Trackwise Improved Harness Technology Achieves Major Milestone

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Trackwise, a UK-based specialist manufacturer of products using printed circuit technology, is pleased to announce the successful completion of a major milestone in the development of Improved Harness Technology™ - the manufacture of a 10metre/30foot 6 layer flexible multilayer PCB.

Philip Johnston, Trackwise Managing Director, commented “We are delighted with the results of recent trials. Whether or not this is the largest multilayer printed circuit ever manufactured – the next phase will see Trackwise manufacture a 25metre/80foot multilayer PCB – this is clear demonstration of the core offering of Improved Harness Technology™ - length-unlimited multilayer printed circuits to replace conventional wire harness or EWIS.”

Improved Harness Technology™ is a patented, proprietary technology that brings, for the first time, the proven benefits of flexible printed circuits – weight saving, space saving, improved precision, improved reliability – to system level applications.

Trackwise is pleased to acknowledge the financial contribution of Innovate UK and the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) to this project.

About Trackwise

Trackwise was established in 1989 as a specialist in the manufacture of very large high-frequency printed circuit boards (PCBs) for the antennas in the base stations run by the world’s cellphone operators. The company exports to countries around the world, including the USA, Australia, Europe and China. In 2005 Trackwise won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade, following its success in increasing exports from £500,000 to more than £2m in three years. In 2007 Trackwise opened Trackwise Epitome India, a new joint venture established to provide volume manufacturing of specialist RF PCBs for Indian-located wireless infrastructure equipment manufacturers and assemblers. In 2015 Trackwise achieved AS9100C aerospace quality certification.

About Improved Harness Technology (IHT)

Trackwise has been granted UK patent 2498994, US patent 9,226,410 and International Patent application PCT/GB2013/050147 covering a manufacturing process innovation which enables the manufacture of flexible multilayer printed circuit boards of unlimited length – unique on a worldwide basis. In removing current length restrictions the established benefits of using flex PCBs at unit level can now be enjoyed at sub system and system level. Trackwise is marketing the application of this innovation as ‘Improved Harness Technology™’ (IHT). In high-value, mass-critical applications, boards of such length can be used as an alternative to traditional wiring harnesses, offering significant benefits particularly in terms of reliability, repeatability, installation times and moreover in the reduction of space and weight – up to 75% saving.

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