Page 10 – Spirit Electronics

Ep. 23: Customizing a Test Program with Spirit‘s Sean Macdonald

Get the inside scoop on industry news and technology!

In this podcast, Spirit team member Sean Macdonald discusses the benefit of running a complete test program with Spirit is keeping the cost and handling all in house instead of extending your supply chain.

Ep. 23: Customizing a Test Program with Spirit‘s Sean Macdonald

What does your component testing and qualification need to include? We’ve talked with experts about electrical testing, PEMs qualification, XRF, acoustic microscopy. But what your test program tests and how is going to depend on your product and its application.

Spirit team member Sean Macdonald has talked with customers big and small across multiple applications, for single parts all the way up to a full bill of materials, about how to put together the right tests in the right parameters. He helps customers consider requirements from MIL standards, source control drawings, and applications to make sure we test parts under the right conditions for reliability.

And as Sean explains, the benefit of running a complete test program with Spirit is keeping the cost and handling all in house instead of extending your supply chain. Listen in to hear how you can accomplish procurement, inspections, qualification, assembly, and system-level testing in one order, one shipment.

Sean talks with Marti about:

(0:55) What electrical parameters to test

(3:18) How application affects test requirements

(5:19) How to customize a program with cost and schedule in mind

(7:10) Customize your data sheet, streamline your supply chain

(11:50) Copper inlay boards from Taiyo Kogyo and circuit board assembly

Get in touch with Sean and our agile team to talk about how to customize a test program for your needs at spiritelectronics.com. Or as Sean says, give us a call, and someone at Spirit is always ready to answer: 480-998-1533.

Ep. 22: XRF Analysis with Hitachi’s Matt Kreiner: What Is It Made Of?

Ep. 22: XRF Analysis with Hitachi's Matt Kreiner: What Is It Made Of?

Get the inside scoop on industry news and technology!

In this podcast, product manager Matt Kreiner talks with Marti about Spirit’s new Hitachi EA6000VX and what it can do. From coating analysis to component mapping, the EA6000VX can tell you what you need to know to inspect and qualify your component lot for production.

Ep. 22: XRF Analysis with Hitachi's Matt Kreiner: What Is It Made Of?

XRF, or X-ray Fluorescence analysis is a nondestructive compositional analysis, especially useful in the Aerospace & Defense industry for verifying lead composition and finishes. Hitachi produces several analyzers from handheld all the way up to bench analyzers that can identify elemental composition, measure coating thickness, and perform complex mapping.

In today’s episode, product manager Matt Kreiner talks with Marti about Spirit’s new Hitachi EA6000VX and what it can do. From coating analysis to component mapping, the EA6000VX can tell you what you need to know to inspect and qualify your component lot for production.

Listen in for:

(1:26) What is XRF?

(8:30) How deep does x-ray analysis go?

(12:00) How are Hitachi’s XRF analyzers superior?

(17:28) Just for fun: what strange things have you analyzed?

(22:58) Hitachi and the test equipment supply chain

For a limited time, Spirit is offering a free XRF analysis report with your regular component purchase order. Ask us to try out XRF analysis and see what it can tell you about your product.

Matt Kreiner is Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science’s product manager for their coatings analysis product line. In his current role, he focuses globally on Hitachi’s coatings customers across numerous industries to find new solutions to the challenges they face in their everyday work environment. He has 18 years of experience working with XRF technology, starting his career as an applications engineer, and has held many different roles within the organization. Matt resides in Chicago and holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Supplier-Managed Inventory (SMI) Offers Protection Against Shortages, Long Lead Times

Aerospace and Defense companies are already starting to see lead times 52 weeks and beyond. While the microchip shortage is front and center in the news, many related components are starting to extend as well. Supplier-Managed Inventory can be a tried-and-true strategy for avoiding allocation shortages.

While the defense industry can sometimes prioritize their components, the risk of delays and shortages won’t be going away soon. Smaller aerospace companies may also feel the pinch of competition with defense primes. The best time to prevent line-down impacts is now, while there is still time to plan.

Supplier-Managed Inventory, or SMI, is not new, but it may be a better strategy now than ever. In our 19 years of experience running SMI programming, it can be very effective. In an SMI program, a distributor like Spirit takes a material requirements plan (MRP) from a customer and manages ordering, inventory, and warehousing of product months in advance of the program’s needs.

For our customers, ordering higher volume and then protecting it on the shelf in the warehouse with space, manpower, and physical controls for risks like ESD can be costly. But letting a supplier manage that inventory instead can relieve cost, logistical effort and quality challenges while making sure product is on-site and ready for the production line.

For our customers, ordering higher volume and then protecting it on the shelf in the warehouse with space, manpower, and physical controls for risks like ESD can be costly. But letting a supplier manage that inventory instead can relieve cost, logistical effort and quality challenges while making sure product is on-site and ready for the production line.

How SMI Works

Setting up an SMI program starts with an MRP analysis. The program can be tailored to meet the customer’s workflows and procurement systems to manage ordering and make sure order requirements are flowed down correctly. The supplier can then manage those requirements and order quantities that support the production schedule long before the needed date. One program can manage just a few components or your full BOM.

When ordering direct, a customer often must manage minimum and multiple quantity requirements from manufacturers. Packaging, screening, and inspection of products can also be costly and require sending parts to multiple suppliers and locations for value-add work.

A supplier-managed program takes that burden off the customer. Quantities can be ordered and shipped as demand requires, and the supplier can manage any remaining stock. Bringing value add services like packaging, XRF analysis, board assembly, and testing in-house can also reduce the need for multiple stops along the supply chain.

Manage & Protect Inventory

SMI program providers experienced with aerospace and defense requirements can also warehouse parts under careful ESD, FOD, and environmental protections that are essential for high-reliability parts. Warehousing provides the same level of protection, control, and transparency as if the parts were at the customer’s facility. SMI can even be customized for on-site consignment programs, allowing customers to have the product at their facility until it is consumed for production.

Supplier-Managed Inventory makes your supply chain more efficient in times of allocation and shortage. By simply analyzing production needs, your SMI program can fill your production pipeline with the right supplier.

Ep. 21: Challenges of a Career in Service: Saying Farewell to Our Veteran Teammate for Deployment

Get the inside scoop on industry news and technology!

In this podcast, Spirit team member Sean Macdonald discusses the benefit of running a complete test program with Spirit is keeping the cost and handling all in house instead of extending your supply chain.

Ep. 21: Challenges of a Career in Service: Saying Farewell to Our Veteran Teammate for Deployment

Spirit’s team includes several veterans who have served in our nation’s military, some even still in reserve or Guard service. It’s a major challenge to juggle a civilian career with the demands of military service. This week, Team Spirit is saying farewell to our teammate Zac who is headed out for a year of active deployment.

Zac joined Spirit only a few months ago for his first ever corporate job. In this episode, he shares with Marti what has made the biggest impact on him in his time with the company.

Before joining Spirit, Zac served over 20 years, beginning with enlistment in the Navy, navigating a reduction in force, serving in civilian contractor roles, and finally earning his commission. We are so honored that Zac chose to bring his call to service to our team, supporting the Aerospace & Defense supply chain.

We wish you the best of luck, Zac, and hope for your safety on deployment. We hope to welcome you back when you return, knowing as our team does what that transition can be like for those who serve.

For more information on how to help Spirit in our mission to support veterans and families in service and beyond, visit our nonprofit at SpiritGives.org.

PolyPhaser RF Surge Protection Added to Spirit Line Card

Spirit Electronics is now an authorized reseller for PolyPhaser, an Infinite Electronics brand offering radio frequency surge protection. PolyPhaser products include surge protectors, interconnect cable protection, grounding adapters and hardware, fiber optic protection, and data surge protection for industrial, commercial and military applications.

Similar to its sister brand Transtector, PolyPhaser products offer surge protection to prevent damage to sensitive equipment and systems in the event of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Often EMP is an environmental threat that can cause significant interference and damage. RF equipment like radios and antennas operating in harsh conditions, such as a lightning storm or a solar flare, are vulnerable to power surges and disruptions from EMP.

PolyPhaser RF surge protectors are also tested to MIL-STD-188-125 for High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) protection. HEMP is a particularly damaging EMP resulting from a high-altitude nuclear explosion. Military and emergency management systems can rely on PolyPhaser products to ensure continuity for systems and networks that would be critical during a HEMP event. PolyPhaser RF products have been designed and tested with our military customers in mind. Spirit Electronics is offering PolyPhaser surge protection as part of its comprehensive product offerings in high-reliability performance.

Ep. 20: (Replay) What Can GaN Do in Space? Rad Hard Products and Applications with EPC Space

Get the inside scoop on industry news and technology!

In the replay of this popular episode, Marti and EPC Space’s CEO Bel Lazar talk about GaN reliability and performance in extreme space environments.

Ep. 20: (Replay) What Can GaN Do in Space? Rad Hard Products and Applications with EPC Space

In the replay of this popular episode, Marti and EPC Space’s CEO Bel Lazar talk about GaN reliability and performance in extreme space environments.

With growing interest in public and private space ventures and our increased dependence on satellite networks and space tech, devices like EPC Space’s GaN products must withstand radiation and extreme temperatures.

Jump to these times to hear about:

(2:08) The story behind the move from Silicon to GaN

(3:24) The GaN market size

(5:40) Space applications and product portfolio

(8:07) Radiation tolerance in space

(10:37) Reliability and testing to failure

(11:54) EPC Space design support

Spirit Electronics is an authorized distributor for EPC Space products. Visit spiritelectronics.com for a quote on EPC’s GaN devices.

XRF Analysis Adds to Spirit’s Test Services

Spirit has expanded our testing and screening services to include X-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing and analysis.

Spirit’s new Hitachi EA6000VX bench analyzer can inspect the material composition of your product. XRF inspection is essential in military and aerospace supply chains to verify that leads and finishes contain the correct ratio of lead to prevent whiskering.

Results are delivered with the product to our customers in a detailed report showing composition values and detailed images. If your product fails analysis, Spirit can identify the issue and replace your failed lot before the product ever arrives at your dock.

Our XRF machine can also inspect coating thickness and visually map a product and inspect internal connections down to 0.025 microns. Both mapping and composition analysis are inspection tools that can save you time and effort, allowing you to receive your product fully qualified and ready to use in production.

“The cool thing about our Hitachi EA6000VX is that it’s very versatile in the workplace and for exploratory devices,” says Nick Freeman, Spirit’s XRF Test Engineer. “It will tell you how much lead, how much chrome, how much of each element is inside because you want a proper ratio. It tells you what percent it is off from the industry standard, and then it gives you back that information per pin or per solder dot.”

For a limited time with our service launch, customers can receive a sample XRF analysis with a regular electronic component order.

composition leaded screening test XRF

Ep. 19: Support Local Kids with Our Back-to-School Drive with Spirit Gives

Get the inside scoop on industry news and technology!

Spirit Gives is a nonprofit arm of Spirit Electronics. You can reach us at 480-998-1533 or visit SpiritGives.org for more information. To drop off or ship a donation, you can find us at 11202 N 24th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85029.

Ep. 19: Support Local Kids with Our Back-to-School Drive with Spirit Gives

What does it take to send your child back to school prepared for success? Any parent can tell you, it takes more preparation and investment than you think!

Our Back-to-School Backpack & Suppliers Drive is collecting school supplies, backpacks, and donations to support 29 local children to start off the school year. You can make a donation at SpiritGives.org, drop off supplies locally at our office, or even ship to us through Amazon. The drive runs now through August 6.

We want to have some fun giving fun and useful supplies to our children so they can be excited for their return to school while taking some of the financial burden and shopping stress off their parents. We’ve partnered with our Gold Star Families and local organization UMOM.

Spirit Gives is a nonprofit arm of Spirit Electronics. You can reach us at 480-998-1533 or visit SpiritGives.org for more information. To drop off or ship a donation, you can find us at: 11202 N 24th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85029.

Ep. 18: (Replay) Zef Malik on Why to Perform Component and System Level Testing to Insure Your Mission

Get the inside scoop on industry news and technology!

In this episode, Spirit VP Zef Malik talks with Marti about why memory speed needs to be faster and why it buys critical minutes in the military mission.

Ep. 18: (Replay) Zef Malik on Why to Perform Component and System Level Testing to Insure Your Mission

Commercial manufacturers are already pushing toward the DDR5, but with the military transition to DDR4, memory’s performance in the field is essential.

In this episode, Spirit VP Zef Malik talks with Marti about why memory speed needs to be faster and why it buys critical minutes in the military mission. In applications when multiple memory devices are used in tandem and you have one weak link fail, performance suffers to the speed of the slowest device.

Manufacturers are already experts in their product, but the supply chain will need to provide product above and beyond the “can it run?” or “can it work?” rubber-stamp tests. Expert value-add service like Spirit’s will pick up where the OEM leaves off and deliver a fully qualified part to our customers.

And once you know your product can perform, Zef and Marti remind us System Level Testing (SLT) can go the extra distance to keep up with the millions of possible combinations a chip may see on a board.

You can find out more about our new value-add services like System Level Test and board assembly at spiritelectronics.com/services.

Transtector HEMP/EMP Surge Protection Now Available at Spirit

Spirit Electronics is now an authorized reseller of Transtector’s HEMP/EMP surge protection products. Transtector’s surge protection offers risk mitigation and preparation for emergency event management and can prevent critical equipment and infrastructure failures.

Transtector’s products offer a wide range of surge protection to prevent damage during a HEMP/EMP event and support operational readiness. Products include AC and DC surge protection, RF surge protection, data line surge protection, and power distribution.

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. EMP can result from natural sources, like a solar flare, but can be especially damaging if man made, as in a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) from a high-altitude nuclear explosion.

EMP can disrupt and damage electronic equipment and networks, and a significant EMP or HEMP event could disrupt many of the infrastructure and communication systems that our society relies on daily. This would pose a critical threat to emergency and military operations.

Transtector’s offerings are in cooperation with Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and the FAA to address their unique EMP/HEMP threats and support military standards.

Spirit is excited to offer surge protective products to our aerospace and defense customers. Talk to us today about how to protect your space and military applications.

EMP HEMP Surge Protect Transtector