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Exxelia Ohmcraft Custom Resistors Enable Metabolic Analyses of Live Cell Cultures in Pharmaceutical Research

ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 9, 2020 — In the development of new pharmaceutical therapies, researchers conduct metabolic analyses of live cell cultures to understand the critical role of metabolism in a wide variety of diseases and conditions.

To do so, they must rely on life science research and diagnostic instruments with complex high gain amplifier circuits. Leading manufacturers of this type of equipment have partnered with Exxelia Ohmcraft to design custom, high-resistance surface mount resistors that are essential to the function of these circuits.

Specifically, oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) are two key indicators of mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis that provide a systems-level view of cellular metabolic function in cultured cells. The analyzer equipment conducts these measurements automatically.

“The accuracy and reliability of these tools are crucial to the researchers’ ability to make progress in their studies, which have the potential to change—and save—lives,” said Eric Van Wormer, Vice President of Exxelia Ohmcraft. “To meet the design needs of this particular application, we developed a custom resistor solution with a unique form factor and used special terminations to facilitate the manufacturability of the end product.”

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 15 Apr 2020 by Rebecca Charles

Exxelia will integrate a cobot into its manufacturing process

Exxelia has just equipped itself with a cobot (in partnership with the company Cognitive Engines) adapted to the production needs related to the manufacture of RF High Q capacitors. The cobot is a collaborative robot designed to work hand-in-hand with operators. This technology coupled with artificial intelligence (I.A) offers a multitude of advantages including:   Quality improvement: The cobots are equipped with high performance sensors and integrated quality control systems, which allow 100% thorough visual inspection, and guarantee a high level of quality, while adapting to the movements of the operators (no occupational safety risk). Flexibility: Cobots are lightweight and adaptable. This versatility allows them to occupy different positions depending on the needs of the moment. Safety: Cobots are designed to be used in pairs with Exxelia operators and can therefore protect them from dangerous or arduous tasks, which greatly improves the quality of life at work (reduction of repetitive gestures; positive impact on musculoskeletal disorders ). Optimization of operator time: Cobots take care of low value-added tasks and let the operator focus on high-value tasks, which values ​​the contribution of operators.     By collaborating with operators, cobots can improve production quality and accuracy, while ensuring their safety. Industry 4.0 is changing the way businesses operate and the way products are designed, manufactured and delivered. Exxelia is convinced of the importance of Industry 4.0 and is positioning itself to be at the forefront of this transformation.           As a company specializing in the design and manufacture of critical electronic components for industrial applications, Exxelia pays particular attention to maintaining its extensive know-how. Exxelia uses state-of-the-art technologies to ensure the high level of quality that the applications the group serves cannot be without. The group pays particular attention to the coexistence of robotization with the mastery of manual processes held by operators to continue to offer customers the highest quality products, while remaining competitive. Adopting this technology will allow Exxelia to maintain its leadership position in its industry, while improving quality, accuracy, operator safety and production efficiency.    

Exxelia at Space Tech Expo – Booth #5009

100% invar tuning screws with self-locking system  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. High power and high frequency ceramics with the new C48X dielectric Range of high voltage ceramic capacitors based on brand new dielectric material C48X, combining most advantages of NPO and X7R dielectrics. Compared to X7R material, C48X dielectric allows to get the same capacitance values under working voltage with the unrivaled advantage of a very low dissipation factor (less than 5.10–4). Besides, it can also withstand very high dV/dt, up to 10kV/μs, which makes it the solution of choice for pulse and fast charge/discharge applications or firing units. Thus capacitors with C48X dielectric appear to be ideally suited for power applications where heat dissipation may be detrimental to performances and reliability.   Magnetic components based on adaptive CCM technology Exxelia designed CCM technology to respond to the growing interest of electronic engineers for inductors and transformers with multiple outputs, high power density and reduced footprint. Qualified for aeronautic and space applications, the CCM product line features terrific robustness. The CCM technology adapts to most every need, even the harshest environments, including VIGON® resistance. The series offers five different sizes, allowing optimized component design in a pick-and-place surface mount (SMD) package. Through-hole (TH) packages are also available upon request. CCM transformers and inductors can operate over a wide temperature range with a minimal temperature of -55° C. The standard thermal grade of the technology is 140° C. The epoxy molding protecting the winding ensures a lower temperature gradient and a better heat dissipation. Each unit is thoroughly tested with a dielectric withstanding strength of 1,500 VAC.
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