AstroNova develops and manufactures data visualization and specialty printing systems: aircraft cockpit printers, data acquisition systems and label printing solutions.
AstroNova, Inc. (ehemals Astro-Med, Inc.)
West Warwick, Rhode Island (USA)New on Amplifa
About AstroNova
AstroNova (until 2015 Astro-Med, Inc.) is a US manufacturer of data visualization technology headquartered in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The company is organized into the business units Aerospace (rugged flight deck printers and ruggedized Ethernet switches for commercial, business and military aviation), Test & Measurement (data acquisition systems for structural mechanics testing, performance monitoring and process optimization) and Product Identification (digital color label printers of the QuickLabel Systems brand including consumables and Custom Label Printing Services). Manufacturing takes place in Rhode Island, USA; the company is AS9100 certified. Customers include Airbus (A380, A400M), Boeing (C-17, B-787, B-777, B-747), Lockheed (C-130) and Embraer (KC-390). AstroNova is listed as an Inc. on the NASDAQ (ALOT) and is a member of the Russell Microcap Index; in 2026 the company was acquired by Arcline Investment Management.
- Site
- West Warwick, Rhode Island
- Processes
- Manufacture of rugged aircraft cockpit printers (ToughWriter 5) and ruggedized Ethernet switches, Digital label printing as a service (Custom Label Printing Services, QuickLabel Systems), Manufacture of data acquisition systems (Test & Measurement / Data Acquisition Systems), Data recording, analysis and data visualization (Test & Measurement), Armored flight deck printers and networking solutions, Label printing solutions (QuickLabel Systems / Kiaro!), Color label printing including consumables and thermal transfer ribbons, Custom Label Printing Services
- Materials
- Polypropylene (label substrate), Gloss Paper (label substrate), Silver-Silver Chloride (electrode material), Silver-Silver Chloride
- Certificates
- AS9100 (aerospace quality management system), BS 5609 (Marine Immersion Label Certification, Kiaro! D printer/labels), Apple AirPrint certification (ToughWriter 5), AS9100, BS 5609 (Marine Immersion), Apple AirPrint, ISO 9001
- Industries
- Aerospace, Defense/Military, Commercial Aviation, Business Aviation, Life Sciences/Pharma, Chemicals
- 01
Engineering & Development
- 02
Manufacture of electronic specialty printing and data acquisition systems
- 03
Assembly
- 04
Certification and testing (AS9100, AirPrint, BS 5609)
- 05
Sales including consumables, service and Custom Label Printing
Materials & Processes
Polypropylene (label substrate)
Label substrate for digital label printing with the Kiaro! printers.
Gloss Paper (label substrate)
Paper substrate for glossy, ready-to-use labels from digital printing.
Silver-Silver Chloride
Electrode material of the Featherlite Disposable EEG electrodes.
Sites
West Warwick, Rhode Island
USManufacturing / Company headquarters
- Kiaro! 50 (digital color label printer, 1200 dpi, 1"–2.16" label width, up to 4.8 ips)
- Kiaro! D (color inkjet label printer, BS 5609 certified)
- ToughWriter 5 (ruggedized flight deck printer, 5 s/page, 100 W, < 4 kg, 185 mm depth)
Products & Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of rugged aircraft cockpit printers (ToughWriter 5) and ruggedized Ethernet switchesAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Digital label printing as a service (Custom Label Printing Services, QuickLabel Systems)Surface | – | 2.16" (Kiaro! 50 print width) | – | – | Gloss Paper, Polypropylene |
| Manufacture of data acquisition systems (Test & Measurement / Data Acquisition Systems)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital color label printer | AstroNova (QuickLabel Systems) Kiaro! 50 | – | Label width 1" – 2.16", 1200 dpi, up to 4.8 ips (~68 labels/min at 2" x 4") | – | – |
| Ruggedized flight deck printer | AstroNova (Astro-Med) ToughWriter 5 | – | 5 s/page, 100 W, <4 kg, 185 mm depth | – | Rhode Island, USA (manufacturing) |
| Color label printer (inkjet) | AstroNova (Astro-Med / QuickLabel) Kiaro! D | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
AstroNova is AS9100 certified, the quality management system for aerospace manufacturers. Product and material certifications include the Apple AirPrint certification of the ToughWriter 5 as well as the BS 5609 Marine Immersion certification for Kiaro! D labels and inks (tested by Smithers Pira).
| Evidence | West Warwick, Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| AS9100 | |
| BS 5609 (Marine Immersion) | |
| Apple AirPrint | |
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1935
Grass Instrument Company founded by Albert Grass (later an Astro-Med subsidiary; pioneer of the first EEG devices for medical applications)
- 2012
Astro-Med/Grass Technologies launches Featherlite Disposable Electrode
- 2013
Natus Medical acquires the Grass Technologies Product Group from Astro-Med for approx. USD 18.6 million; Astro-Med focuses on QuickLabel Systems and Test & Measurement
- 2013
Presentation of the ToughWriter 5 flight deck printer at the Paris Air Show; selected by Embraer for the KC-390
- 2014
Launch of the Kiaro! 50 digital color label printer by QuickLabel Systems
- 2015
ToughWriter 5 becomes the first flight deck printer device certified by Apple AirPrint; Kiaro! D receives BS 5609 Marine Immersion certification; rebranding of Astro-Med to AstroNova
- 2026
Acquisition of AstroNova by Arcline Investment Management for USD 29.00 per share in cash, approved by shareholders and completed