CleanRooms articles from September 2006

CleanRooms archives from September 2006

Staying on point.(maintaining pharmacies)(Editorial)
September 1, 2006... The response to my editorial in the June issue, "Immediate action required for CSPs," touched off much more of a response than I expected, but certainly not more than the issue deserves. I assure you that the subject will not now be set aside...

More research required.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I just wanted to give you some feedback regarding your editorial on CSPs. It seems as though you have not done much research regarding the subject. I manage a compounding lab in Redding, California, and am required to have several pharmacy...

The madder the better.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... Just a word of thanks for your glorious outrage in your June editorial. It wasn't long ago that a previous editor at your publication lamented the torture of his grandfather at the hands of an out-of-control CSP compounding operation. In...

Flawed facts.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I am the compounding pharmacist for the largest medical facility--consisting of three main hospitals (soon to be four)--in Indianapolis, Indiana. Some of your "facts" in your commentary are flawed concerning pharmacists compounding sterile...

Clear and courageous.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... Congratulations! Thank you for your courage and for so clearly defining the issue. I hope this leads to the regulatory scrutiny that will ensure the safety of patients receiving CSPs. --Russell E. Madsen, President The Williamsburg...

Further study suggested.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... Your misinformation about compounding, made evident in your editorial is going to come back to bite you. Who do you think your customers are? I'm connected to a network of hospital, home-infusion and sterile-compounding pharmacists across...

New line of controlled environment apparel launched.(news)
September 1, 2006... DuPont Personal Protection recently introduced its new line of apparel for controlled environments. Developed for professionals in the life science, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, electronics, food processing and medical device manufacturing...

Contamination control and the next node.(Carl Zeiss SMT introduced Starlith 1900i, lens system at SEMICON West trade show)
September 1, 2006... Smaller than today's 65-nanometer state-of-the-art manufacturing, the 45 nm semiconductor processing node looms just a few years ahead. And, when it comes to manufacturing tomorrow's chips, more than cleanrooms must be ready. Several...

ISO releases new international standard.(news)
September 1, 2006... The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) recently announced that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published ISO 14644-8, Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments--Part 8: Classification...

President of Mexico visits new plastics plant.(news)
September 1, 2006... GW Plastics (Bethel, Vt.; www.GWPlastics.com), a high-precision injection molding provider, recently hosted Mexico President Vicente Fox. President Fox visited the company's state-of-the-art El Marques manufacturing park in Queretaro, about two...

FDA nano task force to examine regulatory approaches.(news)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... According to a recent announcement by Andrew C. von Eschenbach, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA will establish a new nanotechnology task force to examine the agency's regulatory approaches with regard to...

Cleanroom construction completed.(Evergreen Engineering Inc. contracts with HemCon Medical Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Evergreen Engineering (Eugene, Ore.; www.evergreenengineering.com), an engineering and construction firm serving industries such as bioscience, clean manufacturing, and semiconductor, recently announced that it has completed the design and...

Strong forecast for fab equipment purchases.(PARTICLES)
September 1, 2006... A forecast published recently by Strategic Marketing Associates (SMA) predicts that wafer fab equipment purchases will grow 10 percent next year, to reach $40 billion in 2007. SMA's FabFutures[TM] report forecasts quarterly spending and...

Solar module facility planned for '07.(PARTICLES)
September 1, 2006... M+W Zander FE GmbH (Stuttgart, Germany) has won a contract to design and construct a new thin-film solar module facility for ErSol Group, a manufacturer and distributor of photovoltaic products, in Erfurt, Germany. M+W Zander plans to have the...

IEST-RP-CC021.2: Testing HEPA and ULPA Filter Media.(setting the standard)
September 1, 2006... The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) has published an updated recommended practice (RP): IEST-RP-CC021.2 Testing HEPA and ULPA Filter Media, HEPA and ULPA filters are critical in ensuring that the air supplied to a...

Dual-type air purification system.(for removing acidic airborne molecular contamination in semiconductor manufacturing cleanrooms)
September 1, 2006... In semiconductor fabrication manufacturing, minimization of particle contamination on semiconductor wafers is getting increasingly important as the integrated circuit (IC) devices on the wafers decrease in size. IC manufacturing generally...

Cleanroom device uses and markets.(your market analysis)
September 1, 2006... Cleanroom devices are mostly thought of as modular laminar-flow systems, also called benches. However, the definition can be extended to cover everything from gloveboxes to microenvironment cleanrooms. In fact, the growing emphasis on...

Zero tolerance for ESD: ionizers, remote sensors, monitoring, and material choices all contribute to control.(electrostatic discharge )
September 1, 2006... For a lot of cleanroom operators, any static is too much static. Disk drive manufacturers are leading the downward spiral toward zero tolerance for electrostatic-related events in the cleanroom, with semiconductor, flat panel, medical...

Ultrapure water production: the inside story.
September 1, 2006... As both the quality and quantity requirements for contaminant-free water increase, the demands for innovative technologies and improved system designs are creating challenges and opportunities for the multitude of industries that require...

Fire-safe fabs.(fire safety)
September 1, 2006... It's been 10 years since Factory Mutual, or FM Global as they are now known, substantially revised and reissued their loss prevention guideline for semiconductor manufacturing fabrication facilities. A lot of changes have taken place since...

Vacuum pump traps.(product spotlight: Vacuum systems)(MV Products)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... MV Products has introduced a line of vacuum traps that absorb toxic mercury vapors in laboratory and manufacturing applications ranging from material analysis to lamp production. MV Posi-Trap[R] Vacuum Traps are constructed from stainless steel...

Vacuum cleaner system for liquid recovery.(product spotlight: Vacuum systems)(Tiger-Vac, Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Tiger-Vac, Inc. offers a cleanroom vacuum cleaner system for recovery of liquid with broken ampules and glass. Compatible with ISO Class 4 (Class 10) cleanroom conditions, the Pharmavac vacuum system is static-free and ESD-safe. Designed to be...

Complete vac solutions.(product spotlight: Vacuum systems)
September 1, 2006... From stand-alone portables to sophisticated central vacuum systems, Dustcontrol provides complete solutions for cleanroom vacuum applications. Customized collection points for automated systems, automatic monitoring of the system functions, and...

Central vacuum systems.(product spotlight: Vacuum systems)
September 1, 2006... The Spencer Turbine Company provides central vacuum systems with intensive cleaning power to remove contaminants from cleanrooms and other areas of manufacturing and research buildings. These systems are vented to the outside, so that ultrafine...

Rotary screw vacuum packages.(product spotlight: Vacuum systems)
September 1, 2006... Kaeser Compressors has expanded its line of ASV, BSV and CSV rotary screw vacuum packages. All units feature the proprietary Sigma Profile airend, designed to achieve optimum efficiency and lower energy costs for the life of the equipment....

Vacuum pump systems for semi applications.(product spotlight: Vacuum systems)
September 1, 2006... BOC Edwards offers a unique range of process materials, equipment, support services and technical expertise to meet application needs in the manufacture of microelectronics devices, including silicon semiconductors, compound semiconductors and...

Dust extraction systems.(product spotlight: Vacuum systems)
September 1, 2006... Eurovac offers a variety of housekeeping and dust extraction systems for a wide range of applications or budgets. The company's full range of regenerative and centrifugal multistage pumps from 4.5 HP to 75 HP are made of heavy-duty construction...

Inkjet-fume extractor.(new products)
September 1, 2006... Purex has introduced a filtration and recirculation system that addresses the problem of solvent fumes given off by some continuous inkjet printers in the workplace. The system extracts air containing solvent vapor from around the inkjet,...

Ultrasensitive voltmeter.(new products)
September 1, 2006... TREK, Inc. announces the introduction of Model 325 Electrostatic Voltmeter, an ultrasensitive instrument for noncontacting electrostatic voltage measurement and monitoring in applications within high-tech, semiconductor, materials processing,...

Packaging, thermal-seal inspection system.(new products)
September 1, 2006... Multivac's Thermoform Fill-Seal Systems offer manufacturers a comprehensive solution for package quality and seal integrity. The company now offers its horizontal thermoform fill-seal (TFFS) machinery integrated with Ircon MAXLINE[R] 2...

Ultrafiltration cartridges.(new products)
September 1, 2006... Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. (KMS) offers TARGA[R]-10 Ultrafiltration cartridges for industrial water treatment applications. TARGA-10 Hollow Fiber cartridges have a 10-inch diameter and deliver 60 percent more product water than conventional...

Fluid processor.(new products)
September 1, 2006... Microfluidics offers the M-110S Microfluidizer[R] processor, a laboratory fluid processor suited for a range of applications including emulsions, dispersions, liposomes, cell disruption and liquid-liquid or liquid-solid processing applications....

Patented ultraclean container.(new products)
September 1, 2006... Novapak Corporation has recently introduced a new, patented, 4-liter, ultraclean, pressure-bottom container intended for packaging of solvents, acids and other ultrapure chemicals utilized in electronics manufacturing, laboratory testing and...

Disposable point-of-use filters.(new products)
September 1, 2006... Whatman has recently announced the release of its new line of OEM in-line disposable filters designed specifically to remove bacterial pathogens from hospital water. The disposable filters provide a point-of-use solution for protection from...

Electronic packaging materials.(new products)
September 1, 2006... NuSil Technology has introduced EPM-2493 to its line of electronic packaging materials (EPMs). This low-viscosity, thermal interface material was designed to meet the challenges of the high-temperature and high-stress operating conditions in...

Valve product guide.(of GF Piping Systems)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... GF Piping has introduced a comprehensive new product guide that details the company's new pressure-regulating valve product offerings in an easy-to-order format. The new PRV Product Guide describes all available body materials and options, new...

Commissioning handbook now on CD.(National Environmental Balancing Bureau introduced "Design Phase Commissioning Handbook")(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... NEBB's 560-page Design Phase Commissioning Handbook, first released as a bound hard copy in 2005, is now available on CD. The CD is identical to the bound version and provides user-friendly access to all sections, tables, and appendices. The...