Smiths Interconnect, a Molex Company, Awarded an Additional £340K in Funding from the UK Government’s UK Space Agency

Smiths Interconnect, a Molex company and leading provider of technically differentiated electronic components, subsystems, microwave, optical and radio frequency products, has secured an additional £340,000 in funding from the UK Space Agency through its Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund (SCIF). Building on the achievements of a previous funding grant from the UK Space Agency awarded in November 2023, this further funding will enhance the rapidly expanding CAD-to-FAB prototyping and digital manufacturing capability at the Dundee fibre optics and RF components facility. 

Smiths Interconnect’s CAD-to-FAB model turns bespoke designs into space-qualified hardware in a single facility and supports the full RF passive portfolio (isolators, circulators, filters, couplers, hybrids and multifunctional assemblies) across key bands including C- and X-Band, with scale up from prototype to high volume low earth orbit (LEO) programmes.

The most recent grant from the SCIF allows further enhancement of the rapid prototyping and digital fabrication lab by installing additional manufacturing equipment, boosting throughput, unlocking higher frequency product development (Q-, V- and E-Bands), supporting production needs for all other frequences, and expanding capability into advanced materials and more complex filter architectures. Crucially for customers, these changes cut lead times and development risk by supporting faster prototype build, test and iteration while lowering non-recurring engineering costs.

Tullio Panarello, general manager and VP, Fibre Optics and RF Components, said, "Since launch, the CAD-to-FAB lab has delivered exceptional customer value and reached full capacity in record time. The further SCIF grant strengthens Smiths Interconnect’s position at the forefront of UK space technology, enhancing capability, driving innovation and enabling the next generation of high performance space hardware."

UK Space Minister, Liz Lloyd added, “Smiths Interconnect represents the very best of British innovation, and that’s why we’re continuing to support them with this UK government investment. Their facility in Dundee is already producing world-class components for some of the world’s most ambitious space missions. This funding will help them go even further, creating skilled jobs and cementing our reputation as a global leader in space technology. Dundee is a fantastic example of that ambition becoming a reality.”