Italian family business at the heart of SKA-Low antenna production

Impact
SIRIO Antenne, an Italian SME founded and run by the same family for the past 50 years, is central to the delivery of the SKA-Low telescope, having been contracted by the SKA Observatory to manufacture the telescope’s first 78,520 antennas over approximately 2.5 years.

The company, an industrial partner of Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), has been involved in the SKA project since 2017 and played a crucial role in the international consortium behind the design of the low-frequency antennas.

The SKAO contract has significantly expanded SIRIO’s operations, adding two new production buildings and increasing facility space by 35%. In addition, SIRIO has enhanced its quality control systems by acquiring new measurement and testing equipment. Its workforce is also growing in line with the project’s demands, with a planned 30% increase when production peaks.

SIRIO has implemented dedicated training programmes to support the new production lines, including extensive training for staff working with the newly installed machinery. Additionally, the company has developed new expertise in laser welding, a process previously not part of its manufacturing capabilities, which could have applications in other areas. The high quality standards and demanding timelines required by the SKAO have led SIRIO to elevate its quality control processes and efficiency.

Each SKA-Low antenna has four aluminium “arms”; to meet the requirements of delivering more than 3,000 antennas per month, SIRIO has to achieve a production rate equivalent to finishing one arm every 42 seconds. 

Working on the SKA-Low design with INAF, the Italian Institute of Electronics, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering, and international partners, has created new technical skills among SIRIO’s engineers, which in turn led SIRIO to develop a new commercial antenna working at 4G-LTE frequencies (698-2700 MHz). The antenna went on to win a tender in France for the electrical network supplier, opening up new commercial opportunities for SIRIO.

 

A picture of rows of SKA-Low antennas. Each row has tens of antenna-structures. The structures look like flat iron Christmas trees with smaller arms on top growing longer towards the bottom.
Stacks of the antenna structures for the SKA-Low telescope in the factory of SIRIO Antenne. Credit: SIRIO Antenne

The SKA project has allowed us to expand not just in terms of infrastructure and workforce but also to invest in new research and development activities. Collaborating with research entities in the future now seems a natural progression for us.

Stefania GrazioliDirector of SIRIO Antenne
A picture of a close-up of an SKA-Low antenna. The antenna consists of several iron arms, on one of them the company name reads: Sirio, made in Italy. The background contains several other antennas that look like iron Christmas trees.
An SKA-Low antenna at the site of the SKA-Low telescope in Western Australia. Credit: SKAO