- Email: [email protected]
Commercial MEMS
POLICY NEWS
Nanoparticles full steam ahead NEW FACILITY
QinetiQ Nanomaterials' manufacturing facility in Farnborough, UK. Two rigs are up and running, and there is room for expansion.
QinetiQ Nanomaterials joins the ranks of nanoparticle manufacturing companies. A wholly-owned subsidiary of QinetiQ, part of the UK’s former Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, the company has commissioned what it claims is the first production facility dedicated to the volume manufacture of specialist nanomaterials in the UK. The Farnborough site has two rigs using plasma vaporization technology – one for dedicated production of metal nanoparticles and the other for inorganics, including oxides. When working at full capacity, the rigs can produce several kilos of 100 nm nanoparticles per hour and the oxide-dedicated rig can run 24 hours per day. “Our production facility is now up and running,” says commercial director Mike Pitkethly, “so it’s full steam ahead.” The objective is to produce commercial quantities
of a variety of nanoscale materials for evaluation by potential customers, he says. “We can also manufacture customized nanopowders and help develop the end product by using QinetiQ’s extensive capabilities,” he adds. As well as the ability to manufacture smallvolume, high-value nanoparticles, the long-term plan is to construct mass production facilities in conjunction with customers. Other revenue will come from licensing agreements of new technologies. QinetiQ Nanomaterials has set it sights on a large and diverse range of potential customers for its metal (Al, Ag, Cu, Co, Si, W) and inorganic (ZnO, CuO, ceria, yttria, zirconia, WO3) nanoparticles. In the automotive sector, Pitkethly cites airbags, lubrication, and H-storage as key markets. Ag nanoparticles are finding application in antimicrobial materials, ZnO is attracting interest for sunscreens, while Si could find use for drug delivery. Other sectors of interest include security, energy/power generation, as well as propellants and initiators for the defense, oil, and gas industries. Engineering materials also present a significant opportunity, says Pitkethly, for using nanoparticles in coatings, solders, adhesives, and catalysts. The market potential is huge and, according to Pitkethly, customers are out there looking for suppliers to meet their nanoparticle needs. But whether QinetiQ Nanomaterials can break into a field that encompasses giants such as ICI and DuPont and a myriad of dedicated university spin-offs such as Oxonica to meet those needs and reach its $150 million goal, only time will tell.
Driving collaboration forward AUTOMOTIVES Automotive manufacturer Rolls-Royce has announced the latest addition to its network of University Technology Centers (UTCs) in the UK, Sweden, and North America. Together with the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) in Cottbus, Germany, the company is establishing an Engine Technology Competence Center. BTU has a long-standing expertise in the area at its Institute for Transport Technology. Research will focus on the development of novel turbine and compressor technologies, combustion methods, and engine concepts, as well as new measurement and analysis
18
June 2003
techniques for engine noise assessment. Work on lightweight design, construction, and manufacture will be in collaboration with BTU’s departments of materials science and modeling and simulation. The agreement will also result in the establishment of a chair in engine technology at BTU, as well as up to 14 other new academic posts at the Engine Technology Competence Center. “In addition, the collaboration will enable the university to expand the range of courses it offers to include subjects that have a real, current value on the labor market,” says BTU president Ernst Sigmund.
Commercial MEMS NEW FACILITY Wayne State University has unveiled a new facility for the research and development of commercial MEMS technology. The 345 m2 cleanroom is part of the College of Engineering’s Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems (SSIM) laboratories. Troy-based leader in mobile electronics and transportation components and systems technology, Delphi, is donating cleanroom equipment worth $7.1 million and assigning scientists and lab technicians to work at the new facility. The focus will be on medical and healthcare applications, for which the facility has the capability to manufacture prototype devices.
Standard hydrogen AUTOMOTIVES General Motors (GM) and BMW plan to join forces to develop refueling devices for liquid hydrogen vehicles. “We want to accelerate the progress being made on the distribution and onboard storage of liquid hydrogen as the future fuel,” explains GM’s VP of research and development and planning, Lawrence Burns. Work will focus on setting global standards, establishing specifications for suppliers, and finding the best technical and cost effective solution. “In the long term, we are expecting a network of 10 000 hydrogen filling stations in Germany,” says Christoph Huss, BMW’s head of science and traffic policy. But standardization is essential, he says, so consumers are not confronted with different systems. “By teaming together, we will help bring about the liquid hydrogen infrastructure faster,” says Huss. Other carmakers and suppliers will be invited to join the collaboration.
Nanoparticles full steam ahead NEW FACILITY
QinetiQ Nanomaterials' manufacturing facility in Farnborough, UK. Two rigs are up and running, and there is room for expansion.
QinetiQ Nanomaterials joins the ranks of nanoparticle manufacturing companies. A wholly-owned subsidiary of QinetiQ, part of the UK’s former Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, the company has commissioned what it claims is the first production facility dedicated to the volume manufacture of specialist nanomaterials in the UK. The Farnborough site has two rigs using plasma vaporization technology – one for dedicated production of metal nanoparticles and the other for inorganics, including oxides. When working at full capacity, the rigs can produce several kilos of 100 nm nanoparticles per hour and the oxide-dedicated rig can run 24 hours per day. “Our production facility is now up and running,” says commercial director Mike Pitkethly, “so it’s full steam ahead.” The objective is to produce commercial quantities
of a variety of nanoscale materials for evaluation by potential customers, he says. “We can also manufacture customized nanopowders and help develop the end product by using QinetiQ’s extensive capabilities,” he adds. As well as the ability to manufacture smallvolume, high-value nanoparticles, the long-term plan is to construct mass production facilities in conjunction with customers. Other revenue will come from licensing agreements of new technologies. QinetiQ Nanomaterials has set it sights on a large and diverse range of potential customers for its metal (Al, Ag, Cu, Co, Si, W) and inorganic (ZnO, CuO, ceria, yttria, zirconia, WO3) nanoparticles. In the automotive sector, Pitkethly cites airbags, lubrication, and H-storage as key markets. Ag nanoparticles are finding application in antimicrobial materials, ZnO is attracting interest for sunscreens, while Si could find use for drug delivery. Other sectors of interest include security, energy/power generation, as well as propellants and initiators for the defense, oil, and gas industries. Engineering materials also present a significant opportunity, says Pitkethly, for using nanoparticles in coatings, solders, adhesives, and catalysts. The market potential is huge and, according to Pitkethly, customers are out there looking for suppliers to meet their nanoparticle needs. But whether QinetiQ Nanomaterials can break into a field that encompasses giants such as ICI and DuPont and a myriad of dedicated university spin-offs such as Oxonica to meet those needs and reach its $150 million goal, only time will tell.
Driving collaboration forward AUTOMOTIVES Automotive manufacturer Rolls-Royce has announced the latest addition to its network of University Technology Centers (UTCs) in the UK, Sweden, and North America. Together with the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) in Cottbus, Germany, the company is establishing an Engine Technology Competence Center. BTU has a long-standing expertise in the area at its Institute for Transport Technology. Research will focus on the development of novel turbine and compressor technologies, combustion methods, and engine concepts, as well as new measurement and analysis
18
June 2003
techniques for engine noise assessment. Work on lightweight design, construction, and manufacture will be in collaboration with BTU’s departments of materials science and modeling and simulation. The agreement will also result in the establishment of a chair in engine technology at BTU, as well as up to 14 other new academic posts at the Engine Technology Competence Center. “In addition, the collaboration will enable the university to expand the range of courses it offers to include subjects that have a real, current value on the labor market,” says BTU president Ernst Sigmund.
Commercial MEMS NEW FACILITY Wayne State University has unveiled a new facility for the research and development of commercial MEMS technology. The 345 m2 cleanroom is part of the College of Engineering’s Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems (SSIM) laboratories. Troy-based leader in mobile electronics and transportation components and systems technology, Delphi, is donating cleanroom equipment worth $7.1 million and assigning scientists and lab technicians to work at the new facility. The focus will be on medical and healthcare applications, for which the facility has the capability to manufacture prototype devices.
Standard hydrogen AUTOMOTIVES General Motors (GM) and BMW plan to join forces to develop refueling devices for liquid hydrogen vehicles. “We want to accelerate the progress being made on the distribution and onboard storage of liquid hydrogen as the future fuel,” explains GM’s VP of research and development and planning, Lawrence Burns. Work will focus on setting global standards, establishing specifications for suppliers, and finding the best technical and cost effective solution. “In the long term, we are expecting a network of 10 000 hydrogen filling stations in Germany,” says Christoph Huss, BMW’s head of science and traffic policy. But standardization is essential, he says, so consumers are not confronted with different systems. “By teaming together, we will help bring about the liquid hydrogen infrastructure faster,” says Huss. Other carmakers and suppliers will be invited to join the collaboration.