SiVance, LLC, a subsidiary of Milliken & Company, today announced the opening of a new, 11,000 sq.ft. research and development (R&D) laboratory, on the company’s R&D and manufacturing campus in Gainesville, Fla., that will enhance its ability to quickly develop and scale new silane and silicone technologies. The new facility is part of a planned series of investments enabling SiVance to better address current and future customer needs in target markets such as electronic semiconductors, contact lenses, coatings and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The lab will also speed process development for custom manufacturing of speciality silanes, silicones and other chemistries.
“This…facility is a major milestone in our continuous investment strategy for the business, which was initiated following Milliken’s acquisition of SiVance in 2011,” said Saikat Joardar, vice president, SiVance, LLC. “The new lab was designed from the ground up to support customer needs. It enables us to accelerate product and process development and scale up to manufacturing, strengthen collaboration with customers and take advantage of new market opportunities for chemistries that fit our expertise and capabilities.”
The new building is outfitted with sophisticated equipment for research, process development and testing. Installations include eight benchtop hoods for small-scale research development and eight large walk-in fume hoods that enable large-scale development activities and the manufacturing of materials for sampling. A dedicated instrument lab houses an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) that allows laboratory staff to detect minute levels of trace elements, a capability that supports the high purity demands of semiconductor manufacturing. The facility is further equipped with video conferencing systems that simplify remote collaboration with customers and researchers at other Milliken sites. Customers are also encouraged to make onsite visits to observe running processes and conduct quality audits.
The Gainesville site has experienced steady capacity and infrastructure expansion since SiVance was acquired by Milliken to accommodate current and future growth. The new R&D lab will further propel growth in standard and custom products, while offering customers improved capabilities for developing innovative new solutions.
SiVance, LLC develops silicone chemistry, focusing on the development and manufacture of specialty silicone technologies and intermediates required to modify basic silicone polymers.