Defence Online

Whatever happened to Quartz Crystal Manufacturing in the UK?

March 1, 2023

Improving supply chain resilience not only forms part of the MOD’s Defence Supply Chain Strategy, it is also crucial to the security of the defence industry.

At Euroquartz we believe that UK production is vital for the security of UK defence requirements and reduces the dependency on imported product.

Euroquartz is a UK owned manufacturer of quartz crystals and military clock oscillators with over 30 years’ experience of supplying custom made and standard solutions to the defence industry. Read more about our capabilities here.

Whatever happened to Quartz Crystal Manufacturing in the UK?

Before mobile phones were introduced, utility companies, armed forces and the police used to communicate via personal Mobile Radio (PMR) sets. Once the operating channel frequency started to get swamped by Rf noise, they would simply change the operating frequencies. To do this, they needed to change the crystal frequency and retune the sets.

As microprocessors were introduced, they required crystal timing to synchronise the devices.

When the Far East started making processor crystals in higher volumes and communication sets went digital, the market for UK products dropped.

However, investment in cleanroom facilities has now prepared Euroquartz for the future development of crystal oscillators for the UK Defence and aerospace sector.

You can find out more about Euroquartz by visiting us at this year’s DPRTE 23 on March 29th at Farnborough International.

Euroquartz

Post written by: Vicky Maggiani

Vicky has worked in media for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.