(July 12, 2007) SAN JOSE, CA — DEK appointed Aram Kardjian as western regional business manger, promoting developing applications such as materials deposition in semiconductor packaging, medical electronics, fuel cells, and other markets. He will also be responsible for customer support, and implementing and supporting growth targets and corporate development in the western U.S.
Category Archives: Fuel Cells
By Phil LoPiccolo, Editor in Chief
In emerging markets, essential ingredients for success, besides technological expertise and innovation, are patience and long-term vision. That’s one of the lessons John Goodman, SVP and chief technology and innovation officer at Entegris, stressed during a discussion at the recent SEMI New England Breakfast Forum about his company’s decision to enter the alternative energy market.
Five years ago, when studying emerging markets to determine where it could best participate, Entegris decided to direct some focus toward alternative energy, in particular hydrogen fuel cell technology, not only because it offered the potential to generate new revenue streams, but also because it provided an opportunity for the company to leave a legacy of fostering energy independence and environmental responsibility. Unfortunately, the journey is taking longer than expected. “The definition of an emerging market is one that’s not going to grow as fast as you thought it would, and won’t be profitable for some time,” Goodman quipped. …
(May 30, 2007) SAN DIEGO — The Design Automation Conference (DAC), June 4–8 in San Diego, features an automotive theme focused on fuel cells, electric drivetrains, advanced entertainment and safety systems, and disruptive designs in the automotive sector. Other presentations at the conference will cover intellectual property (IP), design and verification, low-power designs, and related topics.
by Rich Acello, Small Times Contributing Editor
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May 29, 2007 — Once initiated at the drop of a plausible idea, initial public offerings have been in serious decline since the turn-of-the-century dotcom bust. As institutional investors have raised the bar for entry into public markets, start ups have increasingly relied on alternative exit strategies. The passage of the Sarbanes Oxley corporate reporting requirements has taken some of the luster off the IPO as well.
Thus, when NanoDynamics Inc. of Buffalo, N.Y., filed papers to raise a $100 million in an IPO on May 4, eyebrows were also raised. Some experts see the NanoDynamics move as a harbinger of IPOs to come.
“We’re just at the beginning of a curve,” says Lawrence Gasman, principal analyst for nanomarkets.net of Glen Allen, Virginia. “High tech finance is back in fashion, so don’t be surprised if there are others like this.”
The number of shares and pricing of the NanoDynamics IPO hasn’t yet been determined. NanoDynamics plans to use proceeds from the stock sale to fund expansion of its manufacturing capabilities for clean energy products from fuel cells to water filtering technology.
Earlier this year, the company said it had developed a silver nanoparticle 20 nanometers in diameter that has “great potential” in retarding the growth of bacteria, mold, and harmful spores such as anthrax.
NanoDynamics has also entered a partnershsip with Ames Goldsmith Corp., a leading supplier of silver products to the electronics industry, to commercialize silver nanomaterials.
Calls to company executives were not returned, which is not unusual after the filing of an IPO, generally considered a “quiet period,” but Gasman says NanoDynamics’ products are developing in potentially lucrative niche areas.
“The fuel cell product could increase the efficiency of fuel cells which haven’t really taken off,” Gasman says. “But eventually the relative economics of fuel cells makes it a more attractive (product niche). The IPO should certainly get them into commercial operation.”
About 155 companies went public in 2006, down from about 161 in 2005, according to Jay Ritter, professor of finance at the University of Florida.
Scott Stanton, a partner at Morrison Foerster in San Diego who handles IPOs, says the crop of companies going public now is stronger than in the past.
“And with the (stock) market at an all-time high, valuations are getting attractive,” Stanton says.
Filing for an IPO doesn’t mean that one will take place. A company that files an IPO may actually be fishing for a better deal. “They might file to go public in an effort to use that as a stalking horse to drive an M&A (mergers and acquisitions) process,” Stanton explains. “Some companies go public because they can’t find a buyer.”
Another factor that could put a damper on a new round of IPO fever is Sarbanes Oxley, with its rigorous reporting requirements enacted the wake of the Enron scandals.
“Some companies that might be able to go public don’t want to go public,” Stanton says. “It’s a real factor. Some entrepreneurs would just rather start a new company.”
Gasman says the NanoDyanamics filing could be the sign of renewed interest on the part of investors following the Nanosys pull out in 2005.
“Nanosys was going to be next Netscape, that some expected to launch a boom, the way Netscape helped launch the Internet boom,” Gasman says. “After Nanosys pulled out, some the interest declined, but interest comes in waves, and maybe we’re coming back now.”
 (Image: PolyFuel) |
Apr. 12, 2007 — The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued two broad patents for fundamental fuel cell technology to PolyFuel, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. PolyFuel develops engineered membranes for fuel cells, and says that the patents, titled Ion Conductive Block Copolymers and Sulfonated Copolymer, cover “sophisticated chemistry and breakthroughs” behind the company’s hydrocarbon-based polymer products.
The patents are significant, the company says, because such membranes — which resemble flexible sheets of cellophane — are the critical technology behind portable fuel cells, and to a large degree dictate their size, cost, power and efficiency. Such “micro power” fuel cells are widely expected to begin supplanting batteries as the primary power source for power-hungry portable electronic devices such as laptops, PDAs, and smart phones.
PolyFuel engineers its membranes, which work by conducting protons, at the nano level.The company sells to producers of carbon and catalysts, and others who buy MEAs (membrane electrode assemblies).
PolyFuel says that it is moving into the dominant market and technology position on the strength of its membrane technology — and hopes these patent grants will secure its position in hydrocarbon membranes for portable fuel cell applications.
To date, PolyFuel has filed 23 patent applications; these are the first of several “composition of matter” applications to be granted. PolyFuel president and CEO Jim Balcom notes, “In any new field, there are ultimately a few, benchmark patents from which much future technology springs. We believe that this is one of those situations.”
My iPod has a sweet tooth
Researchers at Saint Louis U. (Missouri) have developed a fuel cell battery that operates up to 3X-4X longer on a single charge than conventional lithium ion batteries — and is the technology device equivalent of a billy goat, running on virtually any sugar source fed to it, including soft drinks and even tree sap.
The battery (which is also biodegradable) contains enzymes that convert fuel into electricity, with water as a byproduct. Saint Louis U. electrochemist Shelley Minteer says her postage-stamp-sized prototype battery can successfully run a handheld calculator, and could be ready for commercialization in three to five years.
So far, the battery’s most impressive feature appears to be its iron stomach — it has been shown to run on glucose, flat sodas, sweetened drink mixes and tree sap. Table sugar (sucrose) dissolved in water appears to be the most efficient source; even carbonated soda works, but the carbonation appears to weaken the fuel cell.
Initial applications include portable phone rechargers prefilled with sugar solutions for “on-the-go” charging. The Department of Defense, which is funding the research, also is interested in battlefield and emergency situations where access to electricity is limited, such as in remote sensors for biological/chemical weapons detection.
 Kebaili says its CPG-500 is cost effective for a range of R&D applications. (Photo: Kebaili Corp.) |
April 2, 2007 — Kebaili Corp., Laguna Beach, Calif., has released its CPG-500 Series, which it calls the first compact current pulse generator designed specifically for electrodeposition applications such as DC plating, pulse plating, and periodic reverse pulse plating. The product targets MEMS and nanotechnology development.
According to Dr. Mo Kebaili, Chief Technology Officer of Kebaili Corporation, commercially available reverse pulse plating systems and potentiostat/galvanostat are typically large and usually not optimized for cleanroom environments. Kebaili designed the CPG-500 to be ergonomic and compact, and optimized it for end-user applications in MEMS and nanotechnologies.
The CPG-500’s power requirement is 100-240 V AC at 50-60 Hz. The unit is microprocessor-controlled, user programmable, and self-contained (doe not require connection to a PC). Further, it promises to be user friendly.
CPG-500 can generate forward and reverse current pulses from 1 microamp to 350 milliamps, with a minimum pulse width of 1 msec. The compliance voltage is ± 10 Volts. The user can program 10 pulse waveforms and store the recipes in the CPG-500 internal non-volatile memory.
Kebaili says the CPG-500 is cost effective for a wide range of research and development applications, and laboratory requirements, such as:
1. Reducing porosity and intrinsic stress, improving uniformity, increasing hardness and decreasing grain size of electroplated thin-films for physical, chemical, biological transducers and microsensors.
2. Silicon wafer through holes void free metallization of high aspect ratio microvias in microelectronic and microtechnology applications.
3. Metallic and alloy nanowires synthesis by electroplating through anodized aluminum templates in nanotechnology applications.
4. Micro-molds, micro-coils and metallic microstructures fabrication.
5. Electrodes fabrication for thin-film-based micro-batteries.
6. Micro-metallization in microfluidic devices and high aspect ratio micro-channel in biochip applications.
7. Platinum catalyst electrodeposition on polymeric exchange membrane (PEM) in micro fuel cell applications.
8. Microstructures fabrication for micro analytical instruments, and micro chemical plants.
9. Electrochemical deposition of bismuth telluride thin-films for micro-thermo electric cooling applications.
10. Electrodeposition of cobalt in anodized aluminum template as a precursor catalyst for carbon nanotubes synthesis by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
Kebaili Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets a full line of instruments based on its MEMS/NEMS sensor technologies that are used for research and development in industrial, medical, military, automotive, and consumer applications.
By Phil LoPiccolo, Editor-in-Chief
In emerging markets, essential ingredients for success, besides technological expertise and innovation, are patience and long-term vision. That’s one of the lessons John Goodman, SVP and chief technology and innovation officer at Entegris, stressed during a discussion at the recent SEMI New England Breakfast Forum about his company’s decision to enter the alternative energy market.
Five years ago, when studying emerging markets to determine where it could best participate, Entegris decided to direct some focus toward alternative energy, in particular hydrogen fuel cell technology, not only because it offered the potential to generate new revenue streams, but also because it provided an opportunity for the company to leave a legacy of fostering energy independence and environmental responsibility. Unfortunately, the journey is taking longer than expected. “The definition of an emerging market is one that’s not going to grow as fast as you thought it would, and won’t be profitable for some time,” Goodman quipped.
Nevertheless, last week on the fifth anniversary of the launch of Entegris’s fuel cell business, Goodman reported that the company has leveraged its expertise in semiconductor process technology and material science to become a leading global supplier of components to fuel cell developers, and is playing a significant role in the effort to move to a non fossil fuel based economy.
The decision by Entegris to get into the alternative energy business was fueled by alarming trends in the traditional energy market, namely the oil sector, said Goodman. “The main driver for the technology is energy security,” he said. “Most of the countries that are heavily investing in hydrogen fuel cell and other alternate energy technologies are doing it to avoid being dependent on foreign sources of oil.”
In fact, US dependence on foreign oil has been growing dramatically. Citing figures from the Department of Energy, Goodman showed, for example, that since the late 1980s, the US has consumed increasingly more oil for transportation alone than it has produced. Moreover, even if vehicle mileage efficiency were to achieve the highest expected improvements (60%), and if the maximum amount of oil could be pumped from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, domestic oil production would still fall short by more than 5 billion gallons per day by ~2030 (see figure above). “And this just looks at the supply side of that problem from a national perspective,” he added, “without considering the geopolitical problems it creates.”
Why fuel cells?
Why did Entegris choose to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology? First, hydrogen is an abundant, replenishable energy carrier that can be produced through water hydrolysis from clean, renewable energy sources or even through reformation of fossil fuels, Goodman explained. Also, using hydrogen in a fuel cell is nonpolluting and highly efficient because the cell is a simple energy conversion device that doesn’t create emissions or lose heat through combustion.
Fuel cells are not a new product, Goodman explained, noting that every piloted spacecraft has used fuel cells to generate on-board power. Moreover, several types of fuel cells are currently in use, including high-end solid oxide, molten carbonate, and phosphoric acid systems for large commercial and industrial uses, as well as alkaline cells and proton exchange membrane (PEM) cells for smaller commercial, residential, and automotive applications.
Of these, Goodman believes that the technology of choice for the biggest potential markets – transportation and portable power applications – is the PEM cell because it operates at near room temperatures and is highly scaleable. As such, Entegris has directed some of its efforts to manufacturing conductive, bipolar plates for PEM cells.
In terms of operation, PEM cells produce electricity by electrochemically oxidizing hydrogen (see figure below). Each cell comprises two electrodes – the conductive, bipolar plates – and sandwiched in between is a proton exchange membrane that acts as a kind of electrical filter, blocking electrons but allowing protons to pass through. As hydrogen molecules enter at the anode, they react with a platinum catalyst and are split into protons and electrons. Then while the protons pass through the membrane unaffected, the anode collects the electrons and uses them as the load for the cell. At the cathode side of the cell, protons are reunited with electrons and combined with oxygen from the air to create water. The PEM cells each produce about one volt of electricity, and can be stacked to increase voltage, such that adding each successive cell increases the power by one volt. In addition to producing electricity, the cells also produce heat, which can be used to provide facility heat or hot water, for example.
Target applications
The various types of fuel cells range from large units used to power vehicles and even large buildings to small units to power laptops, cell phones, and other portable devices. Early target markets for PEM fuel cells include portable power applications, but, again, the adoption rate has not grown as rapidly as Entegris had hoped. “When we started five years ago, we thought that by now we would see a significant number of fuel-cell fleet vehicles,” said Goodman. But Honda recently announced it doesn’t expect to produce a commercial fleet until 2018, and other similar programs are also delayed. Nevertheless, Honda and other automakers are actively developing both fuel cell vehicle and hybrid vehicle technologies, which can be synergistic for both applications, he added. “The electric motor drives, electronic conversion components, and other technologies that you need for hybrids are what we will need eventually for fuel cell vehicles.”
Other promising applications include the use of fuel cell batteries to power a growing multitude of personal electronics. “I could give you a fuel cell that would run everything in your briefcase for 10 hours on a cartridge of methanol about the size of a butane lighter,” said Goodman, explaining that liquid methanol is an ideal fuel because it contains vast amounts of densely packed hydrogen. These cells would eliminate down-time and the need for battery recharging, because when they run out of methanol, they can instantly be replaced by another cartridge, he explained.
Circumventing barriers
The holdup is that current domestic and international airline regulations prohibit passengers from carrying methanol cartridges onto an aircraft, Goodman said. The regulation makes no sense, he argued, because bottles of alcohol and perfume, which are likewise flammable, are permitted on airplanes, while micro fuel cell methanol cartridges, which can only be opened with “a couple of screwdrivers and hammer” and are therefore relatively safe, are not allowed. The good news is that the US Fuel Cell Council and others are making good progress toward resolving this issue, he said. “The technology is there, but this is the big hurdle we have to cross.”
Other roadblocks to further adoption of fuel cell technology, largely for transportation, include cost, availability, and durability issues. “I could get you a fuel cell car … if you have about a million dollars,” Goodman said. But he added that costs would plummet with further technology development and volume manufacturing of fuel cell and hybrid vehicles.
Availability of hydrogen is also a major barrier. “The nearest hydrogen filling station is in Washington, DC, and the next closest is in Manitoba,” said Goodman. Thus, we will need an infrastructure, but it won’t have to be built all at once, he contended, noting that less than 10% of gas stations sell diesel, and diesel trucks get along just fine.
Also, the infrastructure is already starting to be erected by the oil companies, Goodman said. Shell is investing heavily in hydrogen programs, and BP, which now stands for “Beyond Petroleum,” is converting to alternate energy sources, he said. “BP is not going the way of the railroad companies and saying they are in the railroad business and not the transportation business.”
Furthermore, building a hydrogen infrastructure may not be prohibitively expensive. For example, GM recently studied the feasibility of retrofitting some 11,000 filling stations to reform either gasoline or natural gas to hydrogen in 100 major cities and at 25 mile intervals along Interstate freeways. The automaker estimated that the conversion would cost about $1 million per station, or some $12 billion in total, and that the retrofitted stations would serve about 70% to 80% of the population’s transportation fuel needs, reported Goodman. “The gasoline industry currently spends more than that each year maintaining their underground tanks,” he said.
Finally, one common concern about hydrogen is that its high degree of flammability would make it unsafe to use in vehicles. But Goodman contends that a hydrogen vehicle that is well designed would be just as safe as existing cars. As evidence, he pointed to a recent university study that lit a fire under both a hydrogen fuel-cell car and a gasoline-powered car. The gasoline car exploded in flames when the liquid gas in the tank ignited. But when the compressed hydrogen gas tank overheated, a pressure valve opened and safely vented the lighter-than-air hydrogen straight up into the air.
Political choices
While the economic and technological hurdles are significant, they may pale in comparison to the political challenges. Indeed, alternative energy is a high-risk proposition for politicians because the payback will not be realized during their term in office or even during their successors’ terms in office, explained Goodman. “I have been in Capitol Hill offices with representatives who say that alternative energy technology is a great idea, but people don’t understand it, and it won’t help them get re-elected,” he said, “so they can’t support moving in that direction.” Alas, the other, perhaps more likely scenario is that there will be a catastrophe of some kind, such as the energy crisis in the early 1970s, in Goodman’s opinion, and that would not likely be tolerated because of the disruption it would cause to the electorate’s accustomed lifestyle.
In the meantime, fuel-cell technology will continue to evolve to a point where there will be pervasive energy conversion devices, and a key to non-fossil fuel based economy, Goodman predicted. We would love for this to be our legacy, he said. “It is technically feasible and will be economically feasible as oil becomes more expensive, and it is why we continue to be enthusiastic about it from a business perspective.”
“But I want to be very clear that if you’re thinking of entering a dynamic emerging market, this is a very exciting one, but it’s not growing nearly as fast as we’d like it to, and it’s difficult to make money because everyone is in the prototype stage,” Goodman cautioned, noting that fuel-cell related sales represented less than one percent of his company’s revenue in 2006. “You have to have very patient time horizons if you’re going to go after this emerging market.” – P.L.
Mar. 12, 2007 — Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) has launched a series of educational Kits to help secondary school and junior college teachers inject cutting-edge concepts in their laboratory lessons. Minister of State for Trade and Industry Mr S Iswaran unveiled the Kits to some 400 students and teachers at the Institute’s Open House for Schools at the Biopolis. The institute’s mission is to establish a broad knowledge base and conduct innovative research at the interface of bioengineering and nanotechnology.
Aimed at students between the ages of 15 and 19, the IBN Nano-Bio Kits feature interactive experiments and lessons on practical applications in nanobiotechnology, drug delivery, and medical devices. The first three Kits in the range include the Biological Fuel Cell Kit, the Thermo-responsive Hydrogel Kit, and the Dielectrophoresis Chip Kit, and they come equipped with lesson plans, background readings, experimental components and instructions, as well as worksheets and quizzes. Teachers are also provided with worksheet answers, experimental instructional videos, and slides to help them plan lesson modules based on the scientific topics relevant to each Kit.
The kits are part of IBN’s efforts to cultivate an active research culture among the young in Singapore under its Youth Research Program (YRP), which was established in 2003. Through the YRP, the Institute hopes to encourage more Singaporean youth to take up careers in research. This multi-faceted Program has attracted more than 13,500 participants to date, among whom are 617 students and teachers who have undergone full-time attachments at the Institute.
FFU market expected to grow through 2010
By Robert McIlvaine and Karen Vacura, The McIlvaine Company
A fan filter unit (FFU) consists of a small blower with a matched fan, an optional digital or solid-state speed controller, and a HEPA/ULPA filter, all enclosed in an aluminum or stainless-steel box. The unit maintains specific airflow and is commonly installed directly into cleanroom ceiling grids. Smaller and more portable than traditional airflow systems, with typical sizes of 2 feet x 2 feet or 2 feet x 4 feet, FFUs can be focused in targeted areas. They can be added to existing cleanrooms without major refitting, enabling updates as needs and standards change.
FFUs, favored in semiconductor cleanrooms, are also utilized in flat-panel display (FPD), nanotechnology, high-tech automotive, life sciences, and food industries, as well as in new technologies such as photovoltaic and fuel cell cleanrooms, according to M&W Zander (Stuttgart, Germany), a leading total facility solutions provider. FFUs are also in use in hospitals and laboratories.
Because performance is improved while installed costs are driven lower, the use of FFUs continues to gain market share over centralized systems, says Howard Abramowitz, president of AirCare Automation, Inc. (Austin, TX), a manufacturer of control cards used in the units. The expansion of smaller clean-air spaces, the creation of special areas within ballroom clean spaces, and minienvironments have created more opportunities for FFUs.
Michael O’Halloran, director of technology at CH2MHill, states that FFUs offer many advantages and are designed for a specific situation and low power consumption. Dominant in the semiconductor industrial lithography tool environment, they are commonly installed with a separate fan unit to control temperature.
FFUs are equipped with either standard AC induction motors or electronically commutated (EC) motors, which are special brushless direct current motors that operate from the AC line. EC motors incorporate specialty drive and control electronics that make the FFUs in a cleanroom easier to adjust, monitor and tie together in a network. This allows the units to operate only when needed, thus saving energy.
EC FFU units require a smart-motor fan system, an interface to the fan, network consolidation, and PC software customization for each individual installation. These systems systems have been the gold standard since the Envirco MAC 10 IQ was introduced in 2001, says Abramowitz. At that time, AC systems were unable to match the performance and system integrity of the EC systems and a clear, two-tier system evolved. With the introduction of AC control systems that operate out-of-the-box, “smarts” could be added to AC systems at a nominal cost and thus began the process of closing the gap between the AC and DC solutions.
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Abramowitz points out that smart FFUs provide monitoring feedback so facility managers can quickly address any failings. Without such controls, failures can go undetected for days or longer.
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Nejat Babür, mechanical department manager at CH2MHill, states that DC motors are frequently used due to energy efficiency benefits. A DC motor can use less power, generating less heat than a standard AC motor. Costs vary depending on how complicated the control systems are and whether a separate cooling unit is required.
DC motors maintain proper airflow by modulating speed internally using a control algorithm that checks the motor torque, an important concern in cleanrooms, Babür explains. For instance, in pharmaceuticals, a constant airflow of 90 ft./min. in ISO 5 (or EU Grade A) areas is required. Currently, about 15 percent of pharmaceutical cleanrooms use FFUs. Fan companies are developing specialized fans as they learn specific pharmaceutical requirements for cGMP compliance.
Les Goldsmith, national specialty filtration sales manager for Envirco, explains that the dominating factors in choosing a fan filter unit are energy efficiency and controllability. Envirco, a division of Fedders Engineered Products, offers the MAC 10® Original, a low-energy, low-sound, low-profile FFU; the MAC 10 IQ, a combination of the GE ECM™ motor, a patented baffling system and a forward-curved fan; and the MAC 10 Rx, featuring a stainless-steel housing, for pharmaceutical processing environments.
The cost of Envirco’s Standard AC 2-foot x 4-foot unit is about $600 USD, and about $800 USD for a DC 2-foot x 4-foot unit with an EC motor. Installation cost is the same.
M&W Zander products include the Ultra Filter Fan Unit for applications that do not require individual speed control and central monitoring. The units can be controlled in groups of up to eight units and, for monitoring purposes, a control panel or a beeper is optional. M&W Zander’s Hightec Ultra Filter Fan Unit is equipped with a DC motor and a control and monitoring system linked to a network through an easy-to-install system, allowing individual settings and monitoring. M&W Zander also offers a compact unit, suitable for applications with limited clearance.
Identifying and selecting energy-efficient units in cleanroom applications can bring about savings in energy costs over the lifetimes of the units while maintaining and improving the effectiveness of contamination control. To characterize performance of FFU products, a series of standard laboratory tests has been developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to quantify total pressure efficiency and power consumption across a range of operating conditions (CleanRooms, November 2006).
Current and future FFU sales
The growth in sales of FFUs is first and foremost impacted by the growth of the cleanroom industry. Since much of this growth is taking place in Asia, it is not surprising that there will be more purchases of FFUs in Asia in the coming decade than there will be in the rest of the world combined.
Another factor is the increasing popularity of FFUs as opposed to separate fans and filters. Over the years, the percentage of projects incorporating this design will continue to grow. The trend toward minienvironments instead of big cleanrooms also impacts growth.
Forecasts for FFUs have been compiled for each industry in each country. The following charts show the usage for 2000 and 2006 and forecasts for 2010. FFU sales of 80,000 units are forecast for the U.S. in 2010, while world sales will be 500,000 units (see Table 1). The U.S. market dropped between 2000 and 2002 and only recovered partially by 2006. By 2010, it will only have returned to the 2000 level.
Sales for the same period are displayed in constant dollars with the year 2000 as the base price (see Table 2). They are also in standard unit prices and not adjusted for the lower pricing in Asia. Since prices in Asia are less than half those in Europe and the U.S., a tabulation based on actual selling price would reflect a smaller world market.
M&W Zander, Envirco and Huntair are worldwide suppliers of FFU systems. There are a number of regional suppliers in Europe and Asia, resulting in a high world total of FFU suppliers
Robert McIlvaine is president and founder of The McIlvaine Company in Northfield, IL. The company first published Cleanrooms: World Markets in 1984 and has since continued to publish market and technical information for the cleanroom industry. He can be reached at [email protected]. Karen Vacura is the air filtration market editor for The McIlvaine Company. She can be reached at [email protected].
Karen Vacura is the air filtration market editor for The McIlvaine Company. She can be reached at [email protected]