CleanRooms articles from March 2004

CleanRooms archives from March 2004

Training trouble sparks call to action.(CleanZone)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA -- It was 1996 when Rockwell Collins, an aerospace engineering giant, realized it had a cleanroom issue that could have brought production to a standstill at its Manchester, Iowa plant. The facility had only one person...

IBM defense: cleanrooms had adequate ventilation, no chemical over-exposure.
March 1, 2004... SANTA CLARA, CALIF. -- William R. Acorn, a Tucson, Ariz.-based HVAC expert, testified in the ongoing cleanroom cancer trial that IBM Corp.'s disk drive plant in San Jose was adequately ventilated, contradicting prior testimony from a plaintiff...

PMS acquires Molecular Analytics.(CleanZone)
March 1, 2004... BOULDER, COLO. -- As micro- and molecular-contamination continue to be growing concerns in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries, technologies that combat such threats to processes are gaining greater market acceptance, yielding...

Isolation scheme may counter bioterrorists.
March 1, 2004... GLENN DALE, MD. -- Steve Wood, chief of emergency preparedness for San Diego County in southern California, is doing what he can to be ready for a bioterrorist attack--or, a plane load of unlucky passengers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] And...

Political science at its worst.(Viewpoint)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Recently, 60 of the nation's leading scientists, 20 of whom are Nobel Laureates, charged that the Bush Administration manipulated and censored science by "suppressing, distorting and manipulating the work done by scientists at federal...

More bread sought for nation's food security strategy.(News)
March 1, 2004... ROCKVILLE, MD -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking an increase of $65 million for fiscal year 2005 to boost its food security activities--part of a new interdepartmental program for the defense of the nation's food supply. ...

FedEx aims to keep parenterals truckin'.(News)(Temp-Assure Validated)
March 1, 2004... AKRON, OHIO -- FedEx Corp., a global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply chain management services, is now offering parenteral drug manufacturers a way to ship temperature-sensitive products. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Aramark augments.(Particles)(buys Cleanroom Garments from Exfoliation Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... BURBANK, Calif. -- Aramark has expanded its cleanroom services operations in Canada by acquiring Toronto-based Cleanroom Garments. Cleanroom Garments provides cleanroom processing of apparel and accessories for pharmaceutical, aerospace,...

Asian DRAM deal.(Particles)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... BOISE, Idaho -- SCP Global Technologies, a semiconductor cleanroom equipment supplier, has entered into a joint development agreement with an Asian DRAM manufacturer. SCP said it could not reveal the name of the manufacturer because the...

FOSB, not FOUP.(Particles)(Front Opening Shipping Box)(Front Opening Unified Pod)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CHASKA, Minn. -- Entegris, Inc., a materials integrity management company, has announced the opening of its newly remodeled manufacturing facility in Japan to produce the company's full pitch FOSB (front-opening shipping box). Patrick...

SOI step-up.(Particles)(Silicon On Insulator)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... TOKYO -- Sony Corp. and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. say they will invest about $1.1 billion in its own fab, a joint operation with Toshiba Corp., and a line at IBM Corp.'s East Fishkill, N.Y., fab. The announcement covers the second...

Semiconductor industry ready to take 193-nanometer plunge.(News)
March 1, 2004... AUSTIN, TEXAS -- Less than a month into 2004, semiconductor industry representatives have decided that the end of the decade should be all wet. A group of technical movers and shakers from hundreds of companies attended a two-day...

Merck sells VWR for $1.68 billion.(News)
March 1, 2004... DARMSTADT, GERMANY -- In a move designed to allow greater focus on its core businesses of pharmaceuticals and chemicals, Merck KgaAa has sold its cleanroom and contamination-control product distribution business, VWR International, for $1.68...

Decommissioning: five critical steps to minimize risk and cost.(Electronics)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... When I walked into the SEMI Environmental Health & Safety (EH & S) European Standards Meeting at a recent SEMICON Europa, I already knew there was considerable global interest in the safe decommissioning and decontamination of cleanroom...

How will new USP regulations impact the pharmacy?(Life Sciences)(United States Pharmacopeia)
March 1, 2004... That United States Pharmacopeia (USP) regulatory storm you heard brewing for the past five years has finally broken in the form of a number of new regulations and guidelines becoming effective this year. USP 797 will impact any facility in...

Actions are speaking loudly: the FDA is making meaningful internal changes so that pharmaceutical manufacturers can move into the 21st century.(Special Report)(Process Action Team draft guidance )
March 1, 2004... Working at lightning speed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made good on its promise from August 2002 to re-assess current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) in pharmaceutical manufacturing. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

Real-time bacterial spore detection.(Inventor's Corner)(Regents of the University of California (Los Alamos, N.M.))(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... This invention relates to a process for detecting the presence of viable bacterial spores in a sample and to a spore detection system. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The system includes a sample, germinant, bleach, and terbium nitrate...

Sanitary drain valve.(Inventor's Corner)(NL Technologies, Ltd)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A valve for sampling a process from a tank or conduit includes an internal cavity (A) that is connected to at least one inlet (B) and an outlet (C). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A valve actuating rod (D) includes a sealing tip (E). The...

Raised floor system with view panels.(Inventor's Corner)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The raised floor system is comprised of an outer rigid frame (A), an upper plate of a tempered glass pane (B) and a lower plate of apertured-steel panel (C) providing structural support of the view panel. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

Ten tips for cleanroom energy efficiency: significant energy savings potential exists in most cleanroom facilities in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), process cooling, compressed air, and other utilities.(Facilities Management)
March 1, 2004... HVAC systems consume up to 50 percent of a microchip fab's electricity. Much of this wasted energy and excess capacity results from minimizing first cost instead of cost-of-ownership in fast-track design and construction. High-efficiency design...

Compliance is just a click away: electronic records and 21 CFR Part 11 are here to stay. Here's what it all means for your paperless environmental monitoring system.(Focus on Biotech)
March 1, 2004... The last few years have seen the stage set for the evolution of paperless environmental monitoring. Today, new technology is available that lets users capture data electronically, analyze it, and recognize trends before a breach of compliance...

Monitoring isolators and cleanrooms for biocontamination: recent testing shows new findings from air sampling with antimicrobial agents.(Focus on Biotech)
March 1, 2004... The inside of an isolator is well protected from microbiological contamination by air supply combined with a microbially-retentive system--HEPA filtration--and reproducible decontamination. Microbiological contamination may occur, however, if...

An argument for increased automation in the life sciences industry: the myriad of highly detailed and repetitive process steps should be enough to justify pursuing an automated cleanroom solution. Now, how do you do it?(Focus on Biotech)
March 1, 2004... The life sciences industry, which was once primarily focused on research and development, is going through a transformation. Institutions, methods and technologies are forcing companies to incorporate higher throughput and more efficient...

Particle counters.(ProductSpotlight)
March 1, 2004... Worldwide growth in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, plus a move toward global adaptation of ISO standards, make the particle counter an increasingly important tool for contamination control. Here are some of the newest devices and...

Semiconductor manufacturers weigh 'dense pack' retrofitting.(News)
March 1, 2004... Microchips are getting smaller and circuits more efficient at an amazingly rapid rate. But while chips are tinier than ever, the tools that handle their manufacture are getting larger. They can measure above eight feet high and can weigh more...

Jensen Corp.: a fitting acquisition for Swagelok.(News)
March 1, 2004... NORTH TONOWANDA, N.Y. -- When Jensen Fittings Corp. was sold to Swagelok Co. in January 2001, the purchase of the sanitary fitting and component maker may have been regarded in one of two ways--just another deal in the merger-acquisition trend...

Cooling fan.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Designed for quiet and rapid heat dissipation, the MNC cooling fan features the MF mixed-flow impeller, incorporating an adjustable blade geometry to provide a range of performance options. The product has 'non-stall' airflow properties and...

Fluoropolymer diaphragm valve.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Now available with a multi-turn, manually adjustable actuator for precise flow control, the DRP series ultra-high-purity fluoropolymer diaphragm valves meet or exceed SEMI Standard F57-0301 for ultra-high-purity polymer system components....

Hydride abatement material.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Developed through a joint alliance with ATMI Inc., ULTIMA-Sorba employs the newest dry abatement technology to abate MOCVD process gases, especially arsine and phosphine. According to the company, the product combines two special materials to...

Sanitizing pretreatment packs.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Designed to automate the sanitization process for the Elix and RiOs water purification systems, the Progard TL1 and Progard TL2 sanitizing pretreatment packs expedite the reverse osmosis (RO) cartridge cleaning process. A built-in sanitization...

Gas monitor.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Featuring a sophisticated electronic "brain" built directly into the sensor electronics, the AirCheck Advantage Extractive Gas Monitor provides reliable surveillance against hazardous gas leaks and releases while reducing calibration and...

Dew point monitor.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Designed for monitoring the dew point of medical gases, breathing and compressed air, model AMM-15 has a large digital display and dew point range from -40[degrees] F to +80[degrees] F. Accuracy is specified as up to +/-2[degrees] F, useable...

PES filter.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Millipore Express SHF hydrophilic 0.2-[micro]m filters are design to provide superior flux, high sterility assurance and broad chemical compatibility with a range of buffer chemistries (pH 1-14), including acids and sodium hydroxide. The...

Six-axis robot.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The six-axis robot will offer the same Epson RC+ software and Epson RC520 PC-based controller provided on the Epson Scara robots and Epson EZ modules. According to the manufacturer, companies will be able to build entire factories using just...

IR thermometer.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The waterproof ThermoTrace Infrared Thermometer can be washed and sanitized, and operates under water. It functions in either normal (press the measure button) or continuous reading mode (not necessary to hold down the button). Alarm points can...

Gas sensors.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The 420 Series remote gas monitoring transmitters use patented sensors that are highly specific, fast-responding, poison-resistant and are unaffected by moisture or temperature changes. The stand-alone sensors are available for ammonia,...

Parts testing station.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Surfex-100 is an integrated testing station that measures the particle levels on complex parts. The product combines ultrasonic extraction, particle measurement, high-purity fluidics, and automated software control. According to the...

Drug processing technology.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Mustang chromatography speeds production of antisense drugs (which inhibit the production of faulty proteins responsible for causing cancer, AIDS-related afflictions, and cardiovascular diseases) by removing high levels of impurities during...

Disposable collection container.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... A disposable, HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner collection container, Safe-Pak enables pharmaceutical manufacturers to safely collect, handle, and dispose of potent compounds. When integrated with the company's CFM 3156 or 3306 vacuum cleaners, the...

FOUP cleaner.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The automated Process One FX30 cleaning system is designed to reduce FOUP contamination from human interaction and has robotic controls that transport FOUPs through the cleaning process. The robot and cleaning system sit inside an individual...

Ionizer controller.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Equilibrion Model CTC037 maintains balance of an ionizer within +/-1V or better, even in the presence of static charges. According to the manufacturer, it integrates seamlessly with virtually all available single or multiple-fan DC ionizers...

Filtration labels.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Peel and stick labels on filtration products ensure process efficiency and simplify the documentation process. The labels are being launched as part of a series of quality and security enhancements developed by the company to help customers...

Cleanroom vacuums.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Omega series cleanroom vacuums come standard with a HEPA cartridge filter (optional ULPA cartridge filter), 10-foot ESD-safe hose, 16-inch ESD-safe rubber flexible gooseneck and power cord to clean sensitive manufacturing equipment,...

Biopharm fittings.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Biopharm fittings are inspected in accordance with ASME-BPE standards by an independent third-party inspection company before shipment. This service is designed to help end-users reduce time and costs related to on-site conformance inspection...

Clean bench.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Series 201 horizontal flow clean benches are factory tested to efficiently remove 99.99 percent of particle contaminants 0.3 [micro]m and larger, and meet or exceed ISO Class 5 cleanroom conditions. The benches feature wrap-around construction...

Adjustable platform.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... With its height-adjustable work surface, the Series 6500 combines versatility and flexibility to provide an ergonomically designed and safe work center. Workers can adjust the height at any time using a hand crank or motorized drive mechanism....

Optical particle counter.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The HSLIS series of in-situ liquid optical particle counters comes with Ethernet capability, which, according to the company, can lower overall costs by using existing Ethernet networks to control and monitor multiple particle counters. Also...