Developments

Entegris expands operations for semiconductor process liquid filtration in South Korea

Entegris a leader in yield-enhancing materials and solutions for highly advanced manufacturing environments, announced today the expansion of its liquid filtration/purification analytical science and research and development facility in Suwon, South Korea. As an addition to its existing Korea Technology Center (KTC) facility, the expanded lab includes advanced chemical/water analysis and material characterisation capabilities, along with filtration device instrumentation. These new capabilities will allow closer collaboration with local customers to solve specific liquid filtration challenges by providing optimised solutions for their advanced processes. “Sophisticated analysis of the interaction and compatibility between complex process chemistries and filtration devices are increasingly important as technology nodes advance. We continue to invest in these technologies ̶ close to our customers ̶ to optimize the performance of our filters with the unique chemical solutions our customers require,” said Entegris Vice President of Liquid Microcontamination Control, Clint Haris. “Expanding the KTC liquid filter lab allows us to increase collaboration with Korean customers and to integrate new developments into new process solutions faster.” The expansion represents Entegris’ on-going commitment to serving the Korean semiconductor manufacturing market and its continued effort to work directly with customers on a local level to solve critical issues for advanced technology processes. Entegris is the leading provider of liquid filtration and purification technologies for the most advanced semiconductor applications. In addition to the expanded analytical and R&D liquid filtration services, Entegris’ KTC also provides wet and dry chemistry development, chemistry formulation and pilot scale-up, on-site metrology with real-time reporting, and microcontamination and liquid filter characterisation. Entegris is a leading provider of a wide range of products for purifying, protecting, and transporting critical materials used in processing and manufacturing in the semiconductor and other high-tech industries. Entegris is ISO-9001 certified and has manufacturing, customer service and/or research facilities in the United States, China, […]

Smart chip tells you how healthy your battery is

In the picture: NTU Prof Rachid Yazami (left) holding his smart battery chip with research fellow Sohaib El Outmani holding a prototype testing device. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have developed a smart chip which can tell you how healthy is your battery and if it is safe for use. If the battery in your smartphone or electric vehicle is faulty and is at risk of catching fire, this smart chip will warn you. Current warning systems only alert users when the battery is already overheating which may be too late for any remedial action. Developed by Professor Rachid Yazami of the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), this smart chip is small enough to be embedded in almost all batteries, from the small batteries in mobile devices to the huge power packs found in electric vehicles and advanced aeroplanes. A pioneer in battery research, Prof Yazami won the 2014 Draper Prize for Engineering awarded by the Washington-based National Academy of Engineering for being one of the three founders of lithium-ion battery. The prestigious award recognised his discovery in the 1980s in making lithium-ion batteries safely rechargeable, paving the way for its universal use today. “Although the risk of a battery failing and catching fire is very low, with the billions of lithium-ion batteries being produced yearly, even a one-in-a-million chance would mean over a thousand failures,” explained Prof Yazami, who holds more than 50 patents and has authored more than 200 scientific papers, book chapters and reports on batteries. “This poses a serious risk for electric vehicles and even in advanced aeroplanes as usually big battery packs have hundreds of cells or more bundled together to power the vehicle or aircraft. If there is a chemical fire caused by a single failed battery, it could cause […]

The development of smart manufacturing

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a sub-sector of the higher-level concept of the Internet of Everything (IoE) which connects people, processes, data and things, with the aim of bringing maximum value to the global economy. Technologies that have made IoE a reality include short range communications, embedded intelligence, cloud computing, next-generation networks, sensor technology, Big Data, and data analytics. The popularity of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in Asia-Pacific is largely attributable to informed manufacturing, which leads to a transparent and streamlined manufacturing process. Ivan Fernandez Industry Director, Industry Practice, Australia & New Zealand said “The top concern for discrete or process-manufacturing firms is the continuous effort to stay competitive. However, manufacturing competitiveness is not achieved by focusing on one parameter, but on a group of pertinent issues. Resource areas pertaining to people and process innovation are where manufacturing competitiveness is extensively pursued.” “Although Europe is seen to hold a major edge in terms of industries embracing IoT, several countries in Asia Pacific such as Australia, China, India, Japan and Singapore, will adopt these technologies to improve their global standing and become more competitive. Competition will force manufacturers to innovate and adapt various aspects of their manufacturing systems. Smart factories, considered to be the 4th industrial revolution or Industrie 4.0, will create a notable convergence of business models in manufacturing units. Embedded systems, combined with Internet connectivity and online data services, will kick-start the new era of cyber-physical systems, to enable smart factories. Smart factories A manufacturing plant is typically located over a large area and operates multiple machines which are difficult to manage without automation. The smooth functioning of a manufacturing plant, therefore, requires the development of an automated plant-floor with connected machines that receive and respond to orders from central control systems and human machine interfaces. […]

Who’s the master?

A robot’s role in a shared task could be continuously adjusted during the activity, thanks to a new adaptive robot control system developed by researchers at Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, that can sense whether a human operator wants to lead or follow. The innovation takes human–robot interactions to a new level of sophistication and opens a range of applications for robots that were previously too difficult to achieve. Humans are assisted by robots in everything from automotive manufacturing through to delicate surgical procedures and even search and rescue operations, but there remains much room for improvement and expansion of their roles. “Robots are still not as intelligent as we expect and this is particularly clear when it comes to human–robot interactions,” says Li Yanan from the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R). Though extremely useful for performing repetitive or high-precision tasks and for bearing heavy loads, in many applications robots can only be engaged when guided by a human operator to the start location or object. Once engaged, the robot often takes autonomous control of the task. However, as the role of a robot for any task is usually preset and difficult to change during operations, robots are difficult to manage in tasks where its function might switch frequently, such as in high-mix, low-volume applications like welding, polishing and painting. To extend the utility of robots to improve such nuanced human–robot collaborations, Li and colleagues from the I2R set out to develop a control code that sensed the intent of the human operator, based on the force they exerted on the robot, and adjusted the role of the robot automatically. “In the code, to estimate the human operator’s motion intention so that the robot control strategy could be changed, we used game theory, which provides useful […]

Thai Solar Energy to Raise Solar Power Capacity by 60% in Japan to 42MW

Bangkok – Thai Solar Energy PCL (“TSE”; SET:TSE), a solar power producer and supplier to the Thai government, has announced a new agreement with Prospec Holding Inc, an existing partner, to enhance its Hanamizuki, Japan solar farm and power plant capacity by 17MW, boosting total power production capacity to 42MW, and increasing total group revenue to THB500 million per year, an increase of more than 50%. TSE will carry out the new agreement through its Singapore-incorporated subsidiary TSE Group International Pte Ltd. The project is expected to cost about THB2 billion, will require two years of complete, and generate more than THB200 million in annual revenue. The commercial operation date (COD) is scheduled for late 2017. Dr Cathleen Maleenont, TSE’s Chairman & CEO, said “Our goal is to reach an aggregate production level of 300MW over the next three years, from solar farms and other alternative-energy-based power plants outside Thailand. This latest agreement means that international projects under development will have a total capacity of 42MW. Some of the projects are planned to start generating revenue as early as next year.” TSE’s latest contract is part of the company’s campaign to grow its solar power plant business in Japan. It follows the completion of company agreements with Eco Solar Japan and Prospec Holding Inc to jointly develop solar farms at a cost of THB2.5 billion, and an aggregate capacity of 25MW, and an expected aggregate revenue of at least THB300 million. The first COD is scheduled to take place in early 2016. Dr Maleenont added, “TSE is negotiating deals for a few more solar- and alternative-energy-based power plant development projects, with a total capacity of 100-200MW, which will likely reach conclusion in early 2016. The projects, if run, will ensure continued growth in TSE’s overall power production capacity. “We are […]

South Korea:Bolt tensioning device at power station improves safety and usability

Two major power stations in South Korea have installed Technofast’s innovative hydraulic CamNut EziJac bolting system with outstanding results in both reducing production downtime and improving safety levels for their maintenance engineers. Park Jong Geun, General Manager of the Technical Solutions Team at Korea’s East-West Power (EWP) Company based in Seoul, said Technofast’s CamNut EziJac system had been successfully utilised on the steam turbine casings at both the company’s Dangjin and Donghae power stations with outstanding results. In a letter to Technofast, Mr Park explained that by installing the CamNut EziJac system, his maintenance team had been able to dramatically shorten the maintenance and upgrade times, reduce downtime, as well as increasing production at both locations. He went on to say that by changing from the previous out-dated heating method of loosening and tightening the bolting on the turbine casings they have also improved the safety of their maintenance engineers. With the old heating method the company couldn’t carry out simultaneous operations and needed many hours to heat up and cool down the bolts as well as measurement of the elongation. Mr Park explained that this method can also cause serious damage to the components due to their exposure to excessive heat. But by adopting the CamNut EziJac system, the maintenance engineers were able to loosen and tighten the nuts simultaneously and avoid thermal stress and heat deterioration of the bolts. He said that by installing the Technofast system, the power company has drastically reduced the number of downtime days lost, plus increased the reliability, production, safety and usability of the power plants. At the number one unit at the Dangjin steam turbine power station, Mr Park said the company was able to reduce downtime by two days, equating to 840 million Won (US$700,000 approx.) per year. On top of […]

Mitsubishi Corporation announces new elevator plant for Korea

TOKYO, Dec 15, 2015 – Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have reached an agreement to set up a new elevator plant in Korea. The plant, to be run by Mitsubishi Elevator Korea Co., Ltd. (KMEC), a Mitsubishi Electric subsidiary, will be located in the Incheon Free Economic Zone. KMEC will relocate its development and manufacturing base from the present Incheon factory to a new facility and will start manufacturing elevators for both the Korean and overseas markets, expanding its annual production capacity by 2.5 times to 4,000 units. MC’s elevator business in Korea dates back to 2001 when KMEC, its elevator distribution joint venture with Mitsubishi Electric, was established. KMEC has since been expanding its business steadily. The elevator and escalator market in Korea is expected to reach 24,000 units for newly constructed buildings in 2015, with demand in Korea remaining stable at about 25,000 units. KMEC began exporting high-quality, price-competitive high-speed elevators in 2008 and since then, it has served as Mitsubishi Electric’s global supply base for such models. The facility’s R&D center will absorb selected development functions currently based in Mitsubishi Electric Inazawa Works in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and this will enable KMEC to strengthen its development and supply functions as well as its business base for sales, engineering, development, manufacturing, installation and maintenance, thereby bolstering its business in Korea and its capacity to respond to global market needs. MC and Mitsubishi Electric will supply high-quality, price-competitive high-speed elevators utilizing KMEC’s advanced engineering capabilities and access to global markets, especially in the ASEAN and Middle Eastern regions. KMEC is also planning to construct a 80-meter high elevator test tower and a field training center for installation and maintenance in an effort to enhance the capacity of engineers, all with the aim of improving the quality and […]

Revolutionary wind energy conversion system

The novel cross-axis-wind-turbine (CAWT) is a new type of wind turbine that has the capability to extract energy from multi-directional wind that is commonly found in urban areas due to the interaction of airflows between high-rise buildings. Its ability to operate in areas with complex wind pattern and low wind speed overcomes the weaknesses of the vertical and horizontal axis wind turbines (VAWT and HAWT). The novel wind turbine consists of vertical and horizontal blades arranged in a cross axis orientation, therefore enabling it to function with airflows coming from horizontal and vertical directions. The horizontal blades serve as the radial arms that link and support the vertical blades and the hubs through specially designed connectors to form the CAWT. Any airflow streams channeled to the bottom of the turbine interact with the lower and upper radial supporting-arms, therefore maximising the wind energy potential that can be extracted. Viewed from the top, the upper and lower radial arms can be considered as a double-layered HAWT that extracts energy from the vertical wind. Moreover, the lift created by the interaction between the vertical airflow and the horizontal blades creates aero-levitation forces which reduce bearing friction in the generator, hence extending the lifespan of the wind turbine. Initial studies have shown that the CAWT can overcome the problem of self-starting ability of a conventional VAWT, and produce better performance output by up to 2.5 times. In conclusion, the CAWT presents an innovative outlook on the future of wind turbines, creating significant opportunities for the use of wind energy devices and therefore alleviating dependencies on fossil fuel power plants. -chong_wentong@um.edu.my

Paradigm Shift to Mott device-based Power Interruption

Researchers in Korea have overcome a 100-year old technological limitation by fabricating the world’s first Mott device that reduces the size and enhances the performance of traditional electromagnetic switches and circuit breakers. Daejeon, KOREA – The research team, led by Dr. Hyun-Tak Kim of Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, has developed an innovative power interruption technology based on a Mott metal-insulator transition (Mott MIT) device. The Mott MIT signifies the phenomenon that a Mott insulator is abruptly converted into a metal or vice versa without the structural phase transition. The research team previously developed a Mott MIT critical temperature switch (CTS) (or MIT device) which generates a control current (or signal) at a critical temperature between 67 degrees Celsius and 85 degrees Celsius as the unique characteristic of vanadium dioxide. After that, the MIT devices were applied to some kinds of electromagnetic switches that interrupt an electric current in case of overcurrent. An existing traditional electromagnetic switch that takes the role to interrupt electricity through the mechanical switching when it conducts an overcurrent is composed of both an electromagnet called the magnetic contactor, which connects or disconnects signals of main power, and the thermal overload relay with an on-off switching function controlled by temperature. The overload relay is composed of both an expensive delicate mechanical switch with a large size and a bimetal that is made of two separate metals with different thermal expansion coefficients joined together. The bimetal has a characteristic of bending to any direction when heat is applied. The bending force of the bimetal controls the mechanical switch inducing the on-off switching; this has been called ‘hundred years technology of power interruption’; Westinghouse applied the patent right of the power circuit breaker using a bimetal in 1924. However, the bimetal undergoes a change of the bending […]

Toscotec starts up its first AHEAD-1.5M tissue machine at Yuen Foong Yu Taiwan

The Toscotec-supplied AHEAD-1.5M tissue machine has started up at Yuen Foong Yu’s Chingshui mill in Taiwan. Yuen Foong Yu Paper, with its famous brand Mayflower, is currently the largest paper manufacturer in Taiwan and it ranks 49th in the world. The start-up has been welcomed by the Taiwanese producer as the positive outcome of a strong cooperation between the two teams: “We are pleased with the qualified teamwork and Toscotec’s support all the way from the engineering phase to the commissioning field work. We look forward to seeing the outstanding performances and energy saving results that we expect from Toscotec’s technological solution” says Mr. Ming Fa Tang, YFY’s Deputy General Manager. The scope of supply of the Italian supplier included one AHEAD-1.5M machine, installing Toscotec’s second generation Steel Yankee Dryer TT SYD-18FT, a 1,425 mm diameter suction press roll and steam-heated hoods, as well as the stock preparation system. The machine has a working speed of 1,650 m/min and it will increase the mill’s production capacity by 40k t/y. The Taiwanese producer has chosen Toscotec’s cutting-edge technology and customized design as the winning solution that strikes the perfect balance between machine performance and the lowest possible total energy consumptions. The masterly combination of a large diameter Steel Yankee Dryer, a single jumbo press roll and steam hoods delivers key advantages in terms of energy savings. TT DOES (Drying Optimization for Energy Saving) is now widely acknowledged as Toscotec’s signature design solution, especially on the Asian market, where energy savings are a major concern for tissue producers. About Toscotec S.p.A. Toscotec is a turnkey technology supplier to the global paper industry, offering a complete suite of solutions for tissue, paper and board manufacture, as well as maintenance services for rolls and cylinders. Based in Lucca, Italy, and with subsidiaries in China […]

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