Microsemi opens aviation centre of excellence in Ireland

The research and development facility will support the design, development and manufacturing of Microsemi's new product line of high reliability aviation intelligent power solutions (IPS). "Our new Aviation Centre of Excellence is the latest example of Microsemi's investment in research and development in Ireland, and reflects our Ennis facility's important contributions to the wider Microsemi global product/technology development network. We now offer a complete solution for high reliability aviation intelligent power solutions from design to manufacturing," said Jim Aralis, chief technology officer and vice president of advanced development at Microsemi. "The facility will not only provide access to a portfolio of highly integrated, flexible and scalable solutions for aviation electric actuation and power conversion applications, but customers will also have access to a full technical service provider as an extension of their design teams." The facility's new research and development laboratory is fully resourced with modeling, simulation, analysis and algorithm development capabilities providing accelerated product innovation. The measuring equipment enables product testing while a dedicated reliability laboratory facilitates product qualification and long-term application specific life testing. As the aviation sector continues to demand higher levels of reliability and integration in the area of power electronics in order to realize the goal of more electric aircraft (MEA), Microsemi's Aviation Centre of Excellence will play a critical role in supporting this objective. According to professor Pat Wheeler, head of department, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and deputy head of the Power Electronics, Machines and Controls (PEMC) Research Group at the University of Nottingham (UK), power electronics is the enabling technology for the more electric aircraft. However MEA advantages are marginal with current technology and advancements in the areas of reliability, power density, wide band gap semiconductor materials and thermal management are essential to achieve its full potential.