Corning Incorporated announced that it will launch its Corning® Gilbert ® POLYLINKTM technology at the 2024 International Microwave Symposium. POLYLINK is the RF and microwave connectivity industry’s first gold-plated plastic microwave connector.

Reduced manufacturing lead times, compatible interfaces and strong performance for up to 26.5 GHz make it an affordable, flexible option for telecommunications and aerospace customers.

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Dow Corning Electronics
  • What: IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium
  • When: June 18-20, 2024
  • Where: Booth 1213 – 2024 International Microwave Symposium, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Allen Y. Lew Place NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Building on Corning Gilbert’s six decades of pioneering microwave designs, the new technology is:

  • Lighter: POLYLINK is up to 33 percent lighter than similar-sized Corning Gilbert beryllium copper-based interconnects, weighing only .06 grams with a center-to-center spacing of .0135 inches.
  • More Flexible: The connector series allows up to .005 axial compression of the interconnect for applications in telecommunications, 5G, high frequency commercial networks, aerospace and defense industries and automotive radar/sensing.
  • Cost efficient: POLYLINK is a gold-plated plastic blindmate interconnect that provides a cost advantage over beryllium-copper-plated blindmate interconnects.
  • Faster to make: Robust supply chain availability and the quick molding speed for plastic polymer materials results in reduced manufacturing lead times as compared to our traditional interconnects.

“We’re proud to offer customers an excellent alternative for low-to-medium frequencies, especially when payload and cost efficiency matter most,” said Scott Flint, Business Director, Aerospace and Defense, Corning Advanced Optics. “This industry first demonstrates how Corning’s innovations are vital to the microwave connectivity field.”

East Coast Microwave will be the lead distributor of POLYLINK interconnects. Corning’s ongoing collaboration with East Coast reinforces the companies’ shared commitment to serving the radio frequency and microwave industry.

At the symposium, Corning experts will also showcase Corning Gilbert’s traditional metal blindmate interconnects. These connectors are trusted by customers for use in telecommunications, radar systems, shipboard, airborne, and ground-based missile programs and for cryogenic and non-magnetic applications.