From reed relays & solid state relays to TMR magnetic sensors, Coto has established itself as a market leader in product quality and design innovation.
Serving the Industry for More Than 100 Years
Coto Technology Inc. provides advanced switching and magnetic sensing solutions to a world-wide customer base. Coto originated in Providence, Rhode Island, USA in 1917 as Coto Coil Incorporated – a company specializing in the design and manufacture of coil windings. Coto’s reed relay & reed switch manufacturing facility is located in Mexicali, Mexico. The company is world renowned for its ingenuity, experience and profound knowledge/understanding of magnetics and switching/sensing.
For more than 60 years, Coto Technology has been providing cutting edge, innovative reed relay solutions including several industry “firsts” such as the low-thermal EMF relay and the world’s first (and smallest!) surface mount relay.
Today, Coto is a leading manufacturer of small signal switching products sold into the Automatic Test Equipment, Data Acquisition, Instrumentation, Process Control, Telecommunications, Medical and Security markets. Non-standard package sizes and pinouts, custom coil and shielding designs, and multi-pole configurations are common variables.
Additionally, Coto’s engineers are continually developing new product designs – supporting customers with new, innovative switching solutions in emerging markets requiring high voltage reed relay solutions such as green energy, EV, high-end medical equipment, etc.
Solid State Relays and the newest technology TMR magnetic sensors complete Coto Technology’s comprehensive product offerings – allowing Coto to help customers solve their design challenges and create better, more competitive products.
Total Quality Management
From the production line to the executive office of the company President, Coto’s commitment to quality is evident – as manifested by its world class products. Coto is certified to ISO 9001-2015. Additionally, Coto’s environmental policy and controls are compliant with internationally accepted standard manufacturing practices aimed at reducing the effect of manufacturing activities on the environment. All Coto standard products have transitioned to RoHS compliant versions.
Coto operates in an environment of structured problem solving, using cross-functional teams for product development planning and continuous improvement processes. These team efforts combined with active customer involvement ensure product designs that meet or exceed customer needs. Continuous production monitoring is accomplished through the use of Statistical Process Control (SPC) and other quality practices such as FMEA’s (failure mode and effect analysis), PPAP’s (production part approval process) and zero acceptance sampling are used for analysis and monitoring of key parameters. Coto’s quality philosophy and discipline provide the building blocks for its reputation as the world leader in quality small signal switching products.
Coto has the most advanced testing capability of any reed relay manufacturer. After the relays have been assembled, assurance of their conformity to specifications is accomplished through 100% testing. Coto tests relays to the highest standards in the industry using its proprietary “System 320” Parametric Tester. The System 320 is capable of testing over 20 different parameters of the relay and recording the results of each test for each relay. This information can be retrieved in the form of Histogram graphs, Individual Results reports or Pareto Failure Analysis reports. Results from the test systems are networked in real time, allowing immediate access to statistical data on product performance and quality. Coto emphasizes Pareto-style graphical ranking of yield data, allowing for quick identification and resolution of problem areas. This aids the analysis of the relay’s performance over time and continuous quality improvement.
Throughout the manufacture of Coto switches, a zero failure acceptance testing system is used for each critical process step. The mechanical and chemical properties of the switches after process stages such as plating, diffusion, sputtering, sealing and forming are inspected to ensure conformance to required specifications. Prior to shipment, 100% of the switches produced are electrically checked for AT value and contact resistance.
Our life testing laboratories can cycle relays or switches while applying a wide range of load voltages and currents. Relays are concurrently tested up to one billion cycles. The effects of surge currents from reactive loads can be included. Failure data is analyzed using Weibull techniques to allow accurate prediction of MCBF (mean cycles before failure), and the confidence limits that apply. Coto also has a sweep frequency life tester designed to probe reed switch blade resonance and its effect on long term contact resistance.
More advanced tests include Paschen voltage breakdown to detect switch seal breakdown, and an automated tester designed to determine the contact welding resistance of reed switches. Coto is also equipped with high-end digital oscilloscopes and network analyzers, to meet the increasing demand for relays with RF bandpass above 10 GHz. View/download Coto’s quality policy, documentation and certificates.
Continuing Innovation
Coto’s commitment to innovation means constantly improving existing products while designing new ones to enhance and expand our offerings to our customers. New product development plays a central role in ensuring that we not only meet, but exceed, the constantly increasing demands of our customers. Whether it be improvements in miniaturization in order to save precious board space, advancing RF performance to facilitate higher bandpass frequencies, or refining manufacturability for reducing costs without compromising quality, Coto works diligently to stay on the cutting edge of technology.
Coto’s multi-disciplinary teams bring talent, ingenuity, and diversity to the product development process. The result of this approach is that Coto has the expertise both to understand the full scope of technological issues at stake as well as the ability to address them in a market-focused, success driven methodology.