Measurement Devices & Robotics

MWI designs and manufactures the industry’s most advanced electromagnetic measurement hardware. Our portfolio spans the entire testing lifecycle—from handheld portable probes for field use to massive, high-precision robotic gantries for aerospace manufacturing. Every device is engineered for maximum bandwidth, NIST-traceable accuracy, and seamless integration with modern VNA platforms.

Category 1: Free Space Measurement Antennas

The “Beam Architecture” – High-performance hardware for precision wave-front shaping and propagation.

  • Gaussian Beam Antennas: Our signature radiating engines: These Broadband antennas utilize dielectric lens optics to produce a highly collimated beam with invariant cross-section across the entire measurement zone.
  • Polyrod Antennas: These Polyrod antennas are engineered for high-gain and wide-angle measurement, offering a compact form factor with an exceptionally clean, consistent phase center across broad bandwidths.
  • Gaussian Beam Array Antenna: A specialized array engineered for low-frequency (50 MHz – 1 GHz) material characterization. It synthesizes a directional Gaussian beam to provide deep penetration into thick composites and large-scale structures, delivering localized energy control and minimizing environmental interference at wavelengths where standard antennas become impractical.

Category 2: Measurement Sensors & Probes

The “Precision Sensors” – Specialized tools for localized characterization and surface analysis.

  • Handheld Reflectometer: A ruggedized, portable 24-inch arch designed for non-destructive field testing on the flight line or production floor. Utilizing proprietary Polyrod antennas to produce a highly collimated beam, it brings laboratory-grade reflectivity analysis and surface impedance characterization directly to large-scale composite structures and aircraft skins.

Category 3: Structured Measurement Fixtures

The “Fixtures” – Portable and laboratory-scale environments for controlled material characterization.

  • Admittance Tunnels: A collimated Gaussian beam measurement environment. These tunnels are engineered to eliminate edge-diffraction and minimize environmental clutter, allowing for high-accuracy insertion loss and transmission testing of material panels.
  • Free-Space (NRL) Arches: Precision laboratory arches utilizing a collimated Gaussian beam to ensure high-fidelity measurement. These systems are specifically designed for multi-static and angular reflectivity studies (TE and TM polarizations) across a broad frequency spectrum, providing a stable electromagnetic environment for complex material analysis.
  • High-Temperature Tunnels & Arches: These structured measurement fixtures provide a collimated Gaussian beam environment designed to eliminate edge-diffraction and environmental clutter. Whether configured as a Tunnel for precise insertion loss and transmission testing or as an Arch for angular reflectivity (TE/TM polarizations), these systems are engineered to maintain MWI’s signature beam precision while characterizing material performance at extreme temperatures.

Category 4: Linearly Polarized Characterization Stations

  • High-Precision Near-Field Resonant and Transmission Systems: Specialized fixtures engineered for the interrogation of coupons, sheets, and slabs. Utilizing linearly polarized near-field interactions, these stations provide unparalleled sensitivity for characterizing anisotropic properties and complex material tensors from VHF through high-frequency ranges.

Category 5: Large-Format Robotics & Gantries

The “Automation” – Industrial-scale robotic platforms powered by Vention.

  • Net Table Scanners: Large-format X-Y scanning systems for mapping electromagnetically large surfaces.
  • Robotic Gantries: Multi-axis platforms built on Vention Machine and Motion architecture.
  • Industrial NDT Work Cells: Complete, production-ready robotic environments. We design the safety enclosures, specialized part-fixturing, and PLC-integrated control systems required to bring automated EM testing directly onto the manufacturing floor.

Category 6: Calibration & Standards

The “Verification” – Ensuring NIST-traceable, defensible data.

  • Reference Materials: Individual, high-precision dielectric standards. We provide NIST-traceable slabs of Rexolite, Plexiglass, and specialized materials machined to ± 0.001 inch tolerances for lab verification.
  • Calibration Irises: High-tolerance apertures for tunnels and arches.
  • Custom Validation Kits: Project-Based. MWI designs bespoke validation artifacts and serialized protocols for your specific test fixtures. These kits allow for daily system-level verification, ensuring your Quality Management System (QMS) remains in compliance between formal service intervals.
  • Net Tables: The MWI Net Table is designed to hold the Sample Under Test (SUT) securely “in space,” providing a stable mechanical platform that does not interact with the RF field.