Microwave Development Labs (MDL), a leader in microwave components and an independent producer of waveguide subassemblies, will be celebrating its 75th year in business at the 2023 IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS2023) exhibition in the San Diego Convention Center (San Diego, Calif.) on June 13-15, 2023.
Visitors to the show floor are invited to stop by booth 2635 to share in the groundbreaking development of components from one of the microwave industry’s most successful firms.
The Company that Introduced the Riblet Coupler
Established in 1948 in Needham Heights, Mass, MDL is a leading supplier of components and assemblies for RF, microwave, and mmWave applications requiring low loss transmission of electromagnetic (EM) energy. MDL has built an experienced, expert staff of design engineers capable of working closely with each customer’s specific electrical and mechanical specifications to meet the most demanding custom requirements.
The company’s rich history includes pioneering the Riblet coupler in 1948 for use at microwave frequencies, before that portion of the frequency spectrum was widely used for transmission of EM waves. From that innovative first year, the company has never stopped enhancing microwave coupling solutions, leading to such achievements as the thin wall monopulse comparator for the Lunar Excursion Module in the 1960s and waveguide feed and monopulse networks for F-14 and F-15 fighter aircraft in the 1970s.
Internally milled waveguide technology from MDL developed during the 1980s helped reduce the size and weight of high performance waveguide components for radar systems in F-18 fighter and B-1 bomber aircraft, long before new product development for military and aerospace customers required adherence to reduced size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) trends.
Reaching its 75th year in business, company president Gordon P. Riblet said, “We’ve made our share of parts at frequencies through 50 GHz and now we are looking to higher frequencies for such applications as 5G/6G, military and aerospace.” Riblet noted that the company has always been a leader in performance, producing high-performance components with low loss, excellent VSWR and high power-handling capabilities, adding, “For the first 75 years, we applied the latest test and software tools to quickly develop customers’ specialized requirements, no matter how challenging. For the next 75 years, we hope to continue to be a leader in performance and technology, helping to pave the way for system-level advances in military/aerospace, 5G/6G, and satellite communications (satcom) applications.”