Edinburgh Engineers Implement Industry First PNFR

Crewe Toll engineers in Edinburgh finished and fully implemented a PNFR (Production Near-Field Range) at the start of this year, providing a pioneering 24-30 hour radar antenna.

Brian Kerse, the engineer who led the antenna testing process, explained that this “allows us to take a freshly built radar array, fully test it, and get to the point that we are ready to deliver it without any human interference.” Meaning that just 30 minutes work in preparation can produce “a fully tested and functional array” 30 hours later.

They asked the supplier “to build a capability that would allow us to swap between the alignment laser and different waveguide RF Probes, creating the first of type technology of its kind in the world.” Kerse continued that they “believe it is the only automatic radar antenna test solution facility that exists in industry.”

While the innovative device sends and receives high strength Radio Frequency (RF) energy, data from the antenna is collected in a standardised and regulated setting. The PNFR process is entirely automated and easily reproducible in the facility’s manufacturing room, making the presence of antenna experts redundant.

Kerse explained that this new method removes “virtually all human intervention”.

“In the past, it would take on average 120 hours over 5 – 7 days to test and produce a test report for each array” but “this has been reduced to around 30 hours with no need for any presence except the very beginning and end.”

Senior Vice President of Radar and Advanced Targeting, Mark Stead, added that “key aspects of the PNFR’s design and implementation are firsts in the industry. We’re excited about the different future applications of this technology across our current and future product range.”

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