How the consortium helped make the project work
While the U.S. Display Consortium (USDC) didn`t give money to the Brevard Community College (BCC) project, its intangible contributions such as energy and support were immeasurable, supporters say.
Wayne Kugelmann, director of cleanroom operations at BCC, says that USDC supported the project with design and construction assistance, as well as in promoting the facility.
Several corporate members of the USDC provided their time, talent and money (in the form of travel) during the design phase to provide cleanroom expertise. Included in this group are Accudyne Corp. (Palm Bay, FL), PRI Automation (Billerica, MA), Candescent Corp. (San Jose, CA) and Ion Systems (Berkeley, CA).
“The USDC helped leverage a number of donations from these members, such as a particle counter, ionization system and ceiling membrane,” says Kugelmann, pointing out that the USDC`s involvement at Brevard is primarily focused at integration testing by the Material Handling Work Group.
The USDC is supporting this testing in a number of ways. It has donated an acceleration acquisition system for measuring vibration during testing; it is providing matching funds with the University of South Florida to conduct baseline studies; and it continues to promote the facility on a national level.
One example of corporate largess came from Ion Systems, which donated a 5000 Series room ionization system to BCC. Kugelmann says this was an example of a company selecting a key component of what will make the system come together.
“Ion Systems provides us with an essential element for today`s state-of-the-art, Class 10 cleanroom,” says Kugelmann. “This donation to our open- access cleanroom puts us one step ahead of other cleanroom facilities.”
The 5000 Series room ionization system consists of a 5084 controller and 5184 ceiling emitters, which provide uniform ionization throughout the open areas of a cleanroom. Mounted onto the ceiling surface or inside a flush mount channel, 5184 ceiling emitters blend into the environment without disrupting laminar airflow or compromising the integrity of operating cleanrooms.
The USDC is an industry-led, public/private partnership providing a common platform for flat-panel display manufacturers, developers, users and the manufacturing equipment and supplier base. Headquartered in San Jose, CA, the consortium has more than 75 corporate and affiliate members, as well as support from the U.S. government`s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
For more information, contact Michael Ciesinski, chief executive officer, U.S. Display Consortium, 50 W. San Fernando St., Suite 920, San Jose, CA 95008; (408) 277-2400; or visit the consortium`s World Wide Web site at www.usdc.org. — MS