The World Space Week aims to celebrate the science and technology that contributed to the betterment of humanity and its impressive achievements.
Who better to celebrate alongside it than Smiths Interconnect, we've always been at the cutting-edge of space application technology and are proud of the heritage that defines us. We've grown alongside the aerospace market, and as it soared to ever greater heights, so did we. 60 years of innovation, application, and unbelievable advancement has meant that World Space Week is a time that Smiths Interconnect should celebrate its own achievements.
Nowhere is this more relevant than at our Dundee site!
Since December 2019, our 300-square-metre Qualification and Test Lab in this site has boasted multiple forms of rigor testing technology that can simulate spaceflight, mission launch, or re-entry aspects. It has given us the equipment to ensure our product's quality, safety, and reliability for use in future ventures to the stars. Some of this testing includes:
- Mechanical Shock testing. We can test a device's capacity for sudden and extreme acceleration or deceleration, like those seen in a space launch and atmosphere re-entry.
- Multipaction testing. We can simulate the 'multipactor' phenomenon, where charged particles encounter radio frequency technology, and electron multiplication follows. This can lead to severe damage or destruction of a component. This testing can determine its resistance, allowing for fixes that assure its reliability.
- Vibration testing. This testing is the application of motion to a component to observe its response or degradation over time. The aim is to help detect and identify faults or potential failures.
- EMC and Environmental testing. We can test a component's ability to function in an environment with electromagnetic disturbances. This can be from technology aboard the spacecraft, nearby solar bodies, or space particles. Environmental testing allows for the simulation of a vacuum and conditions encountered in space.
- An EMC Reverb test chamber for general support of the Asia Space market.
- Additional High-Power RF amplifiers to extend the support offered for lower (200MHz-500MHz) and higher frequency ranges (18GHz-22GHz).
- Upgraded vibration and shock test capabilities with a dedicated vibration test system housed alongside our existing SRS mechanical shock system in a purpose-built sound-reducing room.
- The addition of 3D printers for test fixture development and early NPI mechanical fit assessments.
The existence of these kinds of in-house facilities is quite rare. Not many organizations have such easy access to this type of equipment. Our Dundee Test Lab allows for quicker, faster, and more accurate product development. So, though we may not be a direct runner in this space race, we're the invaluable supplier of the shoes that see them sprinting!
That's why space week is so exciting. It's a celebration of aerospace advancements and those who are invaluable to its evolution. Not only can we be proud of our past for our contributions, but for the present and future too. What our Dundee Test Lab provides means Smiths Interconnect continues to supply metaphorical space shoes to our customers, meaning one small step for Smiths Interconnect and many more giant leaps for mankind!