About Us

:: Who We Are and What We Do

MSI was founded in 1991 as a manufacturer of advanced transducer materials for ultrasound applications. From these pioneering materials technology roots, the company has grown into a leading worldwide supplier of engineered and manufactured components and assemblies for high technology systems customers. Our custom-designed products range from acoustic transducers for underwater sonar and industrial ultrasound systems to transparent ceramics for see-through armor and infrared windows.

MSI has excellent engineering and manufacturing capabilities and is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company. Our main business involves developing and manufacturing custom components or devices to meet our customers' specialized needs. MSI also sells specialty materials to those customers who choose to build their own hardware. We pride ourselves on delivering products that offer customers a new competitive edge.

For customers who wish to upgrade or replace their current systems, MSI can design and manufacture sophisticated system-ready components and assemblies that integrate our most advanced materials technologies and innovative designs. To support customers, MSI has an extensive technical staff of mechanical, electrical, acoustical and materials engineers working alongside its experienced manufacturing and quality assurance team. This technical and manufacturing breadth enables us to provide a complete range of services to meet challenging customer requirements, including:

MSI's 20,000 square foot (2,000 square meter) engineering and manufacturing facility is located in Littleton, Massachusetts, 30 miles northwest of Boston.

How We Work With You

Working with MSI is a highly collaborative experience. Our approach is to establish a business and technical relationship with you that functions as though we were one company with a common mission: to maximize customer value. With that in mind, our first priority is to listen to your requirements and understand your objectives. Using advanced technologies, our engineering team can design a custom solution or adapt existing products to meet your needs and budget. MSI's "concept-to-production" capability and integrated engineering and manufacturing team minimizes your time-to-market. Vertical integration from raw material to tested finished product allows MSI to control all critical processes for optimum quality.

MSI's Products and Technologies

Sonar Transducers and Arrays

MSI is a recognized leader in providing high performance piezocomposite sonar transducers and arrays for the U.S. Navy and a variety of other defense and commercial applications. Our acoustic arrays are used in weapons sonar, mine hunting sonar, bottom-mapping sonar, obstacle avoidance sonar and acoustic communications systems. MSI piezocomposite transducers enable tight acoustic beam pattern control, wide bandwidth and high transducer efficiency.

Click here to learn more about MSI's sonar array technology and discover how our unique design and manufacturing capabilities can help you meet your new or emerging requirements.

Industrial Ultrasound Transducers

MSI manufactures high performance ultrasound transducers for a variety of industrial sensing applications, including proximity, depth and flow measurement. In addition, MSI designs and builds specialty ultrasonic transducers and arrays for nondestructive testing and in-process material inspection. Many of MSI's industrial ultrasound transducers are capable of operation in extreme industrial environments involving high wear, pressure, temperature and chemical corrosion.

MSI's piezocomposite transducers offer fast ring-down and high sensitivity due to their broad bandwidth. MSI does not have a catalog of transducers, but instead designs custom transducers using our high performance piezocomposite materials or build transducers to customer's print. Click here to learn more about MSI's industrial ultrasound transducers.

Piezoelectric Materials and Devices

MSI personnel participated in the earliest work on piezocomposite materials in the late 1970's, when the performance benefits were first demonstrated in sonar transducers. Since then, MSI has developed a patented injection molding technique for efficiently manufacturing piezocomposites that has made these high performance transducer materials available in commercial quantities for sonar and ultrasound applications. In addition to piezocomposites, MSI's injection molding process has been used for mass-producing complex-shaped piezoelectric ceramic transducer elements for accelerometers, inkjet printing drivers, actuators and medical ultrasound applications.

Click here to learn more about MSI's piezoelectric materials and devices.

Transparent Ceramics

Under US Army funding, MSI has developed a range of technologies for producing transparent ceramics for armor and infrared/optical window applications. MSI has two main transparent materials for armor and windows: glass-coated sapphire and aluminum oxynitride (AlON) ceramics. Glass-coated sapphire has been tested by the US Army and shown to meet important Army ballistic requirements. MSI is seeking partners for glass coated sapphire and AlON commercialization.

Click here to learn more about MSI's transparent ceramics.