One of the largest research projects in history took a number of years to plan: the ITER fusion reactor (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). It is now taking shape alongside the Cadarache nuclear research center, a large research facility of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in southern France near Marseilles. In a ring-shaped high-vacuum tank, hydrogen is heated until its atoms fuse into helium nuclei and emit energy in the form of high-energy neutrons. Nuclear fusion has been studied in Cadarache for nearly 30 years using a WEST tokamak (an acronym for “Tungsten (W) Environment in Steady-State Tokamak”), previously called the Tore Supra.

Eventually it will only be necessary to ignite fusion reactors once in order for them to continually supply usable energy – just like our sun. To ignite them, however, enormous amounts of energy have to be injected into the plasma using a technique called high-frequency heating. There are three different high-frequency heating approaches, all of which are employed at WEST.

2004: preliminary projects at JET

Although in the early 2000s it still wasn’t yet clear where the ITER would be built, various development projects for it were already running at full steam. One of them was carried out in the Joint European Torus, or JET, in the United Kingdom. An important part of this work was improving the process for heating the plasma with lCRH (Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating). A new kind of antenna was needed for the reactor torus, in addition to an optimized coaxial RF RL 140-230 line system. SPINNER, which had already been supplying components for the JET since 1984, was contracted to modify and extensively augment the existing RF RL 140-230 line system. Additional orders, for connecting eight transmitters and corresponding antennas plus special components built to customer specifications, followed in the years up until 1999.

2010: water loads for extreme performance

One of the heating systems at ITER, dubbed LH for “Lower Hybrid”, was upgraded in 2010 to increase its output by 40% and maintain it at that level for 1000 seconds. In order to transmit this enormous amount of energy from the high-frequency sources to the plasma, however, it was first necessary to appropriately enhance the entire transmission line. This was done over the course of several years. SPINNER was asked to develop and supply the water loads that would permit full-load operation of the new klystron. Hot water is produced at 700 kW at 3.7 GHz over a length of 25 cm with a throughput of 225 liters per minute.

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Almost all TV stations share one problem: quite limited space for accommodating transmitting and receiving equipment such as patch panels and combiner systems. The challenges this poses when remodeling or expanding facilities almost inevitably cause delays and considerable extra costs.

A must-have solution: the SPINNER Compact Combining and Switching System (CCS)

The main advantage of the Compact Combining and Switching System (CCS) developed by SPINNER is an exceptionally compact, space-saving design.

In recent years, SPINNER has systematically improved and updated its range of multi-channel combiners and U-links in order to offer customers space-saving, standardized solutions that meet all of their requirements (in every power class, with and without integrated mask filtering, and with backup circuits). “Space-saving” means that, for example, a combiner for 10 low-output transmitters fits inside a single 19” rack, and the high-output combiners only take up half a square meter of space for each transmitter. “Standardized” means that combiners for a wide range of applications (widely spaced or adjacent channels, with or without mask filtering) come in standardized racks and can be quickly and easily exchanged if channels are subsequently replaced or added to. Since all SPINNER combiner systems are completely assembled, tuned, and tested in the factory, they are quick and easy to set up and take live at the station.

In many cases, this makes it possible to avoid costly special designs when space is limited. As far back as 2007, more than 50 TV stations in Europe were retrofitted with the SPINNER CCS system. Besides requiring less space, the CCS system has the advantage of making it possible to use bypass patch panels to minimize the need to take transmitters offline. This is a very important aspect, since when a multiplexed digital television (DTV) channel stops broadcasting four or more TV subchannels can be interrupted. If it’s necessary to temporarily switch off a combiner block, e.g. to change a frequency, the signal can be fed to the combiner’s broadband input instead and continue being broadcast.

Since the SPINNER U-links allow switchovers in a matter of minutes, it only takes two brief nighttime interruptions to implement a frequency change

CCS system for high-power UHF combiners

SPINNER developed the modular CCS system for combiners and patch panels in order to make it possible to implement combining, mask filtering, and a large number of switchover functions in a minimum of space.

By 2010, more than 100 transmitting stations in Europe and Asia had already been equipped with SPINNER CCS combiners, which were easy for local companies to install and take live. The CCS patch panels have already proved their worth for multiple channel changes. Many customers are so satisfied that they are now ordering our CCS combiners for their entire transmission networks.

For planning, installation, operation, and future expansions, the SPINNER CCS system offers network operators enormous benefits that should definitely be taken into account when comparing with competing products.

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China’s economic development attracted many of our European customers to the country – so it was only logical that SPINNER also ventured into China. This also enabled us to meet our customers’ demands for short delivery times and to further expand our customer base.

In December 2000, SPINNER GmbH established its first production plant in the industrial area of Songjiang, Shanghai. The production of mobile communication components started a few months later in March.

Five years later, in 2005, SPINNER has taken significant steps to expand its presence in China and invests to meet the rapidly growing demand for RF components for the local telecommunications market. One contribution to this strong development was the inauguration in June 2006 of a state-of-the-art plant with a 10,000 m² production facility in the Songjiang Industrial Zone. This thus became an integral part of the company’s global manufacturing and product development network.

Manufacturing & Production

Today, the SPINNER China (SPCN) factory has one of the most modern manufacturing facilities in the Chinese telecommunications industry with CNC lathes and milling machines (3, 4 and 5-axis). Our products are assembled on various assembly lines for e.g. jumpers, connectors, RF components and MNCS®, Broadcast filters, combiner, rigid lines, some rotary joints, and high energy rigid line system, etc.

Quality Assurance

SPINNER China is certified according to the quality management system DIN EN ISO 9001 and has all the necessary measuring equipment for quality assurance of our products on site. This includes all measuring devices for mechanical test as well as RF test includes VNA, PIM tester, high power tester, we also have many other test equipment e.g. thermal chamber, salt & fog, shake & vibration, rotary joint life-time, high voltage, fiber optic test equipment, etc.

Sales

At the same time as we set up our production, we started to build up our sales team in Shanghai. Together with our sales partners and colleagues in Germany, we serve our customers in China and the regions of Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Development

A development and design department has also been set up at the China location. For example, we develop and design components for our Mobile Network Combining Systems – MNCS® and we support our German R&D center to design the broadcast combiner system. We also develop cost efficient and customized rotary joint to meet the Chinese and Asian market. Recently we expand our designing work to a new field – the high energy RF 9 3/16″ EIA / RL 100-230 rigid line system. 

RF Service Center

With our RF Service Centre, we provide our MNCS and broadcast customers with support in setting up and commissioning our systems, Customers in China, Asia as well as Africa appreciate the quick availability of our well-trained RF technicians,  also enabled SPCN to win a number of major projects in subsequent years.

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A lot has happened since the launch of public electronic television back in the late 1930s. By 1964, what had begun as a breakthrough innovation with a limited number of viewers was already being broadcast in 80 countries and rapidly evolving into a mass phenomenon.

From today’s perspective, it’s hard to believe that in 1956, “Time Magazine” lambasted color television as “the greatest industry flop of 1956”, despite the fact that color viewing and even remote controls had been introduced during that decade.

The “digital transformation” then kicked off at the start of the new millennium, leading to the replacement of the veteran analog terrestrial broadcasting system by digital networks.

SPINNER was involved in this revolution from the start. Our first project, in 1998/99, involved taking a country-wide network live in England. By that time, we were already well-known as an internationally leading producer of DVB filters and combiners. SPINNER supplied around 50 parallel switching systems and over 100 dual-mode filters as well as diverse high-power container combiners and low-power switching panels for the undertaking. All of these components and systems were used between the transmitters and antennas of the transmitting stations.

The next major project kicked off in the spring of 1999: Spain’s state television broadcasting company at the time, Retevisión, wanted to build a country-wide DVB network in several stages, starting with the largest cities. SPINNER bid to supply DVB four-way combiners in the power classes from 20 watts to 4 kilowatts for each transmitter.

As of 2021, nearly 150 countries have switched over to digital terrestrial television. To enable this change, hundreds of thousands of transmitting stations have needed to be converted to digital technology and viewers have also had to install new, up-to-date TV sets.

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SPINNER Hungária Kft. was established in 1997 as a Hungarian limited-liability company in Szekszard (about 150 km south of Budapest) , becoming SPINNER’s first production facility outside Germany. Specializing in producing individual parts, SPINNER Hungária Kft. was so successful from the outset that it was necessary to double the amount of available production space to 200 m² just two years later, in 1999.

This expansion made it possible to manufacture all required PTFE parts for the SPINNER Group in a climate-controlled area while also installing a new assembly line.

One of Hungary’s most advanced electroplating systems

SPINNER Hungária Kft. boasts one of Hungary’s most advanced electroplating facilities, able to apply nearly all required coatings to coaxial connectors, including silver, nickel, tin, copper, and so-called Miralloy white bronze (CuSnZn).

Quality Assurance & Environmental Protection

We ensure high standards with an integrated management system that complies with DIN EN ISO 9001 (quality), DIN EN ISO 14001 (environment), and DIN EN ISO 50001 (energy).

Meanwhile the site produces discrete components for coaxial connectors and entire assemblies on space of about 4,000 m². State-of-the-art production and testing processes ensure consistently high quality and fast turnaround.

Location

SPINNER Hungária Kft
Selyem Utca 2
7100 Szekszárd
Ungarn

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SPINNER GmbH continued growing, and by the late 1980s its production site at Feldkirchen-Westerham was reaching the limits of its manufacturing capacity. Plans were therefore made to add a fifth factory hall in order to meet demand. But then German reunification happened, opening up new possibilities – and leading us to Lauenstein.

The search for a suitable partner

In May 1990, SPINNER received a letter from an outfit near Dresden in former East Germany that was offering its services. Dr. Spinner visited the facility of “Coaxial Technology Lauenstein”, as it called itself, and convinced himself that the factory might be a viable alternative to expanding the Feldkirchen-Westerham site. SPINNER wound up changing its plans and acquiring a subsidiary in Saxony that came with a “dowry” of 140 well-trained, experienced employees. After protracted negotiations with the responsible people at the Treuhandanstalt (the agency set up during the last throes of the German Democratic Republic to privatize state-owned East German enterprises), an agreement was finally reached on December 18, 1990. The new company of SPINNER Lauenstein GmbH was registered the following year.

Two companies become one

The transitional management in Lauenstein and the factory’s skilled workers, who were experienced in precision manufacturing, turned out to be a valuable addition to SPINNER’s existing operations and a genuine trump card in the daily battle for market shares and future markets. The Saxons contributed 30 years of experience in radio frequency technology, serial production expertise, well-trained specialists, a positive attitude, and a range of RF plug connectors that had already acquired an excellent reputation in Eastern Europe.

The plant in Lauenstein ushered in a phase in which SPINNER acquired hands-on experience with the process of reuniting Germany. Misunderstandings caused by differing concepts and use of language were quickly laid to rest. RF technology and meeting customers’ wishes provided a common ground for communication. The mood was positive and fertile, and the Saxons quickly began producing connectors according to SPINNER’s specifications while applying their own technical know-how and expertise. In return, the Bavarians adopted some of the Saxons’ design solutions. Opportunities arising from the installation of new telecommunications networks in the new German states were tapped. SPINNER Lauenstein began supplying terminated fiber-optic cables. A brief excursion into the field of accessories for mobile phones also turned out to be an educational experience for both sides.

Lauenstein grows and becomes a competency center for jumper production

The cornerstone for a new factory hall was laid in Lauenstein on October 10, 1995, and by April 1996 the new machine shop was operating on 1400 m² of space. The existing buildings were renovated, transportation and handling requirements streamlined, new logistics and semiautomated facilities for making jumper cables with sprayed-on connectors introduced, and the shipping system modernized.

The single biggest success, however, was jointly creating the jumpers. A mix that involved separating development and design and leveraging the new site’s experience with serial production culminated in truly excellent work. Parallel to developing special customer solutions across multiple design stages, new processes were also created from scratch. High-frequency and micro-flame soldering, automated and integrated testing, multiple overmolding, and state-of-the-art multishift assembly line production spawned a steady stream of technical improvements while slashing costs. The experience gained was also applied to projects for producing woven and semi-flex jumpers.

First fully automated production line for jumpers inaugurated in 2005

The V05 jumper generation, launched in 2005, was manufactured on the world’s first fully automated production line. In 2013 we added complex machines that we designed and built ourselves to support series production.

Like its parent company in Munich, SPINNER Lauenstein boasts an integrated management system certified as compliant with DIN EN ISO 9001 (quality), DIN EN 14001 (environment), and DIN EN 50001 (energy). We also attach importance to having all required competencies available on site. The Lauenstein facility therefore integrates production and logistics and has its own R&D and mechanical engineering departments. Currently we’re developing components to enable series production of 5G mobile communications antennas.

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As a result of supplying high-performance, robust components to globally known nuclear research and particle accelerator projects of CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research near Geneva/Switzerland), JET (Joint European Torus in Culham/UK), GSI ((Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt/Germany), ENEA and INFN Frascati/Italy (National Agency for New Technologies, Energy & Sustainable Development and National Institute of Nuclear Physics), Princeton University in New Jersey/USA and others, the SPINNER name has become closely associated with our RF high-quality line and passive components.

SPINNER adds coaxial components to its portfolio. The company is awarded the contract to supply the vacuum feed line for the tokamak of the TEXTOR fusion experiment being conducted in Jülich by a cluster consisting of the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, the former Institute of Plasma Physics in Nieuwegein near Utrecht, and the Jülich Institute of Plasma Physics. Its results will later be utilized for the large-scale international ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor near Cadarache/France) project, among other things.

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SPINNER developed and supplied the antenna feed network and power transmission lines for the first project of the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) in cooperation with Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), a former West German aerospace manufacturer based in Munich.

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Training of “apprentices” began as far back as 1953. The program quickly became a great success. One of the first later became a plant manager and stayed with the company until retirement.

Dr. Spinner realized at a very early stage that it was worthwhile to invest in the younger generation, and training therefore became an established institution at the Munich site.

After the opening of the new facility in Feldkirchen-Westerham, a dedicated training workshop was set up for industrial mechanics in 1970.

Every year since then, an average of about 15 new young people have arrived to begin training. The future industrial mechanics spend their first year learning the basics of metalworking in a teaching workshop. Afterward they apply and extend their newly acquired knowledge and skills in various technical departments.

Soon the company boasted one of the largest technical training programs in the Rosenheim area. Over the course of its history, SPINNER has trained about 700 persons, with young women accounting for a rising share (currently 11%). More than a third of the trainees have stayed on with the company. Over 130 of them are now employed in our manufacturing and assembly facilities or have worked their way up through the ranks to become specialists or occupy management positions.

The range of training opportunities has grown in recent years. SPINNER meanwhile also trains surface coaters, IT technicians, electronics specialists, and industrial clerks in dual education programs that combine apprenticeships with advanced vocational training.

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By the 1960s, television had already been around for a few decades, but transmitting color images turned out to be a particularly thorny challenge. A standard developed in the United States back in 1954 was far from perfect: faces sometimes appeared green and meadows blue.

On August 25, 1967, finally, German Vice Chancellor Willy Brandt proudly announced the official launch of color television in Germany at the IFA in Berlin. At SPINNER we’re proud to have contributed to perfecting this technology with our sound/vision combiners.

What were sound/vision combiners needed for?

At early TV stations, the vision and sound components were separately recorded and amplified and then had to be properly combined for joint broadcasting via an antenna.

How sound/vision combiners worked

Sound/vision combiners were based on a conventional directional coupler combiner consisting of two 3 dB directional couplers and two dual-circuit band filters tuned to the audio transmission frequencies. The output of the audio transmitter was split by the first directional coupler, routed through the filters, recombined by the second directional coupler, and finally sent to the antenna. The output of the image transmitter was also divided by the second directional coupler, reflected to the filters, then recombined and routed to the antenna. The vision and sound transmitters were therefore uncoupled from one another. The filter bandwidth was variable, permitting both dual-sound operation and NICAM (the acronym for “near instantaneous companded audio multiplex”) tuning.

Over the years, SPINNER repeatedly improved the design of its sound/vision combiners to keep pace with technical advances. In 1973 this gave rise to the first 40/4 kW sound/vision combiner, and in 1979 to the first 10/1 kW sound/vision combiner for the 4.5 band. These were followed in 1993 by a redesign of the 10/1 kW and 20/2 kW sound/vision combiners. Full compatibility with the older models was retained, with identical coordinates for the RF connections and the possibility of installing them in 19” racks.

In 2005, finally, a 5/0.5 kW sound/vision combiner was introduced for the IV/V band. SPINNER developed this compact version in response to the growing demand for sound/vision combiners for power levels up to 5 kW. In conjunction with new state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, the company succeeded in introducing a completely new product to the market. This combiner and its data naturally also matched the excellent radio-frequency values of the more powerful models.

When analog television was superseded by digital technology, sound/vision combiners were no longer needed. Today, audio and video signals are generated together and compressed (for example, as an MPEG), and then the result is amplified.

SPINNER sound/vision combiner with patch panels

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