Controlled Environments Magazine

Gaseous Decontamination for Critical Environments

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Typical fumigation or gaseous decontamination methods are dry processes that penetrate HEPA filters and can reach areas that are not easily reached by manual disinfection or fogging. These methods can also be validated and challenged with 106 biological indicators to confirm microbial kill.

Cleanroom Tip: Cleanroom Consumable Cleanliness

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400

How do I determine if the cleanroom consumable product purchased will meet the cleanliness requirements of our cleanroom operations?

Management Tip: Five Ways to Turn Angry Clients into Happy Ones

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400

It’s easy to connect with clients when things are going well. But when conflict arises, well, that’s when knowing how to transform customer frustration into a stronger business relationship is critical.

ISPE Announces Availability of A-Mab Case Study at its Annual Meeting

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400

This significant development comes after the decision of the CMC-Biotech Working Group consortium to provide their A-Mab case study to ISPE.

Aerosol Technology Reduces Cost, Time to Analyze Dangerous Particles

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The new product suite was announced at the American Association for Aerosol Research Conference in Minneapolis.

Registration is Now Open for the 2010 Aseptic Processing Training Program

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400

PDA's ten-day, two week comprehensive training program gives personnel the training and information needed to properly evaluate and improve aseptic processes to ensure sterile products.

Wafer-maker Builds New Cleanroom

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400

EpiWorks plans to finish completion on a new cleanroom by December 1.

Environmental Conciousness in Cleanroom Consumables Selection and Use

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Environmental responsibility is no longer just an occasional headline in the news. It is expected socially and often mandated governmentally. Every day the public is demanding a decreased impact on the environment and an improvement to their quality of life globally. Every day new environmental regulations are introduced and government agencies are mandating change. In response, companies are announcing or improving “green” or “environmental responsibility” programs as their commitment to creating a better world. Initiatives to conserve our natural resources, eliminate operational waste, and produce more environmentally-friendly products are now both a corporate and customer expectation.

Cleanroom Tip: Wipe Specifications

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

With hundreds of choices and grades, selecting the most cost-effective wipe can be tricky. The most obvious criteria is the absorbency of the wipe. But, it is not well understood that absorbency varies by the contamination. Some wipes will not absorb water; others are better with solvents and lacquers.

Management Tip: Three Simple Rules Before You Hit the Send Button

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Before you send any business communication, stop and read it. Even if it is only a one sentence reply, you can eliminate some errors and save wasted time by proofreading what you wrote.

Last Chance for Reduced Registration Pricing for IEST Contamination Control Conference

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Online reduced-rate registration is closing November 4, 2009 for the IEST Fall Conference.

Russia Invests in Nanotechnology

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, pledged to channel $10.6 billion into the development of nanotechnology by the year 2015.

Michigan Company Doubles Size of Cleanroom

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

LMS, a liquid silicon manufacturer based in Midland, Michigan, has completed their cleanroom expansion.

Protofab Engineering Adds ISO 7 Cleanroom

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Protofab Engineering has announced completion of a Class 10,000/ISO 7 cleanroom.

Nanotechnology Cleanroom - Design on A Dime

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The purpose of the cleanroom is to isolate the product from contaminants that cause product rejection by your quality control. This is done by keeping contaminants out of the facility or, should they enter, by removing them before they do damage. A variety of strategies are employed in large, well-financed facilities, but how does the start-up nanotechnology company, with relatively few dollars and many priorities, begin to address the need for an appropriate facility that will support small production runs of high quality, contaminant-free product?

Cleanroom Tip: Capture-Only Technology

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Almost all current filtration technologies are evaluated on the concept of “capture” rate, measuring the amount of particulates captured on the first pass through the filtration device. The higher the efficiency of a filtration device, the greater the number of particles captured. HEPA filters have a capture rate of 99.97 percent. HEPA and other high-end filters use dense filter media to capture particles physically; the denser the filter media, the more particles captured.

Management Tip: Don't Avoid Difficult Decisions

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Your job is to solve problems, not avoid them. That means you're going to have to have tough conversations, make decisions that may be unpopular, and enforce standards and consequences.

ISPE Announces 2009-2010 Board of Directors Election Results

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

ISPE has announced the results of its 2009-2010 International Board of Directors election, revealing a slate of representatives that hail from nearly every corner of the globe.

Cleanroom Training Seminar Announced

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Enhancing Cleanroom Operations, a cleanroom training seminar for managers, operators, and maintenance professionals, will be held on December 3-4, 2009 in Utica, NY.

New Cleanroom Wiper Captures and Retains Contaminant Particles

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Berkshire Corporation, a manufacturer of contamination control products for cleanroom and critical environments, introduces CapSure™.

Photovoltaic White Paper Discusses Solar Industry Trends

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The white paper captures the current state of the photovoltaic (PV) market, including PV solar panels, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power, solar industry trends, and market predictions.

Working Toward Grid Parity for Photovoltaics

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Using semiconductor specifications as the standard of cleanliness for photovoltaic (PV) component manufacturing is one of the factors holding back PV energy from achieving grid parity.

Cleanroom Tip: Fact: All Humidity Sensors Drift

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

It’s an immutable law of RH measurement; relative humidity sensors drift. They do so for the simple reason that they are "air breathers."

Management Tip: The 10/10 Technique

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The 10/10 technique is a simple yet effective way of gathering feedback to improve your management skills.

New Report Shows Nano-related Activities in Every State

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

There are more than 1,200 companies, universities, government laboratories, and other organizations spread across all 50 U.S. states involved in nanotechnology research.

EPA Announces Plan to Study Health Effects of Nanomaterials

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The U.S. EPA outlined a research strategy on September 29 in order to better understand the effects of nanomaterials on human health and the environment.

Innovation and Global Clinical Trial Participation are the Focus Special Report on China's Drug Development Industry

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

China's new investments in its domestic pharma industry are beginning to drive growth and reforms that are stimulating a new drug development culture.

Netbooks Cause Growth in Semiconductor Sales

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Global semiconductor sales increased 5 percent from July to August, primarily due to rising netbook sales and lowered laptop prices.

The Bottom Line on Buying a Cleanroom System

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

You have been tasked by senior management to look into purchasing a cleanroom environment for a possible new product line. The mandate is that the cleanroom system provider must guarantee temperature, humidity, pressurization, and classification. As with any purchase, it is always best to be an educated buyer and have researched the options available to you. Knowing what questions to ask and what the cumulative effect is to those answers will make for a sound decision process and an overall successful project.

Cleanroom Tip: The Challenge of Modeling Diffusers

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Computation fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling provides the ability to accurately model air flow and heat transfer within a building, enabling heating and cooling systems to be optimized in the form of a software prototype without the expense and time involved in making changes to the actual building.

Management Tip: Power Negotiating

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Knowing how to negotiate is always important, but when cash is tight and sales are down, this skill alone can make a huge difference.

Are You Prepared for the New ISO 14644-1 and -2?

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

November 11-12 may be your last opportunity to attend IEST’s authoritative training courses prior to the release of the new Draft International Standard (DIS) versions of the air cleanliness benchmarks.

Time Lapse Photography Demonstrates Antimicrobial Abilities of Dycem Flooring

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

A recent study showed that Dycem flooring allowed fewer viable organisms to survive as opposed to the controls used.

New White Paper on Environmental Monitoring and Certification Available

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

In attempting to meet regulatory demands, the greatest challenge for medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers may be determining what exactly is required for compliance.

SSF Adds to Facility

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Specialty Silicon Fabricators, Inc. will break ground this month on a 100,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in Paso Robles, California.

Airborne Molecular Contamination - Head It Off

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

AMC can be a “silent poisoner” of your process. Poisons sap strength — including product quality and profits. Stop AMC at the source. Where in your process flow might it be an issue? Could AMC arise from the outside environment or prior processing in your supply chain? Is it being generated inside your facility?

Cleanroom Tip: Resistant Properties of PVDF Foams and Polymers

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Today’s cleanroom environments in the pharmaceutical and semiconductor markets require the highest level of material performance across a broad spectrum of requirements. New, sophisticated medicines are made using advanced manufacturing technologies and materials. High technology cleanroom environments often contain polymeric sheets, coatings, wall coverings, and polymeric foam for insulation. These are used to create lightweight structures, walls, partitions, ceilings, and pipe and ducting insulation.

Management Tip: Employee Satisfaction: Not My Goal Nor My Responsibility

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Employee satisfaction is an elusive goal for many organizations. Should employee satisfaction even be a goal at all?

Senate Approves Funding for Nanomanufacturing R&D at UMass Lowell

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The university has already received $2 million earlier this year from the government.

Scientists Spell with DNA, Discover Nano Application

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Scientists from Utah have devised a method to fold DNA into nanoscale structures with multiple branching points.

MIT Develops Faster Hybrid Microchips

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

MIT's advances are important because manufacturers will eventually hit a limit as to how tiny they can shrink transistors to boost performance and power efficiency.

DuPont and Applied Materials Collaborate to Boost Solar Cell Efficiency

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

DuPont and Applied Materials, Inc. announced a collaboration to advance multiple printing technology that is expected to increase the absolute efficiency of crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar cells.

Science Is Foiled Again

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

This column is about understanding how and why sonic transducers perform as they do in cleaning operations. That understanding is based on an analysis of how the power applied from transducers is distributed throughout the tank. The involved science is sophisticated but the understanding may come mainly from a simple and old method.

Cleanroom Tip: When Should Cleanroom Garments be Replaced?

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Some cleanroom industries rely on a subjective, aesthetic evaluation of the cleanroom garment or number of launder cycles for replacement. Most cleanroom garment laundries have validated their processes for at least 100 launder cycles for the cleanroom garments they supply to the cleanroom industry. However, I recommend an objective testing of the cleanroom garment and fabric as well as establishing the efficacy of particle entrapment, the lack of particle shedding, and ESD efficacy as the criteria for replacement.

Management Tip: Operational Responsibilities of Leaders

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The depth and scope of operational responsibilities within an organisation can greatly vary, yet there is one constant. Leaders are needed to integrate the vision or mission of the organisation with the day-to-day activities.

Graphene Advances Simplify Fabrication of Nano Storage

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

A recent breakthrough at Rice University has created the potential for reprogrammable gate arrays that could revolutionize integrated circuit logic design.

What Makes a Nanoparticle a Nanoparticle?

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Nanoparticles have a better definition, thanks to a new analysis by a group of international researchers at Duke University.

U of MN Announces Plan for New Cleanroom

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

On September 11, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents reviewed a $242 million plan for new building projects throughout the university.

Finding Space for Cleanroom Facilities Harder Than it Looks

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Real estate has become abundant in the economic downturn, however companies interested in expanding their cleanrooms are still struggling to find facilities that meet their needs.

Facility Design As A Training Platform

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

It is safe to say the pharmaceutical and biotech market today bears little resemblance to the market of the last twenty years. The rapid advancement of emerging markets that drive down the standard cost of therapy has forced the industry to look for ways to catalyze business performance and manage risk while still maintaining shareholder value.

Cleanroom Tip: Should Your Facility be using Overshoes?

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The steel toecap safety overshoe has been around for a long time. Its origins lie in the marriage between the venerable rubber galosh and a steel toecap similar to those used in many of today’s safety boots. However, the safety overshoe hadn’t evolved much before a slate of revisions entered the market recently.

Management Tip: Credible Vs Crushing Criticism - How To Pull It Off

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The way we criticize others' behaviors, decisions, and ideas impacts them either positively or negatively, and it tells a lot about us. Most of us don't do it well. Most of us botch it more often than we'd like to admit. In fact, we dread it and try to avoid it, even when it absolutely must take place for the good of an individual and/or an entire organization.

Hach Company Introduces MET ONE Compliance Workflow System

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Environmental monitoring (EM) is the most labor-intensive aspect of air particle monitoring programs—generating the most paper, creating double data entries, and yielding unnecessary costs associated with paper-based methods.

World’s Smallest Semiconductor Laser Sheds Light on Optics

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The laser can generate visible light in a space smaller than the smallest single protein.

Navy Awards $7million Contract

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The Navy awarded the contract in an effort to improve the semiconductors used by U.S. military agencies.

Working Group Schedule Set for IEST Fall Conference

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The conference will be held November 9-12, 2009 in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Airborne Particle Monitoring: Satisfying The Changing Demands in Regulations and Methods

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Today’s user is often faced with the challenge of meeting several international standards and regulatory guidances as well as performing sampling for airborne particles in a consistent and reproducible manner.

Cleanroom Tip: Solving Semiconductor Leveling Problems

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

In order for semiconductor process equipment to operate efficiently, very precise leveling standards are needed for all wafer process and transfer locations. However, when asked about the leveling standard at their fab, most process or equipment maintenance engineers responded, "We have no leveling standards."

Management Tip: Stress and Decision Making - Avoid Expensive Mistakes

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Have you ever made a bad decision? Some people respond well in stressful situations and some people lose focus and can make costly mistakes. But why does stress cause many people to have impaired decision making?

Worldwide Semiconductor 2009 Revenue Down 17.1%

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Worldwide semiconductor revenue is expected to equal $212 billion in 2009, which is a 17.1% decline from the 2008 total of $255 billion, according to a recent report from Gartner, Inc.

Pharma Innovation Flourishing in Europe

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Drugmakers from Europe have pulled ahead of U.S. companies in terms of pharmaceutical innovation, according to a recent report from the public policy journal, Health Affairs.

Medical Device Market in France will Grow to US$11.9 billion by 2014

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The medical device market in France has become increasingly supplied by foreign sales subsidiaries of multinational companies.

Qosina Recognized on the "Inc. 5000" List

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

This is Qosina’s third time on the List including the “Inc. 500” in 1989 and “Inc. 5000” in 2007.

Controlled Environments in Canada: Business Perspective

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

It is hard to imagine a part of the world that has gone unscathed by the economic downturn of the past year. Unfortunately, Canada has not been immune. Even so-called recession proof industries have felt the effects of the decline, including pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Cleanroom Tip: Vibration Isolation Workstation Basics

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Vibration isolation workstations and related equipment are used in cleanrooms around the world to improve productivity for research and other high-precision work such as manufacturing semiconductors and optics.

Management Tip: Is it Time to Move up in Management?

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

So you have been a manager for a while now and think you might want a higher position. Are you ready to be promoted? What might be holding you back?

ISPE and INTERPHEX Team Up for European Exhibition

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The two organizations have partnered to deliver a European product and services exhibition at the ISPE 2009 Strasbourg Conference being held September 28 – October 1 in Strasbourg, France.

New Report Analyzes China’s Semiconductor Industry

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The report allows readers to understand the country’s impact on the global semiconductor industry.

NuAire Offers Economic Stimulus Package

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

NuAire has decided to extend its Economic Stimulus Package through December 2009 to help researchers get the most from their funds.

Contamination Control Microsite for Pharma Industry Launches

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Nilfisk CFM has announced the launch of a microsite that specifically addresses the contamination control challenges of the pharmaceutical industry.

Lockheed Martin Expansion includes New Cleanroom

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Lockheed Martin broke ground last week on two new facilities at its Space Systems Company operations in Newtown, Pennsylvania, that will support spacecraft programs for government and commercial customers.

Cleanroom Tip: What Your Cleanroom Isolation Materials Need To Do

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The need for a proper insulation inside cleanrooms remained unanswered for decades. Ideally, cleanroom insulation should…

Management Tip: Rehire Someone You Fired?

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Finding an expert in a specific area might be tough. What if a former employee was part of the candidate pool? Should you consider putting him/her back on the payroll?

Carbon Nanoparticles Toxic to Adult Fruit Flies

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Researchers at Brown University have found that some kinds of carbon nanoparticles are environmentally toxic to adult fruit flies, but were benign when fed to larvae.

Air Innovations Donates ISO Class 3 Cleanroom to Clarkson University

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science will use the cleanroom for indoor air quality research, including studies of re-suspension of particle transport related to the causes of childhood asthma and upper respiratory disease.

Access the Experts with IEST

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

IEST’s next online course, "How to Select, Specify, and Test Flexible Packaging Materials for Packaging Products in Controlled Environments," will take place Wednesday, September 16, 2009 from 11:00AM Central Time.

When Worlds Don't Collide--But Ought To

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers tend to operate in separate worlds. The products are different; the cultures and customary manufacturing practices are different; the regulations are often different. For the successful manufacture of combination devices, there must be a harmonious fusion; so the two worlds collide, albeit with some reluctance.

Cleanroom Tip: Microbial Basics

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The risk of microbial contamination is confirmed by the consistent number of recalls ordered by the FDA due to microbial contamination. From 1991 to 1998, for example, the FDA ordered 46 such recalls, an average of 6 per year.

Management Tip: 10 Ways to Handle Complaints

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Most managers welcome and can deal with a complaint that is valid and objectively expressed. Complaints that seem trite, invalid, or resemble whining are more difficult to handle.

New Inroads in Semiconductors

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Theoretically, the size of a laser in any one dimension is restricted to no smaller than the diffraction limit. But researchers have found a way to crack that limit, potentially offering new inroads into improvements in semiconductors.

Spinning Nanotube Video

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Researchers at France's Université Lyon1/CNRS and Houston's Rice University have published a video showing the atom-by-atom growth of a carbon nanotube, and revealing that such nanotubes spin as they grow.

Boston Scientific Adopts Shoe Cover Dispensing

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Employees at Boston Scientific’s Valencia, CA neuromodulation division will no longer need to struggle and contort themselves to put on disposable shoe covers. The company has begun using automatic shoe cover dispensers.

Positive Semiconductor Forecast for 2010

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Caution and concern for the state of the semiconductor industry reigned among attendees at Semicon West 2009, but two big guns stuck positive notes and forecasted recovery in 2010.

Detecting AMC

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 5 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

"How do I know if I have AMC?" Hopefully, you are not suspicious of airborne molecular contamination because of poor yield or customer complaints. Instead of suspecting that you might have AMC, be proactive — head it off at the pass. There are two basic approaches to monitoring…

Cleanroom Tip: How Not to Behave in a Cleanroom

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 5 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Meticulous hiring practices for cleanroom personnel include screening potential operators for physical characteristics such as: smoker hiring policy, overweight or obese personnel, facial hair, sensitivity to heat, cold and humidity, and seasonal allergies including skin allergies. Also, when evaluating personal skills and language skills, the human resources department must also evaluate potential cleanroom candidates for mental characteristics such as claustrophobia.

Management Tip: 10 Ways to Handle Your Mistakes

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 5 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The ways in which we handle our goof-ups, guffaws, screw-ups, bad decisions, miscalculations, and blunders are critical - our reputations are at stake. And as managers, we should role model the behaviors we seek in others.

Two-year Grant Helps UCSD Scientists "Light" Up Semiconductor Production

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 5 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The grant allows them to conduct research that will hopefully help metrology tools catch up to new optical lithography developments.

Life Sciences Real Estate Outperforming Other Sectors

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 5 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Some bio clusters are reporting flat or even increased space absorption, with little or no increase in vacancy rates.

IEST Issues Guideline for Designing AMC Filtration in Cleanrooms

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 5 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

A new Guideline from the IEST provides information for designing filtration systems to eliminate trace amounts of AMC.

Facebook For Atoms

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Group contribution methods allow one to estimate some physical and chemical properties of molecules. We do this in a screening effort when we don’t have time or resources to make measurements. Let’s review this technology and describe some recent improvements.

Cleanroom Tip: Basic Cleanroom Protocol, Part 1

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Most basic protocol programs for cleanrooms are based on the IEST recommended practices for contamination control and the ISO 14644 series of international standards for cleanrooms and associated controlled environments. The focus of any protocol program is to protect the integrity of the cleanroom and the products and processes in the cleanroom from the people working in the cleanroom.

Management Tip: Hard Work Can Propel You to the Top

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

There's never been a tougher time to be a part of the job market, and people are scrambling to show employers they have what it takes. The secret to success may be simpler than you thought: hard work.

Registration Open, Stimulus Discount Available for IEST Fall Conference Tutorials

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The IEST Fall Conference, which will be held November 9–12, 2009, at the Doubletree Hotel Chicago-Arlington Heights in Arlington Heights, Illinois, offers five tutorials and a training stimulus discount.

Entegris Launches New Technologies for Advanced Wafer Environment Control

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Entegris, Inc. announced several new enhancements to its Spectra line of Front Opening Unified Pods, carriers used to transport 300mm wafers in a fab.

Free Guide to Using Small Assembly Robots in Upstream Packaging Processes Available

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

DENSO Robotics announced publication of a new free guide for manufacturers, packaging engineers, machine builders, and system integrators, "Packaging Automation Trends: Using Small Assembly Robots in Upstream Packaging Processes."

High-Tech Conversions Moves to New Facility

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

High-Tech Conversions has moved to a larger corporate headquarters that will quadruple the size of its former facility.

Testing Consumable Products For Cleanrooms

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

It is recommended that when comparing cleanroom consumable products manufactured by several vendors that all products be tested at the same lab, with the same test method, and by the same technician. What test methods are recommended for cleanroom consumable products?

Cleanroom Tip: How to Ensure Document Security

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

It is generally believed in the life science world that all regulatory and compliance issues go away when a document management system is implemented, preferably the most expensive system with untold rewards. And why should this misconception not be believed? The regulatory bodies almost promote this idea.

Management Tip: Employee Management Is Not a Popularity Contest

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Can a manager be both effective and well liked? Nope. Not going to happen. If you're a good manager, you're going to make decisions that anger and upset some people. You are going to tell some people their work isn't good enough. You are going to hold accountable people who don't want to be held accountable. You are going to institute and enforce policies that may exist for a good reason but still irritate the heck out of some people. You are going to fire people.

Medical Device Manufacturers Doing Well Despite Current Economy

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Despite the economic downturn, medical device companies are reporting positive domestic and international sales growth this year.

Nanopillar Arrays Form Less-expensive Solar Cells

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have developed a newer and less expensive method to fabricate efficient solar cells.

FDA Issues Draft Guidance for Industry on Drug Anticounterfeiting

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The draft guidance is an important step in working with manufacturers to make drug products more difficult to duplicate by counterfeiters.

What is the Contribution of a Cleanroom Towards Data Recovery?

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

In a highly competitive world where one hard drive crash can wipe out an entire company from business, express precaution is taken to safeguard one’s data from leakage and theft.

Air Sampler Qualification According to ISO 14698 NORM

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

In November 2007, the ISO TC/209 working group decided to revise the current version of the ISO 14698 norm (Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments – Biocontamination Control). This decision came from scientific and industrial communities willing to integrate innovations from the last decade and to make the content of this text easier to implement in a cleanroom’s routine activities.

Cleanroom Tip: Powder Metallurgy Methodology

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Powder metallurgy (PM) is an industrial method for obtaining metal or metal-like powders, molding semifinished goods from powders, and manufacturing particles from them by a thermal process, called sintering. Because of the similarities between methods for ceramic (shaping – thermal treatment) and PM (molding – sintering) production, the end bodies produced by PM are also called metalloceramics.

Management Tip: Employee Development Through Positive Reinforcement

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Positive reinforcement is the practice of rewarding desirable employee behavior in order to strengthen that behavior. For example, when you praise an employee for doing a good job, you increase the likelihood of him/her doing that job very well again. Positive reinforcement both shapes behavior and enhances an employee’s self-image.

Optical Trap Holds Particles for On-chip Analysis

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

UCSC researchers have developed a new type of optical particle trap that can manipulate bacteria, viruses, and other particles on a chip as part of an integrated optofluidic platform.

DuPont, U.S. Dept. of Energy Partner on Thin Film Solar Program

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The DOE funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed earlier this year with the support of U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman.

Materials and Processes for Medical Devices Event Brings Clinicians, Engineers, Designers Together

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The only medical devices event that brings together materials scientists and engineers, metallurgists, product designers, researchers, and clinicians is coming to Minneapolis, Aug. 10-12.

SPAR Improves Precision of Measuring Nanomaterials

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

A new statistical analysis technique identifies and removes systematic bias, noise, and equipment-based artifacts from experimental data, which could lead to new industrial applications for nanomaterials and nanostructures.

UCLA Scientists Develop Non-silicon Solar Cells

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

In this week's Thin Solid Films, UCLA scientists reported a new processing method that would allow solar cells to be made from copper, indium, and diselenide.

When Good Gas Goes Bad: Gas Purifiers At Work

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Once obsessed with metallic impurity levels, reducing variations in the delivered gas purity has become the primary focus of contamination control engineers managing gas distributions systems. When used correctly at bulk sources or at the point-of-use, gas purifiers can remove harmful impurities down to the ppt range.

Cleanroom Tip: Advantages of Closed Vial Technology

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The closed vial technology is based on a vial that is provided clean and sterile with the stopper in place. Thanks to such container design, the most complex filling steps of classical open vials, such as vial washing, stopper washing, and hot air tunnel sterilization, are eliminated. The filling is done by means of a needle that pierces the stopper and dispenses the liquid. After needle withdrawal, the puncture trace is immediately resealed with a laser to restore closure integrity.

Management Tip: The Control Freak Manager

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Many managers are control freaks. When a project is running behind and a deadline approaches, over-controlling managers tend to intensify their grip. They stand watching over the shoulders of their employees, putting in their oar here and there with a suggestion or a command, impatient and demanding. Employees feel that squeeze, and it doesn’t feel good.

Scientists Create First Electronic Quantum Processor

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The first rudimentary solid-state quantum processor has been built by a team of scientists led by Yale University researchers.

Global Nanoelectronics Market to Reach $409.6 Billion by 2015

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The nanotech field has been the subject of intense focus, particularly from the viewpoint of the electronics industry.

University of Houston Announces Nanoengineering Minor

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Beginning this fall, the University of Houston is adding a nonengineering minor to its list of current programs within its Cullen College of Engineering.

Researchers Discover Fluorescent Silicon Nanoparticles

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

A new synthesis method, discovered by researchers at the University of Leicester, has resulted in the discovery of fluorescent silicon nanoparticles.

Peptide Nanoparticles Combat Deadly Brain Infections

Controlled Environments Magazine news desk — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore have developed peptide nanoparticles that find and destroy bacteria and fungal cells that cause fatal brain infections.

When Good Gas Goes Bad: Gas Purifiers At Work