A decade ago, Crane Aerospace & Electronics was meeting customer demand by providing power conversion technology up to 15 kW.

Now, with a brand new state-of-the art high power lab, Crane A&E can design, build and test systems and subsystems requiring up to 1 MW – enough power to supply upward of 800 homes. The facility upgrade at Crane A&E’s Fort Walton Beach site represents A&E’s latest commitment to leading the industry in offering electrical power solutions from milliwatts to megawatts.

“This level of power capability is highly unique within our market,” said Ernie Parker, Crane A&E Director of Engineering, Defense Power. “Our technology roadmap has been to move into higher and higher power systems and higher and higher power converters. We are assembling the converters as a power system, and customers want it tested all as one assembly.”

High Power Lab Features

• 1 MW Power Availability
• Discrete/Systems
• Three Overhead Power Rails
  • 277/480 Vac
  • 120/208 Vac
  • Variable Voltage, Variable Frequency
• Static/Pulsed Loads
• Environmental Capability
• Multiple Workstations

The lab’s features are vast. It’s a true engineering showpiece. Right away, customers will notice a lengthy storefront window that provides clean sight lines and peers into a space complete with 16 modular workstations and Starline power distribution tracks racing along the building’s ceiling.

Along one of the lab’s walls sits seven three-phased power sources that can be paralleled together to apply variable voltage and frequencies to units under testing. The lab also features a walk-in chamber that contains a load room to dissipate heat to the building’s exterior and a chiller room where Crane A&E technicians can run various coolants with power units.

"This level of power capability is highly unique within our market. Our technology roadmap has been to move into higher and higher power systems."

— Ernie Parker, Crane A&E Director of Engineering, Defense Power
 

Crane A&E has long been an industry leader in providing innovative electrical power solutions to commercial aviation, defense and space markets – specializing in power conversion, power distribution, energy storage and motor controls. Crane A&E’s new high-power lab allows it to work in power ranges that support emerging electrical platforms, such military electric vehicles, all-electric aircraft and next-generation radar.

Most importantly, the new lab’s capabilities save customers time and money. In being able to work with such high-power ranges, the facility lets Crane A&E integrate individual units to build out and test high power interconnected assemblies. This enables Crane A&E to conduct all necessary testing so it can provide customers a proven, integrated subsystem.

“Customers see it as a real value that they don’t have to take the risk of these things not integrating together,” Parker said.

Crane A&E’s high power lab construction advanced rapidly two years ago to support a Raytheon Missiles and Defense program that required significantly high levels of electrical power. The program evolved into Crane A&E providing power units for Raytheon’s Lower Tier Air & Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), which is an advanced 360-degree Active Electronically Scanned Array air and missile defense radar for the U.S. Army.

“Crane A&E is pleased to partner with Raytheon Missiles & Defense and support the U.S. Army’s future Lower Tier Air & Missile Defense Sensor,” said Trey Endt, Crane A&E VP of Defense Power, in a previous press release. “Our new high power lab allows us to ensure we are providing our customer and military with a premier, reliable power technology.”

“This lab gives us flexibility and is sizing for the future,” said Clyde Jelinek Jr., Crane A&E Sr. Engineering Manager. “This really demonstrates our commitment to supporting our customers the best we can.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT CRANE A&E'S ELECTRICAL POWER SOLUTIONS