Invitation to CMSE 2007
To the Military and Space Electronics Industry;
The CMSE Conference began in 1997 to promote the exchange of experiences and promote good practices for selecting and applying all components and COTS electronics, when required, so they will operate successfully and reliably in the military and space environments.
It was soon discovered that many components used in computers, cell phones, consumer electronics and even automobiles were not suitable for military and space systems without testing, uprating, upscreenig and in some situations required protection from temperature extremes and radiation levels. The low prices of commercial components as compared to those available to military specifications imply this is a much lower cost approach. Once companies realized the amount of testing and stress mitigation practices required, the cost savings from using COTS components became smaller and in some cases more expensive. The major issue is that many newer technology components are only available as COTS and have to be used.
The CMSE Conference is dedicated to provide seminars on current topics of great interest to the industry and peer presented topics in the technical sessions. The technical sessions contain presentations on case studies, design and manufacturing with COTS, components engineering practices, reliability and lifetime prediction, testing components and COTS, and obsolescence mitigation.
The seminars this year provide valuable knowledge and experience on:
Components equivalent to COTS have been used for decades in military and space systems. They were identified as non-standard or non-preferred components because they had not been qualified and tested to suitable specifications. Once the circuit performance was identified, the design was qualified and production items screened for reliability. A similar approach can be applied to commercial components, but methods and techniques may differ and cost has to be identified and controlled to be efficient.
CMSE is the biggest and most comprehensive conference addressing successful practices for the use of COTS electronics in military and space systems, though sometimes controversial. Everyone working in this field is encouraged to attend CMSE 2008 to learn about the latest information and visit the exhibits which promote current equipment, information and services on components and COTS for military and space use.
I look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles at CMSE 2008.
Leon Hamiter
Program Chairman