Precision Antennas for the World

By Ivan Heisler | For MM Science Journal
https://www.mmspektrum.com/clanek/precision-antennas-for-the-world

Before the end of last year, we accepted an invitation to Nová Paka, where the company RFspin has its manufacturing plant. This Czech company develops and manufactures cutting-edge broadband antennas for a variety of applications including wireless and satellite communications, and radar systems, and supplies them to leading global companies. In production, it relies on the latest machining equipment, including two Hermle C 400 five-axis precision centers.

During our visit to the company, we were accompanied by Pavel Němeček, the representative of Hermle Czech Republic. In the brand-new building of his company, we were welcomed by Ing. Zdeněk Hradecký, Ph.D., who founded RFspin twenty years ago and is its owner and director. First, he introduced us to the history of his company and its products.

History and Development of RFspin

The company, which has been involved in the development and production of broadband antennas from the beginning, was founded by Zdeněk Hradecký with four partners during his doctoral studies at the Department of Electromagnetic Field of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague. After two years, the company’s antennas found applications in the German market, and after several more years, penetrated the U.S. market. Over time, four of the five original partners left the company, leaving Mr. Hradecký as its sole owner. He considers the year 2017 a pivotal moment in the company’s history when he decided to build its own production facility. He leased a production hall in Nová Paka and purchased the first machining center, necessary software, and a measuring microscope, all supported by a grant from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.

Complete Production Technology “In-House”

In the following years, the company expanded its machine park with additional machines, initially milling centers, but later also wire EDM and various types of lathes, including a long-turning automatic machine. Gradually, it built complete production technology and secured self-sufficiency in manufacturing almost all parts, including special components of miniature dimensions. It also has its own galvanizing plant for surface treatment of parts. Now, it only outsources the laser cutting of sheet metal parts (needed just in special cases) and purchases connectors from semi-finished products.

In addition to being independent of part production by suppliers and not having to deal with frequent quality and delivery timing issues, the company’s owner sees another advantage in self-sufficiency: The better integration with production gives developers a better understanding of its capabilities and allows them to design products faster that can be manufactured. In the future, he plans to replace the oldest milling center of another brand (whose parameters no longer meet the increased requirements for accuracy, productivity, and reliability) with a new machine, this time again from Hermle. There is also a plan to invest in equipment for 3D printing of metal parts.

New Building with the Production Hall

In 2020, the company took advantage of an interest-free loan offer from the then Czech-Moravian Guarantee and Development Bank (today’s National Development Bank), provided under the Expansion program, and set upon building a new, modern facility with a temperature-controlled production hall in Nová Paka, along with acquiring two new machining centers. This building was successfully approved for full operation in the spring of 2023, and production now takes place there. The building is equipped with modern control and security technology and is also prepared for the installation of a rooftop photovoltaic power plant with a battery storage system. However, this is not currently a priority, as another investment has taken precedence.

The company is building a new antenna measurement chamber, for which a large room is reserved. Every manufactured antenna is thoroughly tested, and customers subsequently get online access to detailed data measured during tests of the specific piece, based on a unique QR code with which each antenna is marked after calibration measurement. The code links to the online Antenna Portal with detailed information on the parameters and characteristics of that antenna. So far, antennas are tested partly at the Prague headquarters of RFspin (where product development also takes place) and partly in the laboratories of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, with which the company continues to cooperate.

Collaboration with CTU

The close collaboration with CTU’s Department of Electromagnetic Fields in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering takes place on several levels. It involves consultations during the development of new products, the aforementioned testing of manufactured antennas, and the joint development of a measuring system. As an example of a specific project on which the company collaborates with the department, Dr. Hradecký mentioned the development of the new FiberArch system, designed for the modulation of radiofrequency signals for transmission through optical fibers and for back demodulation (Radio over fiber technology). This is a project supported by a grant from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic.

Hermle Machining Centers

After deciding to acquire new machining centers, the company’s owner visited the International Engineering Fair in Brno. There, as part of the exhibits, he met representatives of Hermle, who explained the advantages of precise five-axis machining centers. After discussion, the choice fell on the C 400 model, which can precisely machine very small parts, but thanks to its large working space, is also suitable for milling larger parts (up to 650 mm in diameter and 500 mm in height, with a rotary table load capacity of 600 kg). Soon after purchasing one of these machines, the company acquired a second, identical one.

Capacity for Cooperation

Some machining technologies are essential for the company but are not fully utilized for its own needs. Therefore, it offers this production capacity to other companies that do not have the necessary machines (such as the mentioned long-turning automatic machine). Besides complete machine equipment for precise machining, the company can also offer partners surface treatment of parts manufactured on order.

Research, Aviation and Space Industry, Defense, and Communication

And for whom does this successful Czech company manufacture its antennas? Among its customers are such renowned names as Airbus Defence and Space, Boeing, NASA, and SpaceX; its products are used in the laboratories of the world’s largest automakers and telecommunications companies, such as Nokia and Ericsson, as well as a number of significant foreign universities. And that’s just a selection of those whose names we are allowed to publish. RFspin’s antennas serve not only on all continents but also in space, in all industrial sectors where the transmission of radiofrequency signals and their reception are applied. And these are almost all areas of human activity today. Thanks to the development team, led by the owner, being able to come up with new solutions and meet various customer requirements for specific product characteristics, the company has been able to increase its turnover tenfold since 2015. Currently, it produces 500-600 antennas per year.

The topic of Hermle machines’ service also came up. During the nearly one year that both C 400 machining centers have been in operation at the company, there has not yet been a situation that required a service intervention. Pavel Němeček says, “Although I like meeting our customers, I’m glad that it’s usually not because something on our machines isn’t working. Of course, an accident can happen, and in such a case, we’re ready to react quickly and help, but it’s best when we don’t get any reports about our machines. It means that everything is working as it should, and that customers don’t have problems with our machines.”

Czech High-Tech from the Giant Mountains Region

Our visit to RFspin was pleasing for several reasons. This Czech company, whose unique products are now conquering the world without exaggeration, was built from the ground up by a clever graduate of a Czech technical university. In its activities, the company combines theoretical knowledge, technical talent, and traditional engineering production, with an emphasis on innovation and the development of advanced technologies. This is the best export item and also a good example of how to succeed in global competition. It is also an exemplary case of good cooperation between a manufacturing company and the academic sphere, which we all call for, and the purposeful use of financial support from the state is noteworthy.