News Release from: Sarantel
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 26 September 2002
Milestone in antenna manufacture
Antenna specialist Sarantel has just produced its 50,000th antenna at its fully automated Wellingborough factory.
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Antenna specialist Sarantel has just produced its 50,000th antenna at its fully automated Wellingborough factory. Production of the advanced miniature helical antennas began in November 2001, and Sarantel has now established worldwide volume markets as OEMs incorporate the antenna into portable electronic devices. Based on Sarantel's patented PowerHelix technology, the antenna is suitable for a range of applications, with the first models being designed for the handheld and automotive GPS (global positioning system) markets.
Future versions of the PowerHelix antenna will be suitable for use in cellular telephones, Bluetooth devices and wireless LANs.
"We're delighted to have reached such a significant milestone, less than a year after starting production".
Barrie Foley, CEO of Sarantel commented, "Already we have secured contracts with leading manufacturers, and we hope to see Sarantel-equipped products on the high street before the end of the year".
The PowerHelix range use Sarantel's patented design in which copper tracks, deposited onto a small ceramic cylinder, are individually and automatically laser trimmed for optimum frequency response.
With no ground plane, the robust GeoHelix GPS antennas allow space saving in handheld and portable applications and measure a mere 10mm in diameter by 18mm.
Furthermore, the antennas can be mounted side by side and used in combined applications such as Bluetooth and GPS without loss of performance.
Sarantel's state of the art manufacturing facility is almost entirely automated and potentially capable of producing thousands of antenna every day.
In addition to offering its antennas to OEM manufacturers worldwide, Sarantel also licenses its designs and its manufacturing process to high volume manufacturers around the World.
The manufacturing process is the brainchild of PowerHelix antenna inventor and CTO of Sarantel, Dr Oliver Leisten.
"The antenna itself is the product of many years research and innovation", remarks Leisten, "However I knew without a volume manufacturing process it would remain nothing more than an interesting design.
I am gratified after so many years of research and development to finally see my antenna functioning in a third-party device.
However the benefits of the PowerHelix antenna are more wide reaching than simply GPS, we are already in development of a 2.5GHz antenna, and further antennas are to follow".
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