INDUSTRY NEWS

EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS

FSI lab targets contaminants

FSI International has opened a laboratory that will focus on eliminating harmful particles and metallic contaminants from process chemicals. Located at the company's headquarters in Chaska, MN, the 2000-sq-ft lab will be used by the chemical management division to test the performance of its slurry blending and delivery systems for CMP processes. The lab will double as both a process and R&D facility. Technicians will use the vendor's DyconExsm technology to select components with the lowest metallic extractables for use in its chemical-handling equipment, FSI says. The results will enable the vendor to recommend the appropriate delivery system for a specific process chemistry. The available options are vacuum-pressure, pump, pump/pressure, and pump/pulse dampener technologies.

Hiden opens California office

Hiden Analytical, a U.K.—based manufacturer of quadrupole mass spectrometers and gravimetric analysis systems, has opened an office in San Jose. The office complements the company's corporate office and service center in Peterborough, NH, and its sales office in Livonia, MI. Hiden is headquartered in Warrington, England.

Charge-monitor pact signed

An exclusive partnership to develop and sell real-time charge-monitoring systems has been established by Ion Systems and Novx. The alliance was formed to offer a single source for ionization and voltage-level monitors. Ion Systems will integrate its Precision SC ionizing blower, AeroBars, and in-line ionizers with Novx's 5305 workstation voltage detection system. Two specialized versions of the 5305 will be available in Ion Systems' Models 905 and 906. Model 905 will be designed for benchtop use, while Model 906 will be targeted at process tools and minienvironments. San Jose—based Novx manufactures instruments for training, auditing, and real-time monitoring of electrostatic charge. Under the terms of the partnership its monitoring systems will be fully integrated with Ion Systems' Precision SC, a cleanroom-compatible overhead ionizing blower.

Disk shipper plant opens

Citing a trend toward greater cleanliness in the disk industry, Fluoroware has opened a Class 100 manufacturing facility for disk shippers. The automated plant is located at the company's headquarters in Chaska, MN. The facility will initially manufacture S802 shippers for 95-mm disks. Fluoroware says the shippers will not require precleaning by the customers. As a result, cost of ownership will be reduced by 25%, according to the vendor. The shippers are made of a specially developed material with low levels of chlorides, extractable anions, and VOCs. Tighter flying heights and increased areal densities are mandating the need for cleaner products and processes, Fluoroware says.

Nilfisk changes name

Nilfisk of America, which manufactures a line of cleanroom vacuum cleaners, has changed its name to Nilfisk-Advance America. The change unites the name of Nilfisk's Denmark-based parent company, Nilfisk A/S, and Advance Machine, which is based in Plymouth, MN. Both firms are owned by NKT Holding A/S. Nilfisk makes vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters that capture 99.97% of all particles >=0.3 µm, according to the company.

Seal vendor opens Texas site

Seal manufacturer Greene, Tweed, has opened a 28,000-sq-ft plant in Selma, TX, for the company's line of Chemraz perfluoroelastomer products. The plant, which is north of San Antonio, houses a 7000-sq-ft cleanroom with Class 100 and Class 1000 areas. Greene, Tweed established the plant to help it satisfy growing demand from customers in the Southwest, including Applied Materials and Motorola. Production was scheduled to begin this summer. The manufacturer's headquarters is in Kulpsville, PA.

MTS buys test tool vendor

A supplier of materials testing equipment has been purchased by MTS Systems of Eden Prairie, MN, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition of Nano Instruments extends MTS's line of material testing products for characterizing the mechanical properties of surfaces. Nano Instruments makes instruments for ultra-low-force nanoindentation testing of surfaces and thin films. The products are capable of testing mechanical properties down to nanometer scale using a diamond indenter tip, says MTS.

Tube welder grows bigger

A supplier of metal tube machining and welding services has added a total of 7500 sq ft of manufacturing area at plants in Milpitas, CA, and Austin, TX. Syncro Vac, which also makes gas lines and gas panels for semiconductor processes, added 3500 sq ft to its headquarters site in Milpitas and 4000 sq ft to its facility in Austin.

EDAX expands westward

Responding to increasing sales in the region, x-ray microanalysis tool supplier EDAX has opened an office in Northern California. The office is in Burlingame, south of San Francisco. EDAX is based in Mahway, NJ. The new office will serve nine western and southwestern states. EDAX manufactures microanalytical and x-ray spectrometry tools for qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis.

Dover expands HQ

Dover Instrument added 30,000 sq ft to its headquarters in Westboro, MA, in response to increasing demand for its products from customers in the disk drive, semiconductor, and FPD industries. The company manufactures air-bearing components and systems for manufacturing, imaging, and precision metrology. The vendor also bought machine tools and software to satisfy capacity requirements. With the additional space, the company's plant now measures 75,000 sq ft.

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