everything RF recently interviewed Dalibor Smejtek, the Director of Engineering at Swift Bridge Technologies. Prior to joining Swift Bridge Technologies, Dalibor served as Product Development Engineering Manager for Test and Measurement products at TE Connectivity. Before that, he held a range of manufacturing engineering roles supporting both test and measurement and medical cable assemblies. Those years played a key role in shaping his approach to design for manufacturing and its integration into the product development process.
Q. Can you give us a brief background on Swift Bridge Technologies? When was the company founded, and what core challenges in RF interconnects does the company address?
Dalibor Smejtek: Swift Bridge Technologies was founded in Malaysia in 2012, and the US facility opened in 2013 in Portland, OR, USA. The aim was to address the growing global demand for high-performance RF cable assemblies operating at frequencies above 40 GHz. Following feedback from OEM customers, we expanded our product range to include lower-frequency assemblies as well, enabling us to support a broader range of performance and cost requirements.
Beyond performance, we differentiate ourselves through speed and responsiveness. Our standard lead times of just 3–4 weeks for RF cable assemblies are among the best in the industry. Our products consistently meet or exceed the performance of competing solutions, and we take pride in collaborating closely with OEM test-equipment manufacturers. Those custom design challenges allow us to draw on decades of collective experience in the test and measurement market to help our customers turn innovative ideas into reality.
Additionally, our presence in Malaysia allows us to utilize the local business ecosystem (leverage local supply chains as well as utilize lower labor and infrastructure costs, etc.) to provide more affordable solutions. This Southeast Asian presence also positions us well for the uncertainty surrounding tariffs with China.
Q. What does Swift Bridge’s product lineup look like today? What are some of the key products you’ve developed, and up to what frequency ranges do they operate?
Dalibor Smejtek: Currently, we have 5 standard product lines:
- DuraWave™ RF is an armored cable solution, designed to endure the physical stresses of outdoor use and harsh production environments
- DuraWave™ PS, like the DuraWave, is ruggedized but distinguishes itself by guaranteeing a maximum phase and insertion loss stability specification
- FastEdge™ is a high-quality, versatile, and cost-effective RF cable solution.
- FastEdge™ PS takes all of the benefits of FastEdge but guarantees a maximum phase and insertion loss stability specification.
- ExpressRF™ is our economical RF cable product line. These flexible and low-loss cable assemblies offer excellent performance to ensure accurate and repeatable measurements.
FastEdge™
FastEdge™ PS
We are in the process of developing and releasing products through 110 GHz and 120 GHz. We are also making an investment in developing interconnects that operate through 145 GHz.
Q. When it comes to your cable assemblies, does Swift Bridge Technologies manufacture the cables and connectors in-house, or do you source them from specialized suppliers and focus on integration and testing?
Dalibor Smejtek: We work closely with our cable and connector partners to source components built to our requirements. Our proprietary manufacturing processes focus on the integration of the coaxial cable with the precision RF connector to provide the customer with a product that exceeds something that is typically on the market.
Q. How do Swift Bridge’s cable solutions stand out in the market, and what key features or design choices differentiate them from competing products?
Dalibor Smejtek: SBT's expertise in design, specifically in connectors to coax termination, and integration of flex reliefs and ruggedization allows us to stand out in today’s RF cable assembly market.
Our proprietary manufacturing processes are conducive to producing better-performing products more effectively, resulting in a more affordable and reliable product.
Q. Could you tell us more about the ExpressRF™ cable product series and share the customer challenges or performance needs that led to its development?
Dalibor Smejtek: ExpressRF™ is our most affordable product line, built on utilizing 2 different coax types to be easily integrated with off-the-shelf standard RF connectors designed for semi-rigid 141 and 086 coax (RG405 and RG402). This product family is suitable for use where the cable is lightly handled and usually installed into test equipment or test setups. ExpressRF™ is available in phase-matched pairs up to 70GHz.
ExpressRF™
Q. Does Swift Bridge Technology develop armored RF cables? Can you tell us about these products? What are the key advantages they offer over standard assemblies, and how do you balance factors such as flexibility, insertion loss, and durability in their design?
Dalibor Smejtek: Yes, the DuraWave™ product line is our ruggedized, armored cable assembly line, created to endure the stresses of harsh environments and outdoor use. These cables are crush and torque resistant with flame-retardant jacket material, and incorporate weather-proofing throughout.
DuraWave™
DuraWave™ PS
DuraWave™ PS takes all of the ruggedization from DuraWave™ but also guarantees a defined level of phase and insertion loss stability with flexure.
We use the combination of material choices and mechanical design to achieve the balance between performance, flexibility, and durability.
Q. Which application areas - such as defense, aerospace, test & measurement, or telecom - are currently creating the strongest demand for your solutions?
Dalibor Smejtek: We mainly serve the test and measurement market, but our cables are also suitable for certain telecom applications, as well as for use in research and development laboratories.
Q. Could you walk us through Swift Bridge’s Cable Design service offering? How do you blend customer requirements, cable structures, and material choices into a tailored solution?
Dalibor Smejtek: Custom designs begin with understanding the customer's requirements and proposing a solution that may utilize either an analog or digital cable configuration. Material choices in the design of the cable are key to achieving the necessary mechanical and electrical performance for the customer environment. We also design hybrid cables that may utilize various combinations of coaxial and non-coaxial cable elements.
Q. Do you provide space-qualified or MIL-STD cable assemblies for defense and aerospace customers? What kind of screening and testing processes are involved?
Dalibor Smejtek: We currently do not support the defense, space, or Mil-Aero markets. All of our facilities are certified to ISO 9001:2015, however.
Q. Phase stability under temperature and flexure is critical in test and aerospace environments. How do your cable assemblies address these challenges?
Dalibor Smejtek: Our cables utilize low-loss fluoropolymer dielectric materials with 100% shielding coverage, which, paired with our mechanical design, allows us to achieve phase and insertion loss stability with temperature and flexure.
Q. What’s next for Swift Bridge Technologies? Are there upcoming product launches, manufacturing expansions, or new markets you plan to explore?
Dalibor Smejtek: We are currently developing interconnect solutions to support the upcoming 6G initiative. Outside of RF, we also have a wide range of LF capabilities. Our LF division is currently expanding into the EV charging market in Malaysia with the backing of the Malaysian testing and certification agency “SIRIM”.
About the Company:
Swift Bridge Technologies (SBT) is a manufacturer of high-performance cable interconnect solutions for various segments of the electronics industry, focusing on the test and measurement market. With engineering and production facilities in the United States and Malaysia, SBT is able to leverage local supply chains to deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions to its customers. This global footprint also allows SBT to optimize manufacturing to provide an array of both standard and custom solutions through 70GHz. In addition, SBT is uniquely positioned to incorporate elements of its standard product lines in developing custom high-performance RF cable solutions for OEMs. All company facilities are ISO 9001:2015 certified, ensuring consistent quality and reliability across its operations.
