Z-AXIS News Archive

2008

Z-AXIS acquires computer electronics manufacturer, adds jobs in Ontario County

Nov. 24, 2008 - Electronics manufacturer Z-AXIS (www.zaxis.net) has acquired Boundless Technologies (www.boundless.com) of Farmingdale, NY and has transferred the Long Island company’s operations here. Z-AXIS expects the acquisition to help it continue to grow its business at greater than 30% per year, based on the open order backlog for Boundless Technologies products combined with demand for existing Z-AXIS products and services.

Z-AXIS Inc. provides quality design, prototyping and manufacturing services for electronic products and electromechanical assemblies. It also produces commercial and industrial products under its BEAR Power Supplies and Display Concepts brands.

Boundless Technologies designs and manufactures text terminals and thin client terminals for computer systems in manufacturing, retail, health care, financial and educational settings. Its products include ADDS Littlefoot terminals; ADDS thin clients; customized thin clients; a complete line of text terminals including the ADDS 60, 4000/260 and 3153 and the DEC (Compaq) VT510, VT520, VT525 and Dorio 10; and terminal emulation sets for all Wyse models.

“Producing the Boundless Technologies line plays directly to the strengths of the Z-AXIS team: high-quality assembly of both standard and custom electronic products,” said Z-AXIS president Michael Allen. “We are pleased that we are able to keep the assembly of high-quality Boundless Technologies brand products here in New York State, and we are committed to providing uninterrupted service and great customer support for Boundless Technologies customers.”

The acquisition was announced by Z-AXIS’ parent company Video Display Corporation (NASDAQ:VIDE) Sept. 19, 2008. This is the second acquisition this year for Z-AXIS, which acquired Wisconsin-based Display Concepts, a provider of replacement monitors for ATMs, in July.

Z-AXIS adds automated optical inspection (AOI) at its electronics contract manufacturing center near Rochester, NY

Nov. 18, 2008 - Z-AXIS continues to invest in high-end electronics manufacturing equipment at its 32,000 square foot design and manufacturing center in Phelps, NY, 30 miles east of Rochester. The company’s new automated optical inspection (AOI) system enables fast, detailed inspection of printed circuit boards (PCBs) at any stage in the assembly process. This automated inspection ensures high quality and allows Z-AXIS to continuously improve its manufacturing processes, maintaining high yields and keeping costs low for its customers.

The new YESTech YTV B3 system handles printed circuit board assemblies up to 18” x 20” (457mm x 508mm) with components as small as 01005. It identifies defects such as missing, wrong or misaligned components; bent leads and defective solder connections. It can be quickly re-programmed to handle new printed circuit board designs, supporting Z-AXIS strengths in fast change-over for low- to mid-volume production runs.

“We are seeing continued high demand for our contract manufacturing services, and we continue investing in equipment to support that demand,” said Michael Allen, president of Z-AXIS. “This state-of-the-art automated optical inspection system further supports our capability to provide consistent high quality, high throughput and competitive pricing for our contract manufacturing customers.”

Z-AXIS and Lexel engineering teams drive innovative wind turbine for off-grid power generation at commercial sites

Oct. 2, 2008 -Engineering teams from VDC (NASDAQ:VIDE) companies Z-AXIS, Inc. (www.zaxis.net) and Lexel (www.lexelimaging.com) recently played a key role in the successful pilot launch of Wind Energy Corporation’s innovative vertical-axis turbine in Weslaco, Texas. The new wind turbines will allow commercial sites, such as retail distribution centers or hospital campuses, to create their own renewable energy on site. The turbines, which generate 25-100 kilowatts of power, are small and quiet enough for use in urban settings. By contrast, massive propeller-style turbines used on large-scale wind farms generate megawatts of power and require locations with consistently high wind, feeding electricity over long-distance transmission lines to the national power grid for distribution by the utilities.

Wind Energy Corp. used advanced composite materials to create the turbine, a 19-foot tall spiral sail that rotates around a vertical axis. Z-AXIS engineers designed and produced the control electronics, and Lexel provided the patented high-efficiency generator and brake design along with the support structure. The companies installed the first turbine in a research and development program at the Weslaco, TX retail support center of H-E-B, one of the nation’s largest food retailers. For details download the Wind Energy Corp. press release (596Kb PDF).

“Both Z-AXIS and Lexel have an extremely deep grasp of the technologies they work with, combined with a dedication to supporting their customers, even in the face of intense demands and timelines,” said Greg Thomson, COO of Wind Energy Corp. “They have worked closely with us to get the job done and we are looking forward to a continued relationship.”

Z-AXIS designed the electronic controls to shut the turbine down in high-wind conditions, and the power circuitry to transform the variable power created by the turbine into clean line voltage for consumption. (Wind turbines create AC power with randomly varying voltage and frequency as the wind changes. Z-AXIS electronics convert this to a steady DC power and then to the standard three-phase 480 VAC power.) Wind Energy relied on Z-AXIS engineers’ expertise in power electronics and their proven ability to create electronics systems that operate reliably over wide operating temperature ranges in harsh outdoor environments. Ongoing design and production will take place in the company’s manufacturing center near Rochester, NY.

Z-AXIS wins contract to design improved power sub-station monitoring system for Qualitrol Corporation

Aug. 1, 2008 - Z-AXIS today announced that it has won a contract from Qualitrol Corporation of Fairport, NY to design an electronic controller board to be used in Qualitrol Corp.'s monitoring systems for the electrical utilities industry.

The new printed circuit board will be incorporated into Qualitrol Corp. instruments that monitor electrical apparatus in power distribution substations. Requirements for the microprocessor-based programmable controller include high reliability and long life over a very wide operating temperature range. The proposed Z-AXIS design will also be more compact, cost less, use less power and have more features than the existing designs it replaces.

"Z-AXIS impressed us with their flexibility to work on fast-track projects, their knowledge of electronic system design and their reputation for creating high-reliability industrial products," said Bob Taylor, senior mechanical engineer at Qualitrol Corp.

"We’re pleased to put our expertise in electronic product design to work for an innovative high-tech company like Qualitrol," said Michael Allen, president of Z-AXIS. "It is a pleasure to help manufacturers in Western New York to fuel their growth through product improvements and new product development."

Z-AXIS designs and produces printed circuit board assemblies and electromechanical assemblies for a wide range of government and commercial electronics systems including industrial monitoring systems, industrial automation equipment, medical instruments and portable lasers.

Z-AXIS acquires Display Concepts, provider of replacement LCD monitors for ATMs

Phelps, NY – July 21, 2008 – Z-AXIS today announced that it has acquired the business of Display Concepts, LLC for an undisclosed amount. Display Concepts provides high-quality replacement LCD monitors for automated teller machine (ATM) upgrade and repair and has earned a reputation for rapid turn-around and excellent customer service. The company will retain the Display Concepts brand and its existing sales and support office in Wisconsin. Product design and production will be incorporated in Z-AXIS' modern 32,000 square foot manufacturing center in Phelps, NY.

The Display Concepts product line features the industry-leading SunView 2000 line of sunlight-viewable displays originally manufactured by Palomar Displays. These unique high-brightness LCD monitors replace standard-brightness LCDs and older CRT monitors in ATMs from Diebold, NCR, Fujitsu and Wincor-Nixdorf. Unlike regular displays, which "wash out" in bright sunlight, Display Concepts displays provide bright, full-color images in direct sunlight. The displays are brighter, sharper and longer-lasting than the original CRT technology.

"There are more than 400,000 ATMs in the USA and 1.5 million worldwide, and most of them contain CRTs that are at the end of life and need replacing," said Michael Allen, president of Z-AXIS. "As part of the VDC family of companies, Display Concepts now has the unique ability to provide the ATM user with a full line of replacement CRTs and LCD upgrades. Our strength in design of industrial-grade video displays and electronic products, combined with Display Concepts' knowledge of the ATM repair business, gives us a strong position in this market."

Z-AXIS has a strong background in design and manufacture of industrial-grade video displays. The company’s first products were rugged video display monitors used in medical, military and industrial systems. Z-AXIS continues to design and produce monitors for demanding applications, and will leverage this expertise to maintain and expand the Display Concepts product line.

Z-AXIS adds thermal imaging for electronic design verification

March 2008 - Z-AXIS has added an infrared imaging camera to support its contract electronics design and manufacturing, particularly with products that require long life or reliable operation in hot environments. The Raytheon/SPI PalmIR-225 camera facilitates design verification by detecting hot spots in a prototype or existing product being redesigned. These hot spots may indicate potential problem areas to receive closer scrutiny.

Z-AXIS wins $1 million electronics contract manufacturing project from Harris Corporation

Phelps, NY – January 14, 2008 – Electronics contract manufacturer Z-AXIS today announced that it has won a contract from Harris Corporation’s RF Communications business in Rochester, NY to manufacture an electromechanical sub-assembly that is incorporated into a Harris RF product. The value of the contract is $1 million over a period of up to three years.

“We’re pleased to be working with Z-AXIS, which was highly recommended by other groups within Harris for its quality and on-time delivery,” said Thomas Kenney, vice president of product line management, Harris RF Communications. “The military communications systems we produce have challenging requirements for durability and reliability.”

“Harris RF has very stringent standards for quality and process control, and we are pleased that they recognize our ability to meet those high standards,” said Michael Allen, president of Z-AXIS. “Going through their rigorous qualification process highlighted many things that we do exceptionally well versus our competitors, and brought out additional ideas that we have already implemented to further improve our processes.”

Z-AXIS designs and produces printed circuit board assemblies and electromechanical assemblies for a wide range of government and commercial electronics systems including industrial monitoring systems, industrial automation equipment, medical instruments and portable lasers.

The company’s BEAR Power Supplies subsidiary (www.bearpwr.com) is also a supplier to Harris RF. BEAR has received a contract to deliver custom DC/DC power converters for use in Harris tactical military radio systems. The unique power supply is less than one-inch cubed, with dual input and output voltages. It meets RF Communications’ specifications for shock, vibration, and reliability over a very wide operating temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees C.

Harris RF Communications Division is a leading supplier of secure voice and data communications products, systems, and networks to military, government, and commercial organizations worldwide. Harris Corporation Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government, defense and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has annual revenue of over $4 billion and 16,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications™ products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.