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CleanRooms West 2000 takes place October 2-4 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR. For information or to register, visit www.cleanrooms-conference. com or call (603) 891-9267.
Honeywell awards MEMS project to Luwa Lepco
Honeywell has awarded Luwa Lepco the contract to design and construct a 12,000-square-foot manufacturing facility incorporating 4000 square feet of M2.5 to M5.5 modular cleanrooms. The plant will be located at the Honeywell, Redmond, Washington complex. In addition to the cleanrooms Luwa Lepco will design and install DI water, process and housekeeping vacuum systems, chemical storage, process chilled water and gas delivery systems for this H-6 facility. The free-standing facility will house photolithography, etching, CVD, bonding, testing, dicing and packaging equipment typical of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology plants.—LB
CR engineering business launched
Mitie Group has launched two engineering businesses in niche markets in the pharmaceutical industry and in cleanrooms, required by the computer manufacturing, medical and food processing industries.—LB
Flomerics exec joins IEEE board
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Right. Dr. Thomas Robert Rowbotham
Dr. Thomas Robert Rowbotham, non-executive director and deputy chairman of Flomerics Group plc, has been elected to the Board of IEEE as divisional director. In this capacity he will serve as liaison between the board and the IEEE Communications Society. Flomerics develops advanced engineering analysis software.—LB
Network Photonics more than triples in size
Network Photonics, a third-generation optical networking company, will more than triple its current space in Boulder, CO, with an additional 30,000 square feet of space. The expansion brings the total square footage to more than 43,000 square feet. The new space will feature labs for engineering and reliability testing as well as cleanrooms for the integration and test of the company's microphotonic technologies.—LB
SMACNA HVAC publication available online
The second edition of the “HVAC Duct Inspection Guide” is available from the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA). The guide acquaints inspection officials, designers and contractors with the basic features of duct construction, equipment connections to ducts and items inserted in ducts. The new edition includes outlines to organize and conduct inspections and checklists that call attention to the basic features of ductwork and items placed in duct systems. This and other SMACNA publications are available online at www.smacna.org.—LB
SC Technologies changes name to SciCron Technologies LLC
SC Technologies LLC, manufacturer of StatiCon glazing for cleanroom builders as well as other static dissipative plastics for manufacturers of semiconductors and automated electronic assembly equipment, has changed its name to SciCron Technologies LLC. According to CEO Jeff Brown, “There have been reports that our company has been confused on several occasions with that of an unrelated company. We believe that our new name will better distinguish our company.”—LB
Freudenberg opens new distribution center
A manufacturer of nora rubber flooring, Freudenberg Building Systems Inc. has opened a Southern California Distribution Center in Industry, CA, to service the west-coast region.—LB
CyOptics opens development and manufacturing facilities in Israel
New facilities in Yokneam, Israel, add both office and cleanroom space to CyOptics' expanding research, development and manufacturing organization for 40Gbps and ultra-long-haul optical transmission components. Yokneam is situated between Tel Aviv and Haifa, two Israeli centers of high-technology expertise. Along with a high concentration of companies focused on wireless communication, microelectronics and telecommunication Yokneam offers a depth of auxiliary development services, including ISO 9000 certification expertise and EMI and EMC test facilities. “Our new facility includes state-of-the-art cleanrooms and equipment for optoelectronic device packaging, test, burn-in and qualification as well as development labs and expanded office space,” says Dror Motovilov, CyOptics' vice president of operations.—LB
eSafetyworld becomes a vendor of Samsung and Tyco
eSafetyworld Inc., a business-to-business e-commerce company specializing in serving the industrial safety and cleanroom industries, has become an approved vendor for and received orders from Samsung and Tyco. James Brownfiel, the company's chief operating officer, says, “We have a state-of-the-art e-commerce Web site with real-time customer service capabilities. At the same time, we give our customers the option of using any other ordering or customer service medium that they prefer. Our goal continues to be to become a one-stop source for all of a customer's industrial safety and cleanroom needs.”—LB
Labelmakers builds $3.75 million Nilpeter pressroom
Labelmakers has commissioned a second Nilpeter M-3300 narrow web press. As with the first, the new press incorporates the Nilpeter D1-3300 ctp system. The company is the second UK label converter to employ this direct imaging system based on Presstek's Gold thermal ablative technology. The combined investment, including a new cleanroom extension, has cost about US $3.75 million. Labelmakers, a private company, employs about 60 and specializes in paper or filmic labels for the food and drinks industries, cosmetics and healthcare sectors.—LB
Tsuda, SPM businesses form complementary partnership
A Tsuda Industrial Co. Ltd. unit is transplanting its technology for painting and laser etching plastic components from Japan to a North American site. Tsuda Surface Technologies Inc. leased a Henderson, NV, warehouse of more than 56,000 square feet in June and intends to begin operations in November or December, says Dirk Minami, vice president and chief operating officer at the unit's main office in Anaheim Hills, CA. Tsuda incorporated the unit in March. Tsuda plans to install three paint lines in cleanrooms of ISO Class 7 or 6 (Class 10,000 or 1,000) in Henderson. Decorating cellular telephone housings will account for 70 percent of early work and automotive interior components 30 percent. The Henderson facility will emulate Tsuda's newest plant, located in Kisai, Japan, and the site of five cleanroom painting lines. —LB
Owens & Minor signs agreement with American Health Products
Owens & Minor has signed an enhanced logistics agreement with American Health Products Corp. (AHPC), a wholly owned sales and marketing subsidiary of WRP Corp. Through its eMedExpress business model, Owens & Minor will perform warehousing, distribution and e-commerce development for AHPC products. WRP Corp. is a majority owned subsidiary of WRP Asia Pacific (Malaysia), which manufactures medical, dental, scientific lab, industrial and cleanroom gloves.—LB
Nanya's DRAM investment to exceed $800 million
Nanya Technology (San Jose, CA) will spend in excess of $800 million in capital expenditures for its 200mm fab in Linkao, Taiwan. This announcement reinforces the company's commitment to high-quality, low-cost DRAM production. The new plant, designated Fab 2, is capable of producing 30,000 wafers per month.—LB
Flow International joins with Kraft and others to develop UHP technology
Flow International Corp. has signed agreements with Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, ConAgra and others to jointly develop the use of ultra-high-pressure technology for shelf-stable food products. The $2.3-million, three-year effort will address the regulatory, quality and hardware aspects of the commercial production of foods that can be kept for extended periods of time without refrigeration.—LB