The RF Energy Alliance, a nonprofit technical association comprised of companies dedicated to realizing solid-state RF energy’s true potential as a clean, highly efficient and controllable heat and power source, decided to cease operation. In a letter from RFEA’s Executive Director, Dr. Klaus Werner, to RFEA Members on December 31st, Werner wrote that although the Alliance made significant progress on technical aspects, the Board of Directors of the RF Energy Alliance decided that it is in the best interests of the organization to have closed its doors on December 31, 2018.
Werner’s letter went on to say that he thereby joined the (RFEA) Board in recommending that they consider becoming a member of the International Microwave Power Institute (IMPI). He believed that the mission and vision of the RF Energy Alliance are as valid and relevant as they were at its inception. He believed IMPI for more than 50 years had focused on microwave powered applications and technologies and regarded RFEA’s views, ideas and current work as a very valuable and complementary addition to its organization. According to him, RFEA’s promoter companies already had decided to join IMPI in 2019 – and they would thus very much encourage all other Contributor, Associate, and Academia members to follow suit.
Huber+Suhner, EGO , pinkRF, and Rogers Corporation have become the new corporate members of the global scientific organization for non-communication microwave and RF energy applications, the International Microwave Power Institute (IMPI). The four companies bring the number of IMPI Corporate Members to twenty-two including: Ampleon, Campbell Soup Company, Conagra Brands, Ferrite Microwave Technologies, Graphic Packaging International, L-3 Electron Devices, MKS, Muegge GmbH, Nestle, NXP Semiconductors, Odyssey Technical Solutions, PepsiCo, PSC, Richardson Electronics, SAIREM, TurboChef, Tyson Foods and Wattsine. IMPI’s total membership of 185 is comprised of corporate, professional and student members from 17 countries.
IMPI’s President, Bob Schiffmann, sees unlimited opportunities for both the Institute’s legacy and new members working in the RF/Solid-state field. According to him, during its 53-year history, IMPI had been at the forefront of disseminating the latest microwave research and applications in all aspects of microwave/RF power. Some examples were early presentations in areas such as power from space, microwave hypothermia to treat cancer, industrial heating of heat sensitive materials, and more. The advent of solid-state power transistors, producing significant levels of microwave power, represents a quantum leap in this area, and IMPI is proud to provide a home and a voice for this technology through the addition of members of the RF Energy Alliance to its ever-growing corporate membership.
Werner also believes that the move to join IMPI allows them to broaden the scope of their activities focusing on the market adoption of the solid-state RF technology. IMPI’s large membership footprint and available organizational structures will increase RFEA’s effectiveness as well as the mandate to tackle industry-wide ideas.
