DEFENSE & MILITARY

ITAR registration with the U.S. Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls confirms that a manufacturer is authorized to produce defense articles and handle controlled technical data listed on the United States Munitions List. Calpak USA maintains active ITAR registration at our Hawthorne, California facility, which means we operate under formal Technology Control Plans governing physical security, network segmentation, visitor access, and personnel screening. For defense procurement managers, this registration is a prerequisite before any controlled technical data package can be transferred. Calpak USA's ITAR compliance extends to our supply chain procedures, ensuring that subcontracted processes such as plating, machining, and testing also meet export control requirements. This end-to-end ITAR posture allows prime defense contractors and government agencies to issue purchase orders with confidence that regulatory obligations will be satisfied throughout the manufacturing process.

Calpak USA builds defense electronics to the specific MIL-PRF, MIL-DTL, and MIL-STD specifications flowed down by each program. This includes adherence to MIL-PRF-31032 for rigid printed board fabrication requirements, MIL-PRF-55110 for qualification testing, and IPC J-STD-001 with space and military addenda for soldering workmanship. Our process engineering team in Hawthorne, California reviews each technical data package to identify special requirements such as solder alloy restrictions, cleaning verification per MIL-STD-2000 series, and marking per MIL-STD-130. Calpak USA maintains validated reflow and wave solder profiles for both tin-lead and lead-free processes as required by different military programs. Every lot undergoes first-article inspection documented to AS9102 format, and our quality team verifies conformance to military drawing callouts before releasing product for shipment to the defense customer.

Calpak USA implements layered security controls aligned with NIST SP 800-171 requirements for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information within our manufacturing environment. This includes encrypted file storage, role-based access controls on our ERP and document management systems, and physically separated production areas for ITAR-restricted programs at our Hawthorne, California facility. All employees handling CUI complete annual security awareness training, and Calpak USA maintains incident response procedures for potential data spillage events. Our network architecture segments defense program data from general business traffic, and removable media policies prevent unauthorized data transfer. For defense procurement managers evaluating contract manufacturers, Calpak USA's CUI protection framework demonstrates that technical data packages, test procedures, and engineering drawings are safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure throughout the entire production lifecycle, from initial quote through final delivery and records retention.

Calpak USA applies conformal coatings to military assemblies using selective spray, manual brush application, and vapor deposition methods depending on the coating chemistry and program requirements. Available materials include acrylic per MIL-I-46058 Type AR, urethane Type UR for superior chemical resistance, silicone Type SR for extreme temperature flexibility, and Parylene C or Parylene HT deposited via vacuum for uniform pinhole-free coverage on complex geometries. Our technicians in Hawthorne, California mask connectors, test points, and thermal interfaces prior to coating, then verify coverage thickness using dry-film measurement gauges per IPC-CC-830 requirements. For defense applications where assemblies face salt fog, humidity, fungus exposure, and thermal shock per MIL-STD-810, Calpak USA selects and validates the coating system that meets the specific environmental profile, providing documented evidence of cure verification and adhesion testing with each production lot.

Defense programs frequently require small lot sizes across many different assembly configurations, often with revision changes between builds. Calpak USA's manufacturing operations in Hawthorne, California are structured specifically for this high-mix model, with flexible SMT lines that support rapid changeover between different board sizes and component profiles. Our program managers maintain configuration-controlled work orders that lock bill-of-material revisions, approved vendor lists, and validated process parameters for each unique assembly. Kitting and material staging procedures ensure that lot-specific components are segregated and traceable. Calpak USA's AS9100 Rev D quality system governs change management so that engineering change notices are incorporated cleanly without disrupting parallel production runs. This operational flexibility allows Calpak USA to efficiently produce quantities ranging from five prototype units to several hundred production assemblies while maintaining the documentation rigor and repeatability that defense prime contractors require.