The pursuit of high-performance miniaturization has been a constant trend in the electronics forte for ages. As inventor and futurist Raymond Kurzweil said, “What used to fit in a building now fits in your pocket; what fits in your pocket now will fit inside a blood cell in 25 years.”

The journey has been long, but humanity is progressing steadily towards the nano-level miniaturization that Kurzweil predicted. As electrical and electronics components strive to encapsulate the greatest technological capabilities in the smallest packages, they push the boundaries of miniaturization, innovation, efficiency, and durability. That being said, it is important to note that in aerospace and defense, precision is the name of the game, and the push toward miniaturization should be in sync with the drive for quality and consistent performance.

Magnetic components such as transformers and inductors form the circuitry in aerospace components—the building block of the electronics present in aircraft, satellites, submarines, automobiles, telecommunication infrastructure, and computing devices. As such, the adage, “take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves,” is relevant in every industry that relies on miniaturized magnetic components. And now more than ever, the role of an all-rounder component manufacturer becomes even more profound. And filling that role is New York-based miniature and ultra-miniature electronics specialists Pico Electronics, Inc.

Exemplary Market Presence

Pico was founded by Mr. Joseph Sweeney and Mr. Henry Spoldi in 1967 as a manufacturer of ultra-miniature transformers and inductors. At the time, the company’s mission was to build the smallest, most reliable magnetic components on the market. Over the years, it progressed from producing devices with insulated leads to through-hole leaded components and surface-mounted components. Today, the company has thousands of components in their qualified products list (QPL), including—but not limited to—audio transformers, 400Hz transformers, power inductors, EMI inductors, DC-DC converter transformers, and pulse transformers in all forms of mounting options.

The wide range of application areas that Pico’s components find use in speaks volumes about the company’s value proposition. The company has ‘been there, and done that’ when it comes to designing and manufacturing magnetic components. They bring the entire gamut, from audio transformers for fighter plane systems to power transformers in miniature power supplies for commercial and military planes. Pico has also manufactured high voltage transformers for missile and submarine sonar systems. Interestingly, the extreme environment inductors and transformers capable of surviving planet Mars in the Sojourner rover were Pico’s contribution.

“We are one of the largest manufacturers of magnetic components that are being used in aerospace, in the commercial aircraft world,” mentions Fernando DaRosa, Chief Engineer of the Transformer, at the company.

DaRosa, among other leaders at Pico, strives to uphold the principles and legacy of its founders.

Pico’s unwavering commitment to deliver what the customers seek—irrespective of the challenge at hand—has enabled it to proudly stand where it is today. The company manufactures all its products to stringent quality and reliability specifications, such as extreme temperature environments, extreme humidity, chemical resistance, and long operational life span. In light of their experience, they have thousands of different devices in their catalog from which customers can directly order. Should the need arise for a modified product, Pico’s team works closely with the customer’s engineering department to modify an existing part’s electrical parameters or increase the component’s reliability parameters. Pico can even increase environmental and electrical testing to verify the product’s quality and ruggedness in the intended application. To improve upon that, the company also has the facilities to perform extreme environmental testing and screening, such as MIL-PRF-27, MIL-STD—981, and EEE-INST-002, to ensure all the necessary reliability characteristics a customer requires are met.

Aligning with the Evolving Customer Needs

DaRosa notes that the industry is going through a trend where surface-mounted designs are being preferred over their through-hole leaded counterparts. In this regard, many companies struggle to convert through-hole designs to surface-mounted designs while retaining the size and quality specifications of the latter. After all, even the variation of a tenth of a millimeter can add up to huge size differences, and redesigning the whole product circuitry and outlay for a mere switch in mounting is often out of the question. However, owing to Pico’s rich experience in making components of all shapes and sizes and converting the mounting mode while retaining the size, the component’s quality is their core forte.

“Our clients come to us and say, ‘Can you convert this to surface mount? Or can you expand this component to do this function?’ Most of the time we can keep the same part. Sometimes, we have to redesign the unit to fit their application best. We work with the customers in terms of designing or redesigning components that are already in existence, or we can work with the customers in changing the characteristics of the component device to best fit their application,” adds DaRosa.

Exemplifying the extraordinary capabilities of Pico, DaRosa narrates a client success story. One of the eminent players in the aerospace sector approached Pico, as they were not satisfied with their previous component supplier for fighter planes. As the components provided previously were repeatedly failing to meet the stringent specifications, this major aerospace company severed all ties with their previous provider and collaborated with Pico.

We are probably the largest manufacturer of magnetic components that are being used in aerospace, in the commercial aircraft world

The team of experts at Pico redesigned all the required units and fabricated all the units with material that could withstand 10,000 hours of high temperatures, cycling, and vibration. Pico understands that their components have to withstand temperatures as low as -60 to upwards of 90 degrees Celsius, setting aside other extreme environmental factors.

Going beyond supplying quality products, Pico helped a customer build a design board from scratch—one that would best accommodate the components with the intended specifications. “We got involved, explaining to them, step by step, the best ways of going about designing the assembly board. We made components that ticked all working conditions,” recalls DaRosa. Owing to anecdotes like these, organizations across the United States largely depend on Pico’s product quality, reliability, and serviceability.

Another sought-after advantage of partnering with Pico is their turnaround time. The company can bring out samples of thermal tested components of desired dimensions in a matter of weeks, if not a week. At any time of the year, the company can ramp up operations to increase its outputs by up to 50 percent. “Our customers can reach out to us at any time, freely talk with us, and we will very happily try to serve their needs. If they have a failure, or they have problem in installing a component or anything at all, we will always be here to help them out,” says DaRosa. Arguably, there is not a single program in NASA or US aerospace and defense that does not utilize Pico’s components. They have become a household name for quality and reliability.

Customer- and Workforce-Centricity at its Finest

As much as Pico has fostered long-lasting customer relations—some spanning more than 50 years—the company upholds equal emphasis on nurturing its workforce. In fact, the two aspects complement one another. With minimal employee turnover, Pico even has a third generation of employees working at the company. Since its inception, their work culture revolved around treating the workforce as an extended family. The company strives to be a flat organization where anyone can freely interact with one another.

The high-spirited PICO Electronics team focuses on being the pathfinders in the future of work and envisions creating new ways of working with consummate innovation. In the future, the company will continue to manufacture ultra-miniature components, magnetic components, DC-DC Converters, and AC-DC power supplies for the aerospace and defense industries. “We have multiple ways of mounting the units on the board, and as new ways come, we will adapt to those. We are continuously upgrading ourselves according to the changing dynamics of the market, and we will continue to utilize various modern age technologies to deliver the best and most reliable components,” concludes DaRosa.