Aim-TTi and RS - A 40-year partnership

In January 2018, one of the electronics industry’s most acclaimed test instrumentation suppliers will celebrate 40 years of working in partnership with RS Components.

During its 40-year relationship with RS, Aim-TTi has built a reputation for innovation and enhancement, always seeking to gather customer feedback as the basis for bench test product innovations and enhancements. Today, the company is one of the leading producers of general purpose electronic test instruments and laboratory power supplies in Europe, with sales in 50 countries.

Founded in the late 1970s, Aim-TTi originated from two separate businesses both based in Cambridgeshire: Thurlby Electronics Ltd and Thandar Electronics Ltd. The former specialised in bench power supplies, high-resolution multimeters and digital storage units; the latter designed and manufactured function generators, frequency counters and logic analysers.

Complementary skill sets and convenience of location saw the companies merge in 1989 to become Thurlby Thandar Instruments, which relocated to larger premises in nearby Huntingdon. The businesses are now grouped together as Aim-TTi.

Shared Values

Continuous product innovation and a strong relationship with customers have helped to position Aim-TTi among the global leaders in its competitive industry sector, and it is no coincidence that RS and Aim-TTi have developed a successful long-term partnership. In early 2018, as they celebrate 40 years of working together, both organisations can look back and recognise identical shared values based around exemplary levels of customer service, the provision of products and support that deliver exceptional value – and a dedication to listening to customers.

Mark Edwards, Managing Director at Aim-TTi explains, “I found myself using the word ‘synergy’ to describe the partnership with RS. “That term perfectly describes how we have worked together over the past 40 years, including the customer benefits that have resulted from our long collaboration. At Aim-TTi we work to understand what will help electronics design engineers, pushing the boundaries of electronics design, development and testing. RS share a common approach towards continuous innovation, providing engineers with the latest innovations and high levels of customer service.”

The Latest Product Innovations

Aim-TTi enjoys a strong reputation for innovation in Bench and Programmable DC Power supplies, used widely in Engineering and Test labs around the world, and sold in partnership with RS Components since the first PL310 was introduced 40 years ago. The offering from Aim-TTi now extends from DC to RF Signal Generators and Analysers with measurement and signal generation ranges from basic to high performance. Such a focus on expertise in Test and Measurement delivers a stream of new product features and broadens the appeal of the company’s instruments into new fields and applications.

On average, Aim-TTi launches two new product series every year and 2018 is no exception. The latest PSU product heading towards its launch is the MX100Q Series – an extension of the celebrated MX range with the new ‘Q’ suffix indicating higher power levels across no less than four independent channels, scaling the product’s capacity up from the MX180TP unveiled just last June (see image below). RS will be the first to market with the Q Series when it launches early in Q2, 2018.

Click here to see the full selection of Aim-TTi bench power supplies available from RS.

At the start of 2018, and on cue to celebrate the 40-year partnership, RS has added new TGF3000 Series Function Generators to its Aim-TTi offering (click here to view). The top-end TGF3162 model is a 160MHz instrument featuring two identical full-performance channels with phase control that can operate as independent generators or in coupled or tracking modes. It marks another evolutionary step in progress for Aim-TTi instruments delivered to market and supported through RS supply channels.

“Thanks to decades of experience, our new developments are progressive evolutions that widen the scope of what’s possible with our product,” claims Edwards. “I can look back at the original PL Series launched in 1978 and see a natural progression of technology and expertise that’s been developed over the years, resulting in the forthcoming MX100Q PSU and the new 160MHz High Performance TGF3000 Function Generators coming to market right now,” he explains, adding: “At Aim-TTi, we continue to provide ‘Measurably Better Value’ to our loyal instrumentation customers, even those who have been using our equipment for 40 years – and there are many!”