Company Info
About Dow-Key
Dow-Key Microwave Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of electro-mechanical switches, is part of the Microwave Products Group and Dover Electronics, a subsidiary of Dover Corporation. Dover is a multi-billion dollar, NYSE-traded, diversified manufacturer of a wide range of proprietary products and components for industrial and commercial use. Dow Key Microwave is AS9100/ISO-9001 certified and committed to providing unparalleled customer service, competitive pricing, on-time delivery and switch products that are distinguished by quality and reliability. Founded in 1945, Dow-Key is the oldest continuously operational switch manufacturer in the United States.
Product
Dow-Key offers the largest switch product line in the world with over 10,000 unique configurations. The company manufactures switches for the Commercial, Military, Wireless, and Hi-Rel Space industries with product applications in military communication systems, medical equipment, cellular, PCS, PCN, GPS, two-way and paging radio, air traffic control, test equipment, commercial airlines and satellite communications. Dow-Key's product line includes a broad range of catalog microwave switches and RF coaxial relays operating from DC to 40GHz, RF switches for customer specific applications, RF switch attenuators, waveguide switches (operating to 60 GHz), RF switch matrices and other unique switch assemblies.
Capabilities
Dow-Key has expanded its manufacturing facility to 36,000 square feet to support its continuing growth. The facility houses a Class 100 clean room and an environmental test lab. Our environmental test capabilities include temperature, thermal shock, acceleration, mechanical shock, thermal vacuum and both random and sine vibration. All final RF testing is completed utilizing state-of-the-art HP network analyzers.
Company History
Dow-Key was originally founded in 1945 by Gordon Dow in Broomfield, Colorado. The company's first product was a telegraph keying device nicknamed "the bug", but more commonly referred to as the "Dow Key". The first coaxial relays were developed in 1952, and since that time, Dow-Key has been devoted almost exclusively to the design and manufacture of electro-mechanical coaxial relays and switches. In 1968, Dow-Key was purchased by Kilovac Corporation, a high voltage relay manufacturer, and relocated to Kilovac's Headquarters in Carpinteria, California. The company quickly became an industry leader in the manufacture of low frequency and high frequency microwave switching products.In 1985, Dow-Key was purchased from Kilovac by a private investor who moved the company to its current location in 1988 and incorporated under the name Dow-Key Microwave. Dow-Key has continuously emphasized improvement of its capabilities and advancement of switch technology, which led to the development of Hi-Rel space qualified products in 1989. In 1993, it acquired the Hi-Rel switch line from Datron (Transco Products, Inc.).
In 1995, Dow-Key was acquired by Dover Technologies. The acquisition united the Dow-Key, K&L Microwave, and Transco switch product lines to create the largest electro-mechanical switch manufacturer in the world.
Today, Dow-Key continues to be the frontrunner and technological leader in the design and manufacture of electro-mechanical switches. Dow-Key's management and engineering teams bring innovation to the company and the industry by providing new switch components and complex switch assemblies. Recent developments include new products for Wireless, Hi-Rel Space and, switch matrix applications.
Location/Directions
Dow-Key is located 63 miles northwest of Los Angeles and 30 miles southeast of Santa Barbara in the City of Ventura. The facility is nestled between the Los Padres Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. This oceanfront community offers miles of beaches and a sunny Mediterranean climate averaging a year-round temperature of 74 degrees and an annual rainfall of approximately 14 inches.