Issue

To boldly, and cleanly, go where no man has gone before is NASA's new mission, now that a team of biotechnologists from the California Institute of Technology has discovered that assay measurement of intracellular adenosine triphophosphate (ATP) is a proven indicator of microbial contamination in cleanrooms.

Take a basketball and attach it to the end of a diving board, and you've got a life-size version of a sub-micron tool that could eliminate the guess work in determining how to remove contamination from solutions and usher in a new age of filtration technology.

Within months of opening an ISO Class 1 cleanroom laundry—the final processing point for its cleanroom and automotive wipers—Milliken & Co. has unveiled two new products with the help of "technology partners" Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo) and Freudenberg & Co. (Weinheim, Germany).

Seeing the ultraviolet light can be done in more ways than one, for not only does it kill, but it can also carve and characterize.

The Dow Chemical Co. has signed an agreement to transfer its Intacta polyurethane glove business to Malaysia-based YTY Industry.

The opening of a new 16,000-square-foot cleanroom by Solectron Corp. subsidiary Shinei International to serve its new client, Asyst Technologies Inc.

Scientist and health officials worldwide are still contending with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, while industries employing contamination control technology are battening down proverbial hatches, expecting the worse from a stormy plague that also threatens manufacturing and sales operations.

Clean production and hygiene are two new main themes for CleanRooms Europe 2003, a conference and exhibition that will feature more than 180 contamination control technology manufacturers and retailers that will be held at the Frankfurt Exhibition Centre from June 16-18.

In early March, the East Hills, N.Y. purification technology developer was slapped with a lawsuit by Mykrolis Corp., a maker of liquid and gas delivery systems, charging that a fluid separation device manufactured by Pall infringes on two patents owned by Mykrolis.

Cleanrooms are not a one-size-fits-all proposition. If a room is under-designed, then expensive and time-consuming fixes may be required. And there is always the risk of distorted research data, economic losses and even catastrophic consequences due to compromised laboratory experiments, or from manufacturing contaminated products.

The cleanroom filter support system allows cleanroom filters, either HEPA or ULPA, to be installed and replaced easily with a grid of connectors (A) and rods (B) that are adjustable with a turnbuckle (C).

There's a buzz surrounding the topic of advanced process controls (APC) in the semiconductor manufacturing community; and like many freshly evolving, technologically-based concepts, the terms and applications are almost constantly being re-engineered.

Validation is a way of life within the pharmaceutical industry. There is an absolute need to be assured that our facilities and processes are consistent and repeatable.

Static electricity receives a lot of press in many diverse publications. Most of this publicity, however, is unfavorable, portraying static electricity as an objectionable condition that can often be hazardous to both product and personnel.

When end users discuss high-purity gas systems, it's nearly impossible not to touch upon the considerable effort and expense required to install them. Designers, component manufacturers and installing contractors go to extraordinary lengths to minimize all potential sources of contamination in these systems.

It was just a simple black-and-white illustration, but the drawing of what looked like a twisted ladder will forever stitch life with its beautiful colors.

The automotive paint shop is responsible for providing a quality paint job to every vehicle while simultaneously managing the cost of the specialized paint materials as well as an array of environmental regulations for air quality.

In a world brimming with technological advancements, it seems almost impossible that a thriving and growing industry can rely on tried and true methods that are in some cases decades old.

The demand for advanced process control (APC) solutions continues to increase as the world's semiconductor manufacturing companies strive to improve process control, enhance yield and improve the efficiency of equipment utilization. The demand for advanced process control (APC) solutions continues to increase as the world's semiconductor manufacturing companies strive to improve process control, enhance yield and improve the efficiency of equipment utilization.

SweepZone Ag ultrasonic cleaning systems are manufactured with AgION anti-microbial-coated stainless steel from AK Coatings. The AgION compound is applied to the steel to suppress the growth and migration of bacteria and other microorganisms.