Bodmin, Cornwall, UK. Flann Microwave said its engineers are celebrating the publication of a new three-part international standard that will define how waveguides are used for decades to come.
The company said its team played a key role in the development of the new IEEE 1785 standard, which sets requirements for waveguides from 75 GHz to 3.3 THz. Previously there was no internationally agreed standard for waveguides operating above 330 GHz.
The new standard is split into three parts:
- Part 1 (IEEE 1785.1:2012) defines the operating frequencies, dimensions, tolerances, and names for the waveguide;
- Part 2 (IEEE 1785.2:2016) provides three designs of the waveguide interface (flange) to guarantee alignment accuracy; and
- Part 3 (IEEE 1785.3:2016) describes how to assess the performance of a pair of waveguide interfaces.
Dr. James Watts, chief executive of Flann Microwave, said, “This work will be hugely important in the future as the sub-millimeter bands are increasingly used for communications, security-imaging, and remote-sensing applications. Indeed the previous British Standard [as well as] International Electrotechnical Commission and U.S. MIL standards have remained largely unchanged for 40 years.”
The Flann team has been working with the IEEE 1785 working group since it was formed in March 2008, and the interface drawings in the new IEEE standard were produced by Flann mechanical engineers, the company reported.
Flann said it has also worked with UK and overseas government agencies to write many of the standards used in the industry.
With a 60-strong team based in Bodmin, Cornwall, UK, Flann Microwave said it has grown over six decades to become a market leader in the design and manufacture of precision waveguide components and testing and calibration equipment, serving customers in the telecommunications, government, automotive, aerospace, defense, and research sectors.
On the occasion of the company’s 60th anniversary celebration last November, Watts said, “Whilst we are globally recognized in our field and export more than 80% of production, we have tended to quietly get on with the job. However, 60 years is a significant milestone for Flann and a good reason to be celebrating the achievements of the company [and] the highly talented team who have made it all possible, and to thank our customers and partners for all their support.
“At the very heart of the business and its workforce is a spirit of innovation, commitment to engineering expertise, attention to detail, and customer service. This has been the foundation for our success to date and our on-going policy of maintaining the highest standards gives us the confidence that the company’s global reputation for quality, reliability, and performance will continue into the future.”
