Our History

January 9, 2022, marked 53 years of innovation and growth for AstroNova, Inc. Founded by Albert W. Ondis and Everett V. Pizzuti in 1969, AstroNova began as a small Rhode Island company that produced data acquisition recorders for commercial and government customers, including NASA. By focusing its development of data visualization technology on emerging product applications, AstroNova quickly became a company of firsts – creating products such as the first-ever end-user thermal array recorder and first digital inkjet tabletop color label printer.

Although many aspects of the Company have changed since 1969, the core business philosophy – based upon product innovation, technical excellence and customer service – remains fundamental. Today, in addition to our data acquisition products, AstroNova is a global leader in flight deck avionics, with our products in use by many major airlines. Our product identification business has also become the global leader in on-site digital color label printers. Now a global institution competing in a wide range of markets, we are excited to celebrate 50 years of innovation, quality and success worldwide.

AstroNova Timeline

Astro-Med, Inc Introduces ToughWriter 5, Smallest Lightest Ruggedized Cockpit Printer in the World

Astro-Med, Inc Adopts Three-Year Strategic Business Plan

Astro-Med, Inc Receives Airline Industry AS9100 Quality Certification.

Astro-Med Grass Technologies Group Receives FDA Clearance to Market its S12 Cortical Stimulator

Astro-Med QuickLabel Systems introduces new Pronto! barcode label printer family.

Astro-Med Grass Technologies Group Receives FDA Clearance to Market Its Neurotrac® III Neuromonitoring System

2008

QuickLabel Systems introduces faster Vivo! digital color label printer

Astro-Med Test & Measurement releases new high-frequency portable data recorder, DASH 20HF

Grass Technologies wins contract for sleep systems from Premier Inc, the leading hospital purchasing organization in America.

Grass Technologies introduces SleepTrek3 sleep screener for use in home sleep studies

Astro-Med Test & Measurement wins contract for airborne printers used as part of an in-flight entertainment system on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft

Astro-Med Test & Measurement wins contract to provide ruggedized cockpit printers in Bombardier’s new ultra long-range Global Xpress XRS and Global 5000 business jets

2007

Grass Technologies releases AURA PSG LITE Sleep Screener for ambulatory use in home and full PSG use inside sleep lab settings

QuickLabel Systems partners with Hewlett-Packard to introduce the Zeo! inkjet label printer designed to appeal to smaller businesses with photo-quality short-run label printing at lower price point

Astro-Med Test & Measurement receives FAA Certification as repair station for ruggedized cockpit printers

Astro-Med Test & Measurement awarded Boeing contract to replace ruggedized cockpit printers used on C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft

2006

QuickLabel Systems introduces the Vivo!, the first photo-quality, high-speed digital label printer using LED technology designed for use by manufacturers who print short-run packaging in-house

Grass-Telefactor changes brand name to Grass Technologies to reflect breadth of clinical and research product offerings

Grass Technologies releases AURA24 ambulatory EEG recorder

Astro-Med Test & Measurement awarded multi-year contract from DRS Technologies for ruggedized Ethernet switches used in military vehicles

2005

Boeing awards ruggedized Ethernet switch contract for C-130 aircraft to Astro-Med Test & Measurement as part of Boeing’s Avionics Modernization Program (AMP)

Airbus awards airborne digital recorder contract for production testing of A-380 passenger plane to Astro-Med Test & Measurement

Grass-Telefactor introduces wireless, lightweight PSG system designed to maximize patient comfort in sleep studies

Grass-Telefactor receives research grant to develop software that detects and warn of impending epileptic seizures from the National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services

2004

Astro-Med Test & Measurement wins cockpit printer contract for Airbus A-380 passenger plane

Avery Dennison and Astro-Med agree to make Avery Dennison the exclusive worldwide distributor of the QuickLabel Systems line of digital label printers designed for the apparel industry

Boeing awards ruggedized cockpit printer contract for C-130 aircraft to Astro-Med Test & Measurement

2003

Airbus awards contract to design and build special Everest Data Acquisition Recorders for use in the development of the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airplane, to Astro-Med Test & Measurement

National Institute of Health (NIH) awards SBIR research grant to Grass-Telefactor for development of stimulation/amplifier system to facilitate brain mapping for epilepsy resective surgery

QuickLabel Systems introduces advanced process color digital label printer

2002

Astro-Med Test & Measurement partners with SES GLOBAL to develop a dedicated system for Boeing 376 satellite systems

2001

Boeing and the US Air Force select Astro-Med’s ruggedized cockpit hard copy printer for the Air Force C17 Globemaster cargo airplane

MAGNET awards three-year contract to Grass-Telefactor for EEG and sleep recording systems

2000

Astro-Med, Inc. receives patent for two-sided color label and tag printing

Astro-Med, Inc. opens manufacturing facility in Frankfurt, Germany to produce label, tag, and thermal transfer ribbon

Astro-Med, Inc. receives patent for printing mechanism that conserves thermal transfer ribbon

1999

Astro-Med, Inc. acquires Telefactor Corporation, adding long-term epilepsy monitoring instrumentation and software to its existing line of Grass® clinical products

1998

Astro-Med, Inc. introduces full line of duplex and single-sided color thermal transfer label printers

1996

Astro-Med, Inc. introduces its first digital EEG System (electroencephalograph)

Astro-Med, Inc. introduces its first digital PSG System (polysomnograph) the Albert Grass Heritage

1995

Astro-Med, Inc. introduces the first-ever paperless Data Acquisition System

1994

Astro-Med, Inc. acquires Grass Instruments Company. Originally founded in 1935 by Dr. Albert Grass, the company developed the first commercially successful electroencephalograph (EEG)

Astro-Med, Inc. introduces large-format, portable thermal array data recorder

Astro-Med, Inc. introduces the first-ever digital color thermal transfer label printer

1991

Astro-Med, Inc. wins $13 million patent infringement lawsuit against Japanese company

Astro-Med, Inc. introduces first wide-format thermal array recorder with full width LCD display

1987

Astro-Med, Inc. introduces the first-ever wide format thermal array recorder

1986

Astro-Med, Inc. shocks the industry by introducing the first-ever end user thermal array recorder

Astro-Med, Inc. releases one of the first-ever bar code label printers using thermal transfer technology, licensed to a major OEM partner in the apparel industry

1984

Atlan-Tol divests all businesses except for Astro-Med, into which it merges, and officially changes its name to Astro-Med, Inc.

1983

Atlan-Tol incorporates Astro-Med as a wholly owned subsidiary and sells 20% of Astro-Med’s stock to the public. Astro-Med is listed on Nasdaq stock exchange

1975

Atlan-Tol’s Astro-Med Division introduces first series of data acquisition recorders

1973

Atlan-Tol makes public offering, is listed on the Boston Stock Exchange

1971

Atlan-Tol establishes a subsidiary called Astro-Med to produce and sell data acquisition recorders which print onto rolls of chart paper using thermal print technology

1969

The company is founded as Atlan-Tol and manufactures industrial tools

Our History

AstroNova Timeline

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