SWISSto12 SA (St12), Switzerland’s fastest-growing aerospace company and a leading global provider of innovative RF solutions, announced the incorporation of St12 RF Solutions, Inc. The new entity has business offices in Manchester, NH, and will focus on engaging government and industry partners in the U.S. to commercialize advanced RF solutions.
SWISSto12 delivers RF cavity-based components, antennas and antenna array solutions based on 3D additive manufacturing technology. Its unique and patented RF design, surface finishing and plating processes for the realization of complex RF solutions, together with advanced RF designs, are deployed in aerospace missions including satellite communications, surveillance and radar.
St12 RF Solutions, Inc. will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of SWISSto12, SA. Scott Wolf, an experienced executive in the U.S. aerospace market, has been appointed as operating executive for the entity and will report to a majority U.S. citizens board of directors, allowing St12 RF Solutions, Inc. to engage seamlessly with U.S. customers for export controlled and restricted programs and missions.
Frontgrade Technologies, a leading provider of RF technologies and related mission-critical electronic solutions, collaborates with St12 in bringing these unique products to the U.S. market and customers by leveraging a production facility in Exeter, NH, under a licencing agreement with St12. CAES was acquired by Veritas Capital in January 2023 and rebranded as Frontgrade Technologies.
Dr. Emile de Rijk, St12 founder and CEO, said, “This is a milestone in our strategy to engage customers in the U.S. market with SWISSto12’s core capabilities. It is a clear sign of our commitment to the U.S. market and our core mission of being a trusted partner for the development and delivery of differentiated RF solutions for critical missions. In concert with Frontgrade Technologies, our U.S. partner, we will accelerate the introduction of highly responsive and competitive RF solutions to U.S. customers.”
Scott Wolf, managing director of St12 RF Solutions, Inc, said, “The structure and proximity of St12 RF Solutions will enable us to seamlessly engage with our partner, Frontgrade Technologies and U.S. customers. We are well-positioned to address their most sensitive and challenging requirements and mission needs. St12 RF Solutions will unite experts in business, project management, engineering, and manufacturing technology to understand our customers critical needs and enable their next generation of critical systems based on the advantages of RF additive manufacturing (AM).”
Mike Elias, president and CEO of Frontgrade Technologies said, “Our long-standing partnership with SWISSto12 has delivered mission-critical RF solutions to the U.S. aerospace market for many years. With the launch of St12 RF Solutions in New Hampshire, we are looking forward to deepening this collaboration and further pooling our expertise. I am confident that our combined capabilities will produce the new designs needed to meet the high performance requirements of future space and defence missions.”
AM, or 3D printing based on Selective Laser Melting (SLM), is an advanced manufacturing technology that has gained traction in the aerospace industry over the last decade. AM for RF systems enables high precision formats and complex geometries that allow form factors and performance that cannot be achieved with standard manufacturing solutions. Integrated subsystems that combine multiple components in one single homogeneous part reduces weight and complexity, a key differentiator for prime companies where cost and space are at a premium.