3D Plus, one of our suppliers, recently acquired TRAD, a leading electronic component radiation test and software company. This company is highly specialized in field of radiation engineering, which is primarily used in the space, nuclear, and medical fields. This change, according to HEICO’s 3D Plus subsidiary company, is a perfect fit for the company, and we would like to devote our news article to it.

Photo from: VIPress website

On Monday, October 3, HEICO announced its subsidiary 3D Plus has acquired radiation testing company TRAD in an all-cash deal. The aerospace products company stated it expects the purchase to be accretive to earnings a year after the deal closes. However, the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but shares of HEICO gained 1.6% in recent trading amid a broadly firmer market.

What made 3D Plus (HEICO) make this decision?

TRAD was founded in 1994 and has since established itself as an important industry leader in understanding radiation’s and other condition’s impact on electronic components. Customers of TRAD include the world’s leading space agencies, major satellite integrators, and a diverse range of subsystem and electronic component manufacturers.

HEICO believes TRAD is the most advanced and exhaustive independent business of its kind. Therefore, HEICO’s Chairman and Chief Executive Office, along with other members, commented, “TRAD is a truly unique and special company which fits perfectly with our Company.” On the other hand, TRAD goal is to develop into a world leader in radiation effect for microelectronic devices and sub-systems for harsh environments, serving the aeronautic, defense, space and medical markets will be accelerated under the HEICO and 3D PLUS Impulse.

Do you want to learn more about our long-term supplier, 3D Plus? Click here.

Forward-thinking statements from HEICO

Although this new acquisition for HEICO would accretive to earnings in a year, the recent announcement contained forward-looking statements that are subject to risks, uncertainties, and contingencies.

The severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, lower commercial air travel and thus airline purchasing decisions, may lower demand for our goods and services. On the other hand, the ability to introduce new products and services at a profitable pricing level could increase sales. As a result, parties receiving products or materials are encouraged to review all of HEICO’s securities and exchange commission policies and procedures, including filling out various forms.

Expando’s partners and suppliers

Expando AB is a regional expert offering defense components and integration projects. We act as representatives or distributors for first-class suppliers and our aim is to be your long-term reliable partner.

Contact us for price questions and technical solutions at info@expando.se or call us at +46 (0)8-544 900 44.

Cold Response is a long-planned exercise bringing together around 30,000 soldiers from 27 NATO Allies and their partner nations to test their ability to work in cold weather conditions. This year’s large-scale edition has started on 14 March and will continue to 1 April 2022 across Norway.

(Image: Jacqueline C. Arre / Armed Force Marine)

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Evaluating and comparing rugged commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products and COTS-based solutions can be confusing. Although military ruggedization standards make the process easier, the techniques and methodologies used to ensure ruggedness and reliability can differ from one vendor to another.

While researching the many different rugged computers and servers on the market, you may encounter three categories of ruggedization: semi-rugged, fully rugged and ultra-rugged. In this article we’ll cover what each of these categories mean, and why it’s important to know the difference. 

What qualifies as rugged design?

Rugged computing devices (whether semi-rugged or fully-rugged) are built for use away from air-conditioned indoor areas. They’re built for a longer life cycle than an enterprise or consumer-grade machine, which means breakdowns and damage are less frequent. 

A truly rugged device will have at least two forms of certification. One is Military Standard (MIL-STD), which proves the device has undergone a series of stress tests originally devised for military equipment. The other is IP-rating, which verifies water- and dust-proofing.

If you’re looking for a device with legitimate rugged design – one that will perform in many different environments, such as high humidity, high or low temperatures, vibration, mechanical shock etc. then certifications are the golden ticket of ruggedization. They are what make a rugged computer truly rugged.

When would you use a rugged device?

A rugged device could be used by the military to support mission-critical weapons, radar and communications systems, or by industries to support assembly line automation and to collect field data. Rugged computers are used in a variety of industries, including defense, space, aviation, aerospace, big data, industrial automation, health care, entertainment, agriculture, energy and telecommunications. Any program or application that requires durability and powerful performance can benefit from the introduction of a rugged computer or device. 

Semi-Rugged, Fully Rugged and Ultra-Rugged: What’s the difference?

First, we want to highlight that these categories are not standardized by any organizational body. A device that one rugged computer hardware manufacturer says is fully rugged may be considered semi-rugged or even ultra-rugged by another. The below explanations are definitions based on how the industry commonly uses these terms.

Semi-rugged devices

Semi-rugged laptops are designed for professionals who need an office-style computer with a full keyboard, but who spend their day in a hard-hat or non-office environment where safety and climate control isn’t guaranteed (on a building site for example). 

Industries that commonly use semi-rugged laptops include automotive, manufacturing, law enforcement, and certain utilities, but in truth, any industry or enterprise where physical risks to your device are not trivial, or where mobile connectivity and information security must always be maintained, or where you might need your laptop to run on battery power for a full shift or longer, would be better served by a semi-rugged than a consumer or business-grade device. It’s helpful to think of a semi-rugged device as a COTS computer with limited rugged features.

Semi-rugged devices are typically equipped with a few parts that have undergone stress testing or certification to military and industrial standards. For instance, a semi-rugged device may have a hard drive that’s resistant to mechanical shock, or an outer covering that can withstand some rain.

Fully rugged devices 

Fully rugged devices are commonly seen supporting military and industrial applications in riskier environments than the semi-rugged device. Simply put, they’re more durable than a semi-rugged device but less ruggedized than the specialized ultra-rugged device.

Depending on their certifications, fully rugged devices can be dropped, impacted, exposed to extremely high or low temperatures, withstand high levels of humidity, endure heavy rain and direct sunlight exposure for prolonged periods, and the list goes on.

An example of a fully rugged device is a military computer or a rugged blade server and its electronic components. Fully rugged devices won’t suffer from a performance decline in extreme environments. This makes them ideal for mission-critical applications, which require continuous operation.

Ultra-rugged devices 

Ultra-rugged devices are a little pricier than fully rugged devices. This is because they are near indestructible. They’re designed to endure the harshest conditions the world has to offer.

Ultra-rugged device often refers to a fanless, sealed, conformal-coated device, one that could even survive being submerged in water.

For a device to be considered “ultra-rugged” it must be stress-tested beyond the requirements of the semi-rugged and fully rugged devices. If you’re looking for a device that can be literally frozen, left out in the desert sun, or dropped from three feet onto a cement floor, the ultra-rugged device is the right choice.

Expando AB specializes in fully rugged servers, rugged mission computers, rugged servers, routers and switches. We act as representative or distributor for first class suppliers and our aim is to be your long term reliable partner. To discuss your rugged server needs with us get in touch.

NASA is preparing to launch a space telescope that will see further into the Universe than anything else ever built. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), named after James E Webb, the Nasa boss who oversaw the Apollo Moon-landing project, has taken 30 years and £7.5bn to develop. It is being described as one of the grand scientific endeavors of the 21st Century.

Revolutionize our understanding of distant planets 

What we can achieve with the James Webb Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope, a joint collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, is set to be the most powerful space telescope ever. We will be able to see just about anything in the sky. It has one overriding objective – to see the light coming from the very first stars to shine in the Universe. These pioneer stars are thought to have switched on about 100-200 million years after the Big Bang, or a little over 13.5 billion years ago.

Webb will be picking out groupings of these stars. They are so far away, their light – even though it moves at 300,000km (186,000 miles) per second – will have taken billions of years to travel the cosmos. Webb is the first telescope to be able to see (or at least detect a faint glow from) the moment when the darkness ended and those first stars flickered into life.

Why we want to see further than ever before 

When the Universe was formed in the Big Bang, it contained only three chemical elements – hydrogen, helium and a smattering of lithium. Every other chemical element – including those vital to life, such as carbon and oxygen – had to be forged, or “manufactured”, by nuclear reactions at the center of stars.

This telescope will help us understand the origins of everything we see around us, and even more than that – how we came to be.

How does the James Webb Telescope differ from existing space telescopes?

It’s much bigger than the Hubble telescope, which has been orbiting Earth since 1990 collecting light using a main mirror that’s 2.4m across. Webb has a primary mirror that’s a staggering 6.5m in diameter. And with all the other associated equipment, Webb is almost the size of a tennis court. It’s so big, in fact, it has to be folded to fit inside its launch rocket. 

Apart from its size, one key aspect of Webb is that it is tuned to detect light that Hubble simply cannot. This light is invisible to the human eye, but it’s the type of light in which the glow from the most distant objects in the Universe will show up.

How does the Telescope actually work?

The telescope is basically an instrument that is extremely sensitive to the infrared light emerging from the farthest corners of our universe. A light beam becomes infrared when its wavelength gets stretched as it travels for billions of years and billions of light-years. The Webb telescope will gather these infrared wavelengths, break down their properties and squeeze out any and every information stored in them about their origin and the environment they traveled through in many years.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has a shiny giant mirror made of gold hexagons – here’s why

Have you seen images online of a giant, golden honeycomb poised to launch into space? That’s the iconic mirror that will allow the James Webb Space Telescope to study corners of the cosmos that we’ve never before seen.

Aside from its hexagonal shape and enormous size, Webb’s most distinctive feature is probably its shiny, gold mirror. The mirror is made up of 18 smaller mirrors that together allow mission teams to use the scope to measure light from extremely distant galaxies, billions of light-years away. Fun fact about these gold mirrors – they are said to reflect 98% of incoming photons and are painted gold 

Now, while Webb’s mirror segments are coated in gold, they are not made of solid gold. They are actually constructed from beryllium, a strong but lightweight metal. Each mirror piece weighs about 46 pounds (20 kilograms) on Earth. In addition to being extremely durable while comparably lightweight, beryllium can also hold its shape at the extreme cold temperatures that Webb will need to operate at, according to a NASA statement. 

When will it launch?

After many delays, Webb is scheduled to go into orbit on christmas eve, 24 December 2021. It will be launched on a European Ariane-5 rocket from French Guiana. The European Space Agency is a partner on the project, and has agreed to take on the responsibility of getting Webb into space.

Expando inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope

In order to carry out this mission, several innovative and powerful new technologies have been developed. The James Webb Telescope will have a unique and profound role in transforming our understanding of astrophysics and the origins of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems. As a company that operates at the heart of innovation in the defense and aerospace industries, we understand how essential these developments are to maintaining our technological edge and security. This project has been exciting to follow and we look forward to the launch which is the key to expanding our knowledge of the universe. 

Expando provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With 20 years of experience, we have a broad portfolio that allows us to deliver high quality specialized solutions and space qualified components that push the boundaries in different environments, such as space, aerospace, defense, industrial and commercial avionics. 

Expando AB is a regional expert offering planetary defence components and integration projects. We act as representative or distributor for first class suppliers and our aim is to be your long term reliable partner. Contact us to discuss your future projects at info@expando.se or call us at +46 (0)8-544 900 44.