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Op-Ed

Watch: The Final Victory – The story of Felix Zandman

Felix Zandman (Polish: Feliks Zandman; May 7, 1928 – June 4, 2011) was a Polish-born American entrepreneur and founder of Vishay Intertechnology – one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electronic components. From 1946 to 1949 he studied in France at the University of Nancy physics and engineering. In parallel, he was enrolled in a Grande école of engineering Ensem (École nationale supérieure d’électricité et de mécanique). He received a Ph.D. at the Sorbonne as a physicist on a subject of photoelasticity. He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal from the Franklin Institute in 1962.

In 1960 Felix Zandman and Sidney J. Stein[6] presented a development of resistor film and put the potential of this invention to develop, based on inventions made by previous researchers established in the industry, an electrical component of very high stability. This component was called a metal foil resistor. In spite of the problems encountered, and working with many collaborators, it was possible to develop this resistor which had high precision and, above all, stability in the presence of extreme temperature changes such as those found in the aeronautical and space industry. In essence the metal foil resistor is a component formed by a ceramic base to which is attached a metal with a small thickness. 

To this end he founded the company Vishay Intertechnology, Inc in 1962.

In April 2008, Felix Zandman attended the March of the Living, where he shared the story of how he was rescued by Catholic Polish Righteous Among the Nations, Jan and Anna Puchalski, who hid him and his uncle for 17 months. His hiding place was a dugout 170 cm long, 150 cm wide and 120 cm tall that Felix Zandman shared with three other Jewish escapees.

Felix Zandman is credited with the following developments used in industry and research:

PhotoStress – Photoelastic Coating Method of Stress Analysis

Foil Resistor Technology – Essentially Zero Temperature Coefficient of Resistance

Photoclusion – Photoplastic Measurement of Bite Conditions (Bio-Mechanics)

Special Strain Gages

Surface-Mount Power Non–Inductive Resistors

Thermal Shroud used on guns of Merkava Tanks (First-Hit Accuracy)