low coefficient of thermal expansion. With 1.1 ppm. K–1 between 0°C and 100°C, Invar-36 is about 17 times more stable than Brass which is the most traditional and common alloy Tuning Elements are made of. The working temperature range in Space is so wide that this property becomes essential for a reliable and stable cavity filter tuning. Self-locking system is a technology commonly used on Tuning Element made of Brass or other soft “easy-to-machine” alloys but is innovative and pretty advanced when applied to hard and tough Invar 36. The design consists of two threaded segments separated by two parallel slots. After cutting both parallel slots, the rotor is compressed in its length in order to create a plastic deformation. Thus, an offset is induced between the two threaded segments which generates a constant tensile stress in the rotor from the moment threaded segments are screwed.

Published on 07 Nov 2016 by Marion Van de Graaf

Exxelia onboard Solar Orbiter

Solar Orbiter, a European Space Agency mission, was launched on an Atlas V rocket 411 (AV-087) from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 11:03 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 9 2020. The satellite reached its first working orbit around the Sun, called “halo orbit” and is ready to begin its first scientific observation campaign. The campaign will last six months, during which time the 55 payloads will be turned on one by one and tested before being used to perform scientific observations. Solar Orbiter is a highly complex scientific laboratory. Deploying such a mission is a one-of-a-kind achievement! The mission will take years and is one of the most highly anticipated scientific experiments of our time. And you know what they say: your best work comes when you're up against the toughest challenges. Unfortunately, these challenges aren't only in labs, but also in space. To study the Sun and its activity like never before, scientists are sending a probe into orbit around it. Solar Orbiter will be facing temperatures of up to 500°C, which is usually not survivable for complex equipment. But do you know what's even more challenging than getting data from a 500°C hot solar environment? Getting that data with expensive equipment that doesn't work, because you don't have enough reliable components at your disposal! That's why we, at Exxelia, were so happy when we heard that thousands of our capacitors and magnetics were chosen by the European Space Agency to achieve this mission; we're talking about components that will keep working in those kinds of harsh environments! They will help scientists better understand energy flow and particle acceleration within our own solar system and beyond. Shockingly, the Sun is mostly a mystery. We have some understanding of its composition, but it's unclear how the phenomena we see happen. Solar Orbiter is going to help us get a better idea of what makes the Sun tick by taking some of the most detailed images and observations of our star ever taken. Among the instruments on Solar Orbiter are: a Wide-Angle Imager and a Coronal Imager. Each will provide high-resolution images—an order of magnitude higher than those captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory—and spectacular views of the Sun's polar regions. The Wide-Angle Imager will capture images in five wavelengths, while the Coronal Imager will use seven wavelengths to observe phenomena that affect the upper layers of the solar atmosphere, such as magnetic fields and plasma flows. Our capacitors and magnetics are critical for stabilizing and powering these instruments on their mission to explore our home star! They need to be able to perform in a very hostile environment with temperatures ranging from -150°C (-238°F) to 500°C (932°F). Temperatures will reach their highest during the closest flybys of the Sun—which will take place as close as 15 million kilometers (about 93 million miles) from its surface. Our space capacitors and magnetics are capable of withstanding such high temperatures. They'll even keep functioning in cryogenic conditions, as low as -150°C (-238°F). These components are also very durable, which makes them perfectly suited for this mission.     Choosing the right capacitors for such a mission was not easy. The requirements and technical constraints were very strict. We had also to support and select the materials that could handle the launch vibrations and the shock of the rocket launching phase, we also had to achieve a very long life and high reliability in order to succeed in the mission. This project proves that our EXXELIA components are incredibly reliable and have nothing to envy to other electronic components on the market. Several other tests have been conducted by ESA in this project such as solar radiation, thermal shock... Exxelia ESA QLP Products Onboard Solar Orbiter : 14,400 CNC chips ceramic capacitors 14,400 CEC chips ceramic capacitors 520 of our CNC stacks ceramic capacitors 470 SESI QPL Inductors 380 MSCI RF Inductors  287 ESA qualified CTC21/E Tantalum Capacitors 50 ESA Film Capacitors PM94

Exxelia Ohmcraft High Voltage Chip Dividers Enable Design Flexibility for Manufacturers of Semiconductor Equipment

 Exxelia Ohmcraft High Voltage Chip Dividers Enable Design Flexibility for Manufacturers of Semiconductor Equipment   ROCHESTER, N.Y., September 17, 2021—Microchips—also known as semiconductors—are critical to the function of everyday technologies like mobile phones, computers, radios, and televisions. To finetune the outputs of their main power supply, manufacturers of semiconductor production equipment have leveraged custom resistors from Exxelia Ohmcraft for more than 25 years for their high precision, high voltage and stability.   Exxelia Ohmcraft’s custom surface mount resistors and dividers offer semiconductor equipment engineers with maximum design flexibility in the smallest footprint, as they have the ability to specify both the resistance value of a surface mount divider and the divider ratio. This allows engineers to produce the necessary voltage and current required to create the highest-quality end products.   “Traditionally, high-voltage dividers are made using two different resistors, but our high voltage chip dividers integrate them into one part,” said Eric Van Wormer, Vice President of Exxelia Ohmcraft. “We always work closely with our customers to ensure that we meet the specific design requirements necessary to create their quality technologies.”   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.   # # #   About Exxelia Ohmcraft Exxelia Ohmcraft’s thick-film, surface mount resistors are engineered to meet application-specific needs. Our proprietary Micropen printing technology is the foundation for Exxelia Ohmcraft’s family of resistor products. Exxelia Ohmcraft’s precision leaded resistors are manufactured with our patented Micropen technology to create a unique serpentine design that withstands voltages up to 100kV and provides an unmatched level of performance and stability. For more information, visit Ohmcraft.com.   About Exxelia Exxelia is a leading global designer and manufacturer of high-performance passive components and subsystems. Exxelia’s wide products portfolio includes film, tantalum, ceramic and electrolytic capacitors, inductors, transformers, microwave components, position sensors, slip rings and high-precision mechanical parts. Recognized worldwide for its advanced design and technical expertise, Exxelia develops both “catalog” and “custom” products exclusively serving high-reliability markets such as aerospace, defense, medical, transportation, telecommunication infrastructure and advance industrial applications. Additional information can be found at https://exxelia.com.
Back to news