Avionics News May 2016 - 57

"I THINK BEING A TRUE SCIENTIST,
YOU MUST BE TRUTHFUL TO YOUR
CORE. YOU CAN'T BEND FACTS TO
MAKE IT CONVENIENT.

SCIENTIFIC TRUTH IS
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT."
DR. PETER DICKINSON, Spectrum Technologies

U.S.," Dickinson said. "I also considered post-doctoral
research. While I was looking, there was an advert from
British Aerospace (now BAE Systems) for a position in
Bristol in their optics department."
Dickinson interviewed for the job, which didn't really
excite him, but there was a laser systems group within the
company that did interest him. Dickinson worked there for
the best part of 10 years, initially developing military laser
range finders, but still using technology that he developed
and learned about during his Ph.D. studies.
As Dickinson's research expanded, he joined the BAE
Corporate Research Center establishing their industrial
laser research programs, investigating applications such
as laser paint removal and composite processing. While he
was in charge of that program in mid-1987, the Research
Center was approached by Airbus, which was looking for
new technology to mark aerospace electrical wires.
"Wires are difficult to mark because they're insulated
with fluoropolymers," Dickinson said. "Think of the bestknown fluoropolymer, Teflon. The nonstick properties
make wires very difficult to mark. Plus, the marking has
to last for the life of the airplane - 40 years in some cases.
And, with any aviation product, weight is always an issue.
So wires got smaller and the insulation got thinner. The old
ink-based hot-stamping was damaging the wires. In short,

the industry was keen to find a replacement technology."
For nonscientists, Dickinson has a simple explanation of
how lasers mark wire.
"Using UV lasers, we can cause a color change, just like a
suntan, but permanent," he said.
He was tasked with commercializing this wire-marking
technology - whether through licensing or setting up an
entirely new company. He demonstrated the new technology
to aerospace companies worldwide with positive feedback.
It's ironic that Dickinson also presented the technology to
the company that did hot-stamp marking. This company had
been at it since 1941.
"We offered to license the laser technology to them, but
fortunately for me, they told me to go away," Dickinson said.
That was the birth of Spectrum Technologies, with
Dickinson at the helm. Although he had been involved with
management and administration before, he had not set up a
new company.
"That interested me greatly," he said. "When I started, it
was just me, so I had to recruit people, start up production,
finance, sales, and find new premises. I had to establish a
means for developing a product. We just had a prototype. We
had to do everything from scratch."
Continued on following page
avionics news

*

may

2016

57



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News May 2016

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Avionics News May 2016 - Intro
Avionics News May 2016 - Cover1
Avionics News May 2016 - Cover2
Avionics News May 2016 - No label
Avionics News May 2016 - 2
Avionics News May 2016 - 3
Avionics News May 2016 - 4
Avionics News May 2016 - 5
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Avionics News May 2016 - 7
Avionics News May 2016 - 8
Avionics News May 2016 - 9
Avionics News May 2016 - 10
Avionics News May 2016 - 11
Avionics News May 2016 - 12
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Avionics News May 2016 - 27
Avionics News May 2016 - 28
Avionics News May 2016 - 29
Avionics News May 2016 - 30
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Avionics News May 2016 - 57
Avionics News May 2016 - 58
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Avionics News May 2016 - 72
Avionics News May 2016 - Cover3
Avionics News May 2016 - Cover4
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