Omega Shielding’s 98-934 EMI gaskets provide nearly 25% reduced spring force. >STORY

Parker Acquires Tecknit

Parker Hannifin Corp., parent company of Chomerics Europe, has acquired the Tecknit division of Technical Wire Products LLC and its affiliates, a global provider of electromagnetic interference shielding products. Revenues of the acquired business totaled about $18.3 million in 2005.

Commencing operations in 1958, the Tecknit business is headquartered in Cranford, New Jersey, employs approximately 250 people, and occupies over 90,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space in the U.S., U.K., Mexico and China. Its manufacturing facilities are ISO 9001:2000 certified.

Steven Ferrie, CEO of Technical Wire Products said, “The acquisition by Parker provides Tecknit’s customers, employees, and many valued business partners the opportunity to work with a world class company that is committed to providing innovative EMI shielding solutions to the many markets that Tecknit serves.”

Tecknit will be integrated into Parker’s Chomerics division. Heinz Droxner, Parker’s Seal Group president, said, “Tecknit’s facilities in strategic locations in Europe, North America and Asia enable us to more effectively integrate manufacturing, sales, service and logistics to serve our global customers in an increasingly competitive environment. The acquisition of Tecknit adds value to Parker Chomerics’ position in EMI shielding by providing products for applications in telecommunications, defense, consumer and medical electronics.”

Spectrum Control Acquires EMF Systems

Spectrum Control Inc., based in Fairview, Pennsylvania, a leading designer and manufacturer of electronic control products and systems, announces that Spectrum Microwave Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary, has acquired substantially all of the assets and assumed certain liabilities of EMF Systems Inc. of State College, Pennsylvania. EMF designs and manufactures custom oscillator-based products, including phase-locked oscillators and synthesizers. The total purchase price of the acquisition was approximately $2.3 million.

Dick Southworth, Spectrum Control’s president and chief executive officer, said, “With this acquisition, we continue to execute our strategic plan of product expansion, particularly in the area of complex assemblies and systems. In addition to a broad line of oscillator components, EMF primarily designs and manufactures integrated microwave assemblies. Over the next few months, EMF’s operations will be relocated and consolidated into our existing facilities in State College.”

Laird Tests EMI Gaskets to 500,000 Cycles

Laird Technologies, a leading designer and manufacturer of antennas, EMI shielding, telematics and thermal management solutions, has verified computer-simulated test results using custom-designed test equipment. This computer simulation verification included physical testing using a custom-designed and fabricated door cycle tester to conduct an actual Recyclable Clean Copper™ product gasket test and running the test to 500,000 cycles without product failure. The test proves that Laird’s new EMI gasket is durable, giving users peace of mind.

Laird Technologies designed and constructed the 500,000 cycle test using a gasket attached to a rail with the door moving in shear action against the gasket 500,000 times without product failure.

The company’s Recyclable Clean Copper products are copper-based shielding gaskets that offer a beryllium-free EMI shielding solution for use in a wide range of slotted applications. They meld strong stability with tensile strength to achieve high levels of thermal and electrical conductivity and elasticity, making it suitable for use in both grounding and shielding applications at a rate comparable to traditional metal EMI shields.

Recyclable Clean Copper is fully compliant to EU RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC and alleviates the environmental, safety and segregation concerns associated with the traditional use and recycling of beryllium-based copper alloys. This gasket material is characterized by superior yield strength (up to 100MPa) compared to other common copper alloys.

Key applications for this product include navigation and info-tainment systems, NAS or SAN storage systems, high-end servers and communications display units as well as base stations, handsets and network enclosures.

No Cancer from Cell Phones

A study by researchers in Denmark found no link between cell phone use and cancer, reports applianceDESIGN. In a study of 420,000 Danish cell phone users, including 52,000 who had used cell phones for more than 10 years, the researchers found that cell phone users are no more likely than anyone else to suffer a range of cancer types. Cell phones beam RF energy that can penetrate the brain, which raised questions about cancers of the head and neck, brain tumors and leukemia. The Danish researchers compared phone records to the Danish Cancer Registry, which records every Danish citizen who gets cancer. Among those tracked through 2002, there were 14,249 cancers diagnosed, fewer than the 15,001 predicted from national cancer rates.



FCC Modifies Amateur Radio Service Rules

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is changing its rules governing amateur radio service, including revisions to the examination requirements and operating privileges for certain classes of operator licenses.

The change eliminates the requirement to demonstrate a five-words-per-minute proficiency in the use of Morse code for General and Amateur Extra licenses. This change by the FCC is consistent with a recent revision of international radio regulations, which authorizes each country to determine the importance of Morse code proficiency in the granting of amateur licenses.

The other change eliminates the disparity between the operating privileges granted to Technician Class licensees and Technician Plus Class licensees (a licensee category grandfathered after the FCC’s overhaul of the amateur licensing structure in 1999). In addition to operating privileges on all amateur frequencies above 30MHz, Technician Plus Class licensees were formerly allowed to operate on frequencies in 4HF bands, following successful demonstration of Morse code proficiency. With the elimination of the Morse code requirement, the FCC determined that Technician Class licensees and Technician Plus Class licensees should be granted identical operating privileges.

For more information, visit
http:/hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-269012A1.pdf.

BABT Now Is a Canadian Foreign Certification Body

The British Approvals Board for Telecommunications (BABT) has been appointed a Foreign Certification Body (FCB) for Canada, meaning that it can now certify radio equipment intended for the Canadian market. European FCBs are recognized by Industry Canada through the EU-Canada Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) and can issue approval certificates in accordance with Canadian regulations. BABT is one of a very few organizations worldwide to be able to accept applications for Canada and process them through to approval.

BABT has been operating as a FCC Telecom-munications Certification Body (TCB) for several years, offering access to the U.S. market. Now, through its appointment as a FCB, BABT provides the opportunity for one-stop-shop access to both the U.S. and Canadian markets, saving time and money by getting products to market fast and efficiently.

BABT has an appointment that allows it to handle the approval or certification of virtually any type of radio equipment for both regions. In addition, it is a Notified Body under the RandTTE Directive in the European Union, and a Conformity Assessment Body under the EU-Australia, EU-New Zealand, and EU-Japan MRAs.

The definition of radio equipment, as far as Canadian regulatory and conformity assessment organizations are concerned, extends well beyond equipment which has radio transmission and reception as its primary function.

Although Canadian electromagnetic interference requirements closely match those of the United States, the Canadian government has recently adopted a new position on spectrum management.

Industry Canada is introducing a new Standard Radio System Plan standard, SRSP-512, which details the minimum technical requirements for land mobile and fixed systems operating in the band 220-222MHz. It is also amending RSS-119, defining requirements for radio transmitters and receivers for the land mobile and fixed services in the 27.41 to 960MHz bands.

Taisei Technique Shields Rooms from Radio Waves

According to Tokyo’s Nikkei Business Daily, Taisei Corp. is promoting the use of its so-called shield construction method, which cuts the cost of protecting rooms from electromagnetic waves that can disrupt the operation of electronic equipment.

The new technique is used in the construction of large buildings, such as offices or production facilities. Metal foil is applied to a room’s concrete walls in addition to the moisture-proof plasterboard typically hung. The steel frame of concrete ceilings is also used.

A thin film made from the same material as PET bottles is placed on windows to block electromagnetic waves from penetrating or escaping the room, thereby preventing information leaks.

By making use of existing materials, Taisei’s method can reduce construction costs by 20-30% compared to conventional methods that use steel plates.

The contractor aims to use the shield construction method on 20 projects next fiscal year. It anticipates growing demand from broadcast stations and offices that double as research facilities.

Radio Engineer, IEEE Fellow Leonard Thomas Dies

Leonard Thomas has died in Washington, D.C. The electrical engineer was 97, according to the Washington Post, which said his expertise in radio helped solve electronic interference problems for the U.S. military during World War II.

Born in Alabama, Thomas repaired Philco radios during the Depression. He also installed radios in automobiles and worked as an engineer at WAPI in Birmingham where he met radio singer Vida May Savage, who became his wife.

He later worked as a radio engineer with the Navy’s Bureau of Ships, specializing in transmitter and receiver interference problems. He developed technology to reduce and eliminate electronic interference in Defense Department equipment, including small boats, contributing to the success of vital PT boat landings in North Africa.

His suggestions, the Post reported, were instrumental in the construction of an interference-free radar system for the military, and he helped write standards for communications devices. He was credited with realizing that interference problems in the White House radio room came from fluorescent lighting in the kitchen.

He was the first U.S. representative to the International Special Committee on Radio Interference and worked at the Defense Department’s Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis Center. After retirement he worked as a consulting engineer. He was active with the EMC Society of the IEEE which elected him a Fellow.