KYOCERA AVX, a global manufacturer of advanced electronic components engineered to accelerate technological innovation and build a better future, is acquiring assets of Bliley Technologies, a designer and developer of low-noise frequency control products with more than 65 years of space heritage in low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) applications. The asset transfer acquisition will bring Bliley’s equipment, people, and IP under the KYOCERA AVX umbrella and allow KYOCERA AVX to produce the same high-quality electronic components that made Bliley a global leader. Upon finalization, the acquired assets will operate under KYOCERA AVX Components Corporation (Erie).
“We are very pleased to welcome members from the Bliley Technologies team to KYOCERA AVX and are very excited to further expand our crystal devices portfolio with the disruptive technologies they’ve developed, which will allow us to better serve sophisticated customers in the demanding military, aerospace, and defense markets,” said Kio Ariumi, Senior VP, Operational Integrations, KYOCERA AVX. “The asset transfer acquisition provides more than 20 patents for key positioning, navigating, and timing technologies as well as an accomplished staff and an advanced manufacturing facility with several crucial certifications and qualifications, all of which will further strengthen our presence in these essential markets.”
Bliley Technologies manufactures innovative low-noise crystal and oscillator products at its 64,000-square-foot, ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturing facility in Erie, Pennsylvania, and is one of the only U.S.-based companies to manufacture both — from front end to final finishing — within the same facility. This fact enables close collaboration between Bliley’s highly experienced crystal oscillator and mechanical engineers and its production team and has resulted in the development of some of the most successful solutions available in the global frequency control industry, including its patented and currently unrivaled low-power oven-controlled crystal oscillator (OXCO) technology, which offers superior holdover performance compared to micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) and temperature-compensated crystal oscillators (TXCO) at a fraction of the power budget.
KYOCERA AVX Components Corporation will continue to manufacture Bliley products, including OCXOs, TCXOs, and voltage-controlled crystal oscillators (VCXOs); high-precision AT-, SC-, IT-, and FC-cut crystals; and quartz and lead zirconate titanate (PZT), lithium niobate, langatate, and yttrium calcium oxoborate (YCOB) transducer blanks and will also design and develop new products based on Bliley IP. Engineered for use in demanding, high-stakes applications within the new space, satellite communications, aerospace, avionics, military and defense, mobile communications, 5G cellular and telecommunications, smart and autonomous vehicles, and commercial drone markets, these innovative products:
- Effectively suppress phase noise.
- Ruggedly withstand random and micro vibrations.
- Reliably endure low-gravity environments.
- Maintain superlative frequency stability.
- Endure fast and wide temperature variations, and more.
“The Bliley Technologies team is happy to become a part of KYOCERA AVX and is looking forward to leveraging our relative strengths and experience to accomplish many of the same goals that we’ve been pursuing as Bliley as KYOCERA AVX Components Corporation,” said Keith Szewczyk, CEO and Director, Bliley Technologies. “Bliley has earned a global reputation for research and development, quality, and reliability, and our purpose has always been to inspire and enable our customers’ innovations, allowing them to achieve more than they ever thought possible. The KYOCERA AVX team shares this commitment and, together, we will continue to develop novel crystal products that redefine possibilities.”
Bliley Technologies is certified to ASD9100 Rev D and ISO 9001, J-STD-001 Class 3, IPC-A-610, IPC-7711, and IPC-7721. The company is also qualified to MIL-PRF-55310 and compliant with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), REACH and RoHS directives, and MIL-STD-883B, MIL-STD-202, and MIL-O-55310 environmental and qualification testing standards.