chemical & processing small beginnings, great prospects...undertaken with tangential flow...

Busak+Shamban No. 3, 2006

in thegrooveThe world of seals and service

Oil & Gas

Deep DownInnovationDownhole tools designed toincrease productivity

A cleaning system with someunique features

Semicon

Beating the leakdetectiveOptimized sealing integrityin helium leak detectionsystems

Small beginnings,great prospects

Chemical & Processing

Chemical &Processing

Medical

Oil & Gas

Semicon

Extras

Editorial 3

News 4

Well lubricated 6Read about a study to find optimum sealing material for contact with lubricants

Even more compliant 8The Turcon® MF range includes sealing materials compliant with FDA, USP Class VI and 3-A

Small beginnings, great prospects 12Tank Cleaning Developments has developed Retract-A-Ball, a cleaning system with some unique features

Disposable Technology 16Busak+Shamban Americas works with a biotechnology company to provide manifold solutions for a TFF system

Deep Down Innovation 18Successful sealing in downhole tools helps increase productivity

Plasma - no problem 20A semiconductor customer uses Isolast® J9670 to achieve lower cost of ownership

Beating the leak detective 24Turcon® Variseal® optimizes sealing integrity in helium leak detection tests

Nice & easy does it – Request for Quotation online! 26Check out the Busak+Shamban electronic online catalog

Contents

EditorialContinuing success

This is our fourth edition of ‘in the groove’ focusing on thechemical and processing industries. Around the world, we givethe magazine to our customers and feedback is excellent. Alsoavailable on-line, we have been amazed at the number ofdownloads every month.

Our initial article presents results for seal materials in contactwith food grade lubricants. The next goes into more detail onapprovals vital in food and pharmaceutical production. Itintroduces our Turcon® MF range which is compliant to FDA, USPClass VI, and 3-A standards.

Retractable spray balls are commonly fitted within automated CIPsystems. One major problem with these is their inability to drainproperly. Our third article is about Projex, a unique self-drainingretractable spray ball system that is also ATEX approved.

At the forefront of biotechnology, we next outline workundertaken with Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) systems forwhich we provide a complete line of disposable manifolds. Andfor those involved in oil and gas, we focus on developments indownhole tools.

For readers in the semiconductor industry we have a feature onO-Rings in Isolast® Fab RangeTM J9670. Read our case study on howthese are extending leadtime between planned maintenance fora user of plasma etch equipment. We also talk about seals thatoptimize integrity in helium leak detection systems.

Our final article is of interest to all. It covers our electronic onlinecatalog which allows users to browse for seals, fill a shopping cartand request quotation via the website.

Once again, I hope you enjoy this edition of ‘in the groove’. If youhave any comments on the magazine why not send an email [email protected]. We welcome your views.

Dr. Sandro Johannes Silverio

Global Director - CPI, Semicon, Oil & Gas Segments

3

newsnewsSpotlight on our Logistics CenterAmericas (LCA) facility in FortWayne

Busak+Shamban opened its second Logistics Center in FortWayne in the United States in early 2005. The 24,000square foot (2,230 square meter) facility houses thecompany’s warehousing, handling systems and centralizedpurchasing functions.

The center stocks thousands of stock keeping units (SKUs)and uses the latest warehouse management technology,incorporating bar coding and RF scanning. This assists itsproductivity and in accurately fulfilling customer orders. Italso provides value-added services like product kitting andcertification.

“The logistics center was an important step in ourstrategic plan to aggressively grow market share in the

Americas,” said Tim Callison, President of Busak+ShambanAmericas. “By accurately forecasting the needs of ourcustomers and stocking the right products, we are slashingorder lead times from weeks to days. This givesBusak+Shamban a competitive advantage when servingexisting accounts as well as in attracting new business.”

On the move in America

Adding to the excitement of thisyear’s Semicon West show, we had

the opportunity to pick our locationfor next year. We chose a prime

spot, so make sure you meet theglobal semiconductor team at

Semicon West 2007 in South Hall,stand number 2612.

Annual tradeshow attracts broadestand most global attendance yet

Semicon West 2006 - A Great Success

Shipments from the LCA have doubled in 2006, and now35 percent of all end-customershipments come from the LCA.Volume is expected to doubleagain in 2007.

4

You are welcomeWhen in Fort Wayne, why not visit the Busak+Shamban facility

Busak+Shamban participated for the third year running inSemicon West held in San Francisco, California, USA fromJuly 10 to 14. A winning Busak+Shamban team washeaded up by Dr. Sandro Silverio, Global Director - CPI,Semicon, Oil & Gas Segments. It included productmanagers, technical managers, general managers fromaround the world and our hand-selected ‘AmericasSemicon Champs’. “The 2006 Semicon West showattracted a global audience interested in the latest

technologies displayed by top wafer processing tool,component and part manufacturers,” says Ed Greder,Busak+Shamban Americas Semiconductor Manager. “Inparticular, our participation this year again demonstratedthe industry’s keen interest in leading edge materials anddesigns. As front end processing evolves and presentsmore difficult challenges, Busak+Shamban is wellpositioned to offer customers a broad portfolio ofadvanced sealing solutions.”

On 6 November 2006 Trelleborg Sealing SolutionsBroomfield, USA received their certif icate forachievement of the OHSAS 18001 standard for theirHealth & Safety management system.

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Helsingør, Denmark andBusak+Shamban Logistics Center in Stuttgart, Germanyhave been audited and found to be compliant to therequirements of ISO/TS 16949:2002.

Company awards!

GlobalSpec.com is a leading vertical search engine. Itserves the engineering, manufacturing and relatedscientific and technical market segments. More than3,000,000 registered users from all across the globeaccess the site. It is quickly becoming ‘the place’ wherethe engineering community gathers and conductsbusiness.

There are three main features of the GlobalSpec.comsite:

SpecSearch Database - providing sophisticatedsearching capabilities, the site analyzes over 21,000digitalized catalogs, including those fromBusak+Shamban, and returns suggestions for requestedproducts

Engineering Web - indexes hundreds of millions ofpages of engineering content from open websites aswell as proprietary content publishers

E-Newsletters - provides product area information ondemand

Since it was founded 10 years ago, GlobalSpec has strivedto provide innovative information services that supportthe job tasks of the engineering and related professionalcommunities.

A search engine by engineers for engineers

GlobalSpec.com

WEB WATCH

Booz Allen Hamilton’s annual research report SmartSpenders - Global Innovation puts Trelleborg among theless than 100 companies globally that get the best returnson investments in research and development (R&D). Thestudy includes the 1,000 companies that reported themost spending on R&D around the world in 2004.The report points out the 94 companies that are high-leverage innovators outperforming their industries, andTrelleborg is one of ten European companies on the“smart spender” list.

“These companies have a well-developed strategy forR&D that is aligned with their business and competitiveconditions,” comments Booz Allen Nordic’s chairman ofthe board Torbjörn Kihlstedt.

The study uses seven performance screens, such as salesgrowth, gross margin percentage and total shareholdersreturns — from 2000 to 2005 — as the basis for theanalysis. Other international giants on the list includeToyota, Apple, Google, Caterpillar and Christian Dior.

Research Efficient

We’ll be exhibiting at the Offshore TechnologyConference, Houston from 30 April to 3 May 2007. Whynot make a date to come and see us there? We’ll be onstand number 4041.Find out more about OTC 2007 at www.otcnet.org/2007/

Come and see us at OTC in May 2007

Make a date

Trelleborg is a really smartspender in innovation globally,says recent study

Busak+Shamban - in the groove, No. 3, 2006© Busak+Shamban, 2006. All rights reserved® All trademarks are the property of Busak+Shamban and Trelleborg AB.

Editorial Office:Busak+Shamban Deutschland GmbH, Handwerkstraße 5-7, 70565 Stuttgart,Germany Email: [email protected], Web: www.busakshamban.com

Editorial team:Heather Castleman, Donna Guinivan, Whitney Killip, Wendy Sack, Dr. Sandro Silverio, Robert Zahiri

Segment Team:Dr. Burkhard Ledig, Eberhard Baisch, Elke Vöhringer-Klein, Bill Allan, JonasKarlsson, Ed Greder, Marty Hugney

Responsible under German Press Law: Robert ZahiriGraphic Arts: dialogart, Stuttgart, GermanyPrinting: W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, Germany

Disclaimer: The information in this magazine is intended to be for generalreference purposes only and is not intended to be a specific recommendationfor any individual application. The application limits for pressure, temperature,speed and media given are maximum values determined in laboratoryconditions. In application, due to the interaction of operating parameters,maximum values may not be achieved. It is vital therefore, that customerssatisfy themselves as to the suitability of product and material for each of theirindividual applications. Any reliance on information is therefore at the user’s own risk. While everyeffort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained herewith,Busak+Shamban cannot warrant the accuracy or completeness of information.For exceptional operating conditions, please contact your Busak+Shambanrepresentative.

5


Sealing materials for processing systems muststand up to products processed and cleaningregimes. In addition, they need to match up tolubricants. Busak+Shamban undertook a studyto find the optimum sealing materials forcontact with these.

Well lubricated

6

7

Lubricants are used in food, beverage andpharmaceutical processing to prevent wearand facilitate movement of components.When seals are in contact with lubricants thesecan cause physical changes detrimental tosealing function such as swelling, alterations inhardness, elongation, weight and strength.

So specifying the correct sealing material for aprocess system is extremely complex. Thecompound selected must withstand theproducts processed and their cleaning regimes.They also need to conform to the stringentstandards set to ensure product purity. And ontop of this they must match up to thelubricants as well.

Busak+Shamban has carried out numerousstudies, which means that they know theoptimum material for use in processingsystems. Based on this knowledge we selecteda number of our best performing compounds,all conforming to industry standards, to test inlubricants. The results of this research meanswe can now recommend the most effectiveoption for any combination of media withinthe processing environment, includinglubrication.

Test slabs of three Ethylene Propylene Diene(EPDM), three Fluoroelastomers (FKM), aNitrile rubber (NBR) and Isolast® wereimmersed in a selection of food gradelubricants at 60°C (140°F) for 168 hours. These

conformed to FDA, USP and 3-A standards.After immersion the changes in hardness,weight, volume, tensi le strength andelongation at break were measured.

Details of Busak+Shamban food gradelubricants study

Summary of results

EPDM FKM NBR Isolast®

Material group

Lubricant

1-Decene Poor Optimum Good Optimum

Polyalphaolefin Poor Good Optimum Optimum

Synthetic Hydrocarbon Poor Good Good Optimum

Polyglycol Good Good Good Optimum

Synthetic Oil Poor Good Good Optimum

Silicone Oil Optimum Good OK Optimum

Polyolefine Poor Good Optimum Optimum

Seals must withstand a complex cocktail of media withinprocessing systems

Busak+Shamban canrecommend the optimumsealing material

8

For food and pharmaceutical processingequipment manufacturers, making sure thatcomponents meet approvals is of paramountimportance. The Turcon® MF range includessealing materials compliant with FDA and USP Class VI and now 3-A.

Even more compliant

9


Meeting the standards

Manufacturers of food, beverage andpharmaceutical equipment must make surethat their products comply with relevantregulations. That means components they usemust conform to standards such as FDA, USPClass VI and 3-A.

Turcon® MF is a range of proprietarypolytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) basedcompounds from Busak+Shamban. All of themare compliant to FDA 21 CFR 177.1550 andequivalent EU regulations with some alsoconforming to USP Class VI. In addition,Turcon® MF 6 conforms to the stringentrequirements of the 3-A sanitary standards.

Turcon® MF range extends seal life

The materials are almost universally chemicallyresistant, have wide operating temperaturecapabilities, and can easily withstand today’saggressive Cleaning In Place (CIP) andSterilization In Place (SIP) regimes. Dependenton requirements seal materials can be selectedto optimize friction characteristics or providegood wear resistance in both static butprimarily rotating application. All of thesecharacteristics mean they offer extended seallife, helping manufacturers maximize up-timeand therefore productivity.

10


Turcon® Variseal® Hi-CleanTurcon® Variseal®Turcon® Varilip® PDR

High specification sealing

Material Additive Temperature Range Characteristics

Turcon® MF1 None - Virgin PTFE -253°C to 260°C • Exceptional friction characteristics(-423°F to 500°F) • No risk of discoloration from wear

particles• Low temperature• Soft mating surfaces around 170 HB

Turcon® MF2 None - Modified PTFE -200°C to 260°C • Good wear resistance(-328°F to 500°F) • No risk of discoloration from wear

particles

Turcon® MF3 Mineral fillers -200°C to 260°C • Very good wear & abrasion resistance(-328°F to 500°F) • No risk of discoloration from wear

particles• Soft mating surfaces > 170 HB

Turcon® MF4 Carbon fibers -200°C to 260°C • Unique lubricating properties(-328°F to 500°F) • Pressure range 0-30 Mpa (0-4350 psi)

• Poor lubricating media• High frequency & short strokes• Medium hard mating surfaces >25 HRC

Turcon® MF6 Aromatic polymer -200°C to 260°C • Superior pressure and wear (-328°F to 500°F) performance

• Mild counter surfaces• Gas and high & low viscosity fluids

www.busakshamban.com

To find out moreabout products foryour solution visit

Seals in Turcon® MF materials commonly usedwithin food, beverage and pharmaceuticalprocessing systems. Typical applications arepumps, compressors, filling and dosingequipment.

11

The standards

FDA 21 CFR 177.1550

The Food and Drug Administration(FDA) is a government agencywithin the US Department ofHealth and Human Services and isresponsible for standards toensure food and drug safety. Part177 covers indirect food additives:polymers and section 177.1550perfluorocarbon resins.

It is mandatory that materialscomply to this standard. They arethen deemed fit for single orrepeated use with food contactsurfaces.

USP Class VI

The United States Pharmacopeia(USP) is an independent, science-based public health organization.It is the official public standards-setting authority for allprescription and over-the-countermedicines, dietary supplements,and other healthcare productsmanufactured and sold in theUnited States. USP monograph(88) describes the classification ofplastics into six classes. In Class VI,the most stringent, strips of testmaterial and are implanted inrabbits and their responseobserved.

3-A

3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. (3-ASSI) is an American organizationthat formulates sanitary standardsand accepted practices for design,fabrication, installation andcleanability of dairy and foodequipment or systems used tohandle, process and packageconsumable products. It providesmaterial specifications, designcriteria and other necessaryinformation for equipment typesto satisfy public health concerns.Its goal is to protect consumableproducts from contamination andensure that all product surfacescan be cleaned.

The most important standards in the food and pharmaceutical sectors are driven by the USAbut are globally recognized and conformed to.

FDA 21 CFR 177.1550

FDA 21 CFR 177.1550

FDA 21 CFR 177.1550

FDA 21 CFR 177.1550

USP 26 Class VI

Color Applications Approvals

• Static and light dynamic• Up to 20 MPa (2900 psi) static• Vacuum and gas

• Up to 20 MPa (2900 psi) static• Primarily lubricating media• Low to medium pressure gas

• Reciprocating and rotary• Up to 25 MPa (3625 psi)• Primarily lubricating media

• Reciprocating and rotary

• Dynamic• Up to 15 MPa (2175 psi)

FDA 21 CFR 177.1550

Brown

Dark Grey

Off-white

White

White

3-A Sanitary Standards for Multiple-Use Plastic Materials, Number 20-25

USP 26 Class VI

12

Small beginnings,

great prospects

Down in a quiet industrial estate justoutside Reading, England, is a busystart-up company with a greatfuture. Tank Cleaning DevelopmentsLtd has developed Retract-A-Ball, acleaning system for processequipment with some uniquefeatures.

Cleaning In Place (CIP) is being usedmore and more by food andpharmaceutical manufacturers.Retract-A-Ball is an innovativeretractable spray ball system designedfor these regimes.

With ordinary retractable spray balls, there is a riskof contamination

“Spray balls are commonly used forcleaning of tanks,” says AndyPackman, Managing Director of TankCleaning Developments. “In a lot ofinstances, the spray ball can be left inthe processing equipment but in most,it must be removed. In the past, thespray mechanisms were inserted andremoved manually. With a retractablesystem, this is automatic.

“Ordinary retractable spray balls arepushed into the area to be cleaned by

the force of cleaning fluid put throughthem. This though has a majordisadvantage. Once the liquid stopsflowing through the system, the spraystem is closed by a return spring,perhaps trapping fluid within it. Thiscan be a potential source ofcontamination.”

Unique advantages from the Retract-A-Ball system

Retract-A-Ball is different from otherretractable spray balls. Uniquely itoperates pneumatically and is fullyself-draining. With pneumatics, thespray stem can be held in the openposition while the cleaning mediadrains both backwards and forwards. Ifnecessary, a further air purge can takeplace to ensure no media remains.

“We are also the first company toachieve ATEX category 1 for aretractable spray ball ,” Andycontinues. “Under this EU directive,you have to prove that products do notrepresent risk of explosion. It mayseem strange that equipment for foodand pharmaceutical manufacture mustconform to this approval. But, both dryfood and pharmaceutical production,such as tablet preparation, involvehandling powders. This means thatthey are potential ly explosiveenvironments.”

The most adaptable product on the market

“We’ve been developing Retract-A-Ballfor over two years,” says Andy. “It’sbeen a struggle funding a new projectlike this but we had faith in our idea.Happily, we are now beginning to reapthe results of our determination tokeep going.

“We are currently advancing theproduct even further. A longer neckedversion is available for systems wherethere is insulation around ducting. Insome instances, this can be up to 20 cm(8 inches) deep. Another plannedvariation is a rotary spray head thatwill be interchangeable with the fixedspray ball. With these enhancements,no other retractable spray supplier canoffer equipment that is so adaptable.We believe this makes our producthard to beat.”

13


Andy Packman, Managing Director ofTank Cleaning Developments Ltd

Want to know more about ourTurcon® MF range of materials?

See pages 8 to 11

A retractable spray ball is housed in acylinder, enclosed with a cover, all offood grade 316L stainless steel. Ifrequired this can also incorporatehastelloy on the faces that areexposed to cleaning media or theproduct. The cylinder is fitted into aferrule on ducting or tanks withinprocessing plants, primarily for foodand pharmaceutical production.

When the system requires cleaning,the spray ball is operatedpneumatical ly. A telescopicmechanism extends the spray ball intothe area to be cleaned. It has between

a 60 mm (2.4 inches) and 120 mm (4.7inches) stroke. This can be adjusted in10 mm (0.4 inches) increments toexactly position the head in the targetarea for optimum cleaning.

Cleaning media then passes throughthe relatively small central telescopicsystem into the spray ball. This designensures most of the internalmechanism of the Retract-A-Ballremains dry, making completedraining easier. After operation, thespray ball returns to its coveredhousing, ready for the processingsystem to run again.

With the Retract-A-Ball cleaning system there isno need to dismantle equipment and downtimeis minimized.

How Retract-A-Ball works

ATEX is the European directive relating toequipment intended for use in potentiallyexplosive atmospheres created by the presenceof flammable gases, vapors, mists or dusts. Itbecame mandatory on 1 July 2003 and appliesto equipment that contains or constitutes apotential ignition source.

If products come within the scope of theDirective, companies that wish to sell them orhave them put into service in the EU have to

comply with the Essential Health and SafetyRequirements (EHSR’s) specified in theDirective. Category 1 requires independentassessment by a third party.

It covers a surprisingly large range ofequipment. As food drying andpharmaceutical production involves powders,both of these applications come into thiscategory and equipment used in theseprocesses must conform to ATEX.

What is ATEX?

14


Designing a sealing configurationfor the Retract-A-Ball posed achallenge. On one side, there wasliquid, on the other air. Operatingunder pressure from both sides andat high temperature, the designhad to withstand aggressivecleaning fluids.

As Retract-A-Ball is used in foodand pharmaceutical processing,compliance to relevant standards isessential. All sealing materials andcoatings within this application areproprietary and specif ical lyengineered by Busak+Shamban tomeet the needs of the processingindustry.

Sealing configuration designed to perform

The Retract-A-Ball contains anumber of seals of various typesand materials dependent on theirposit ion and function. Theyinclude:

• Turcon® Variseal® with energizingspring of hastelloy produced from

Turcon® MF4, one of our Turcon®

MF range. Developed for the foodand pharmaceutical sealing, itmeets its stringent requirements.

• O-Rings are available in twooptions to meet differentchemical resistance needs. Theseare either EPDM or Isolast®

perfluoroelastomer, both types areFDA and USP Class VI compliant.

• An O-Ring is fitted on the neck ofthe ball that is treated with ourFDA compliant FF coating. Thisimproves friction characteristicswhen the head moves in and outof the housing.

Seals stand up to the test

The sealing system has withstoodextensive tests. After cycles of 1000operations, there was no leakageand pressure was held. The sealsalso continued to perform after atemperature test where the unitswere heated up to 140°C (284°F)for 24 hours.

15

“Busak+Shamban has been workingwith us right from the start,” saysAndy Packman. “In the early days,they gave us help and attention,despite us being just a start-upcompany with a big idea. ChrisBusby, from the Solihull technicalteam supplied the advice needed tospecify the optimum sealconfiguration for our design.

“I sat down with Chris and discussedthe product in detail. I think therelationship worked because hejust made things easy. As acompany, Busak+Shamban hasexperience and you feel they knowwhat they are talking about. Thatgave us the confidence that theBusak+Shamban product wouldwork. It’s great, just what youwant.”

“Help and advice from Busak+Shamban made things easy”

Solving the sealing challenge in Retract-A-Ball

A new and exciting innovation in thebiotechnology industry is theintroduction of disposable TangentialFlow Fi ltration (TFF) systems.Replacing the more traditionalstainless steel versions, a complete TFFsystem includes in-line monitors,process pump, filter cassettes andholder and optional controls andinstrumentation.

Working on innovative solutions for state-of-the-art technologies

Tangential Flow Filtration assemblies,which are manufactured, assembledand validated prior to shipment, canbe integrated into these systems. TFFassemblies are a complete, self-contained flow path consisting of aprocess container, tubing, connectorsand disposable cassette manifolds.

Busak+Shamban has been workingclosely with a major biotechnologycompany that designs andmanufactures these assemblies. As aresult, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions’Life Science Products facility located inHudson, Massachusetts, United States,is now providing a complete line ofdisposable manifold systems for TFFassemblies which are used for celltissue culturing.

Busak+Shamban provides manifold systems compliantwith USP standards

These manifold systems combine theextrusion of USP Class VI-approvedsilicone tubing with liquid injectionmolding (LIM) technology to forma complete design solution. Themanifolds come with a “Y” and “T”connection in 9.5 mm (3/8 inch), 13 mm(1/2 inch) and 16 mm (5/8 inch)configurations.

Medical

16

TFF is commonly used incell tissue culturing whenpurifying biotechnology-based products.Busak+Shamban Americashas worked with abiotechnology companyto provide manifoldsolutions for a TFF system

Disposable TechnologyDisposable Technology

17

The Life Science Products facility wasset up by Trelleborg to fulfill thespecific needs of their growingcustomer base in the biotechnologysector. It is housed in a 30,000 square

foot (2,787 square meters) purposebuilt factory. Thirty-four employeesare involved in manufacturing andcustomer support. It includes acleanroom operating to class 100,000standards.

Manifold manufacturing conditions

Controlled environment equal toClass 100,000 conditions

Continual monitoring of ambienttemperature, humidity, andparticulate count

“Good Manufacturing Standards”defined by the US FDA

Quality standards AS9001 and ISO 9001-2000

The facts: Cell harvesting

Cell harvesting, or clarification, is animportant process in nearly alldownstream purif ications ofbiotechnology-based products. Whenthe product is internal to the cells,cell harvesting is used to decrease theliquid volume of cells to be processedin the product extraction steps.When the product is extra cellular,cell harvesting is used to separate theproduct from the cells and cellulardebris.

Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) is a commonmethod for concentration, desalting, bufferexchange and fractionation of proteins andis used as a commercial method for cellharvesting. With membranes, it separatescomponents in a l iquid solution orsuspension, based on their size and chargedifferences.

TFF is an alternative to Normal FlowFiltration (NFF). In NFF, fluid under pressureis pushed vertically toward a membrane.Particulates that are too large to passthrough the pores of the membrane arecaptured at the membrane surface orwithin the filtration media. NFF has a

disadvantage in that the membrane surfacecan become blocked by particulates.

In TFF, fluid is pumped tangentially (at atangent) through the filtration media andacross the surface of the membrane.Applied pressure forces a portion of thefluid through the membrane to the filtrateside while particulates are retained on theupstream side. These do not build up at thesurface of the membrane but instead areswept along by the tangential flow. Thismakes this filtration process ideal for finersized-based separations. These range from amembrane cut off between 0.05 µm to 1.0µm down to less than 1kD.

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Life ScienceProducts, Hudson, Massachusetts, USA

What is TFF?

Filtrate Filtrate

Membrane Membrane

Feed Flow

Normal Flow Filtration Tangential Flow Filtration

Feed Flow

Pressure Pressure

18

Oil & Gas

Deep downinnovation

Bill Allan is our oil andgas segment manager.He tells us aboutdevelopments in sealingof downhole tools.

Trying to track Bill Allan down issometimes quite difficult. He spendsmost of his time with customersoperating at the pulse points of theoil and gas industry. Whether that iswhere he had his grounding inAberdeen, Scotland, over in Texas USAor the rapidly expanding Russianmarket.

Exploration moves offshore

“Exploration is booming at themoment,” says Bill. “The barrel priceis strong so we are seeing increasedactivity in new fields, the majoritybeing located offshore. These wellsare further from the coast and deeperthan ever.”

Extracting oil and gas from reservoirs10,000 meters (32,000 feet) belowthe sea and often hundreds ofkilometers from the land, isextremely challenging. Technological

developments have concentrated onminimizing maintenance anddowntime. To do this, one area whereengineers have focused is oninstrumentation that is used toanalyze terrain during drilling.

Downhole tools designed to increase productivity

The introduction of downhole tools,including Logging While Drilling(LWD) and Measuring While Drilling(MWD) tools, has increased drilling

19

LWD tools work longer

Busak+Shamban worked closely with a leading playerin the oilfield service industry to develop the optimumsealing configuration for Logging While Drilling (LWD)tools. They developed a new piston sealing solution ina one-piece design using high performance Turcon®

material. The result is a pressure compensating pistonwith OD (outer diameter) and ID (inner diameter)O-Ring energized pre-installed cap seals. This designallows logging tools to work for longer, at deeperlevels, higher temperatures and greater pressures.

Downhole tools including Logging While Drilling (LWD) andMeasuring While Drilling (MWD) tools are used byoperators to measure downhole conditions in wells. Withthese instruments, they can log and evaluate rockformations within minutes of being drilled, with little or nodrill ing alteration or formation invasion. Data istransmitted to the surface by mud pulse telemetry andstored in memory for later retrieval on the surface. Thereal-time information enables same-time decision makingon a rig or even back on a shore based office.

A suite of tools record different parameters of the drilled rocks:• Natural Gamma Ray (GR)• Electric-Resistivity• Density & Porosity • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) • Acoustic (Sonic) response • Seismic While Drilling (SWD)

• Drillbit-SWD • VSP-WD (Vertical Seismic Profile While Drilling)

• Formation Pressure

productivity by recording and feedingback information on exact wellconditions. Sealing is important in thisequipment to maintain up-time.

“Imagine you have a failure of adownhole measuring tool way out atsea. The cost of retrieving that tool ishuge and the downtime long andexpensive. Selection of seals for theseapplications is therefore crucial inguaranteeing performance.”

Innovative sealing solutions operate in difficultenvironments

Sealing in downhole tools though isnot easy. Busak+Shamban have beenworking with customers developingthis equipment since its inception.Service conditions are extreme andoften require sealing solutionsuti l is ing new technologies andmaterials.

“We have significant experience inhelping specify the optimum sealconfiguration for downhole tools,”continues Bill. “Seals in these systemscan be subjected to intense pressuresup to 2,000 bar (30,000 psi). They needto withstand aggressive chemicals, amixture of destructive hydrocarbons,rock cuttings and high temperatures.Over the past years we’ve put someinnovative products and materialstogether that are now proven inapplication.”

Sealing in extreme conditions

In conjunction with a downhole tool developerBusak+Shamban designed a sealing system employinga series of O-Rings and engineered back-up rings.A critical stage in concept development has beenthe design of effective sealing between the steelouter housing and the central components, whichdynamically control the sensitive instrumentationwithin the gauge. To withstand temperature andpressure variance in operation and provide long-term service, Busak+Shamban developmentengineers chose a specialized grade of Isolast®

perfluoroelastomer as O-Ring sealing material.

Data from beneath the earth

20

Semicon

Plasma -Plasma -

21

no problem

The Busak+Shamban officebased at the heart of SiliconValley is successfully supportingsemiconductor customers. Forone of these they recommendedIsolast® J9670, which has provedto lower cost of ownership.

Isolast® J9670 succeeds

The new Busak+Shamban office inSilicon Valley, San Jose, Californiarecommended Isolast® Fab RangeTM

J9670 and provided O-Ring samples.This particular Isolast® compoundhas been specifically developedfor demanding high temperatureplasma applications. In tests andin application Isolast® J9670demonstrated extended life. TheO-Rings therefore fulfilled thecustomer’s requirements forimproved performance and lowercost of ownership. The Isolast® J9670material has now been adopted asthe optimum sealing solution in thisprocess.

A major manufacturer of waferprobe cards used plasma etchequipment in their productionprocess. They were having problemsbalancing service life and cost.During the manufacture of theircomponents, which is similar togeneral wafer fabrication, the sealsare exposed to aggressive plasmasand cleaning agents.

Extending leadtimebetween plannedmaintenance

O-Rings f itted in plasma etchequipment are regularly replaced asa matter of scheduled preventativemaintenance. The customer wantedto lower cost of ownership byextending leadtime betweenplanned maintenance.

Busak+Shamban suggested thiscould be done by changing theexisting FKM sealing material to onewith high resistance to plasma.

Semicon

22

Wide range of productsfor semiconductorapplications

The Isolast® Fab RangeTM is just one of a varietyof products supplied by Busak+Shamban tothe semiconductor industry. These includeTurcon® Varilip® PDR (metal cased shaft seal),Turcon® Variseal®, Wills Rings® and highperformance elastomer sealing solutions.

This material has been specifically

formulated for high temperature plasma

applications in wafer processing.

Continuous operating temperatures up to

315°C / 599°F

Superior physical properties at elevated

temperatures

Resistance to aggressive high temperature

plasma erosion and particulation

Almost universal chemical compatibility

including to destructive dry process gases

Minimal particle generation

Extremely low outgassing

Ultra high purity

Clean and contaminant-free sealing

surfaces

Wash and pack to class 100 standards if

required

Available as standard and non-standard

O-Rings and in custom molded designs

Isolast® J9670 - The Facts

“Isolast® J9670perfectly meetsour customer’s

needs.”

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What is a Wafer Probe Card?Automatic test equipment (ATE) for wafertesting consists of an IC Tester, the test head,and the test head manipulator. The probecard is mounted on the test head. It is madeup of a printed circuit board with a set ofprecision-assembled probe needles thatcontact the bond pads, or the signalterminals, on the IC chip. These indicatewhether the chips are functioning or not.

Plasma Etch technology

The process of plasma etching is a dry etchingprocedure commonly used in semiconductormanufacturing. Here it is employed in high-resolution pattern transfer and to selectivelyremove masking layers at different stages ofdevice processing.

In it, a high-speed stream of plasma is shot (inpulses) at a metal. The atoms of the shotelement embed themselves at or just belowthe surface of the target. The physicalproperties of the target are modified in theprocess resulting in controlled patterning ofthin layers. The selectivity of the processensures only the material intended forremoval is etched away, leaving all otherwafer features intact.

Seals within these plasma etching systemsmust remain stable in this aggressiveenvironment and not contribute in any way toprocess degradation or contamination.

The spacing betweenprobe needles on a wafer

probe card may be aslittle as 20-30 microns,

less than half the widthof a human hair. Therecan be a few thousand

pins in the space of a fewsquare centimeters.

Right where the action is

Led by branch manager John Dulis (pictured left), theSilicon Valley office in San Jose, California, United States,is dedicated to providing outstanding applicationengineering, and sales support to our electronic customersbased there. It has the ability to provide FEA analysis,arrange customer specified testing, new product designand development.

“Our office here has consolidated the Busak+Shambanposition as a leading edge provider of sealing solutionsfor the semiconductor industry,” says John Dulis. “Wewere pleased to be able to offer a winning solution forthis plasma etch processing application. Isolast® J9670perfectly meets our customer’s needs.”

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Semicon

Beating the leak

Helium leak detection systems are used to ensure purity withinsemiconductor vacuum processes.This equipment can identify eventhe smallest of leaks. When tested,Turcon® Variseal® has proved it canoptimize sealing integrity.

Manufacturing semiconductorsinvolves many complex steps that usehigh-purity gases under vacuumconditions in process chambers.Applications such as microlithography,low-pressure chemical vapordeposition (LPCVD), ion beam etching,sputtering, ion beam implantation,and molecular beam epitaxy allrequire high vacuum maintenance. Inthese systems, it is vital that leaks areminimized to ensure the purity ofprocesses.

Semiconductor vacuumprocessing equipment isrigorously tested forleakage

Helium leak detection is one of themost widely used methods ofnondestructive testing and hasbecome the method of choice foranalyzing process gas componentsand systems. Helium has molecules sosmall that they can permeate the mostminuscule of potential leak paths,detecting micro-openings, porosities,and minute cracks. It has sensitivity upto seven orders of magnitude greaterthan conventional bubble testing.

The usual method of helium leakdetection in semiconductorequipment, where components areunder vacuum conditions, is Outside-In. In this test arrangement, thehelium leak detector is directlyconnected to the part to be tested.Helium is either sprayed on theexterior of the possible leak sources,or the item under test is placed in ahelium-filled enclosure. The mostsensitive of leak detection techniques,the detector measures the flow ofhelium penetrating the part, and anyleaks can be located.

Turcon® Variseal® proves to optimize sealing integrity inhelium leak detection tests

Identifying seals that can give thekind of integrity required in thesesystems and stand up to such rigoroustesting is extremely challenging.Working with major semiconductorequipment manufacturers and usingour own research and developmentresources, Busak+Shamban hasestablished that one of the bestseals for vacuum systems is theTurcon® Variseal®. It is effective due toenergizing by a spring, its speciallydesigned profile and specificallyformulated material.

Tests have been undertaken withthis seal in application. In these, theseal was subjected to helium sprayand yielded results that improvedupon acceptable leakage rates. Theyachieved sealing with helium to10-6 mbarl/s and with air to 10-9 mbarl/s,outstanding levels for polymeric seals.


Download thesemiconductor brochurein the Download Area of

25

The jacket of this Turcon® Variseal® ismanufactured from our proprietaryPTFE based Turcon® material and isenergized with a metal spring.

detective

Case study 1:

Task: For a wafer processingequipment manufacturer, a seal hadto pass helium leakage tests.

Solution: Standard flanged Variseal®

with medium load spring.

Case study 2:

Task: For a high vacuum waferprocessing chuck application a stricthelium leakage test had to bepassed.

Solution: Custom Variseal® withtwo nested heavy load V-Springs.

Wide range of products and materials available forSemiconductor applications

Busak+Shamban offers one of thewidest ranges of products andmaterials specifically engineered forsemiconductor applications. Theseinclude our high technologyperfluoroelastomers, the Isolast® FabRangeTM.

The facts: HeliumHelium (He), one of the virtually inertnoble gases of the periodic table, iscolorless, odorless, and tasteless. Afterhydrogen, it is the second lightest andsecond most abundant element in theuniverse. On Earth, helium makes upabout 0.0005% of the atmosphereand is primarily a product of theradioactive decay of much heavierelements. It is found in significant

amounts only in natural gas, fromwhich it is commercially extracted atlow temperatures by fractionaldistillation.

Helium can pass through manymaterials and the rate at which itpasses through a seal, is normally thelimiting factor in achievable leakagerate.

Nice & easy does it – Request

26

Busak+Shamban has a reallyeasy-to-use electronic onlinecatalog where you can browsefor seals, fill a shopping cart and request a quotation. Checkit out now!

Find a seal to meet performance requirements

Depending on the seal type selected, you can identify a seal that:

• operates within a specific operatingtemperature range

• works at different pressures either static,dynamic reciprocating or rotating

• by its speed capabilities• is of a particular hardness or color

Request for Quotationonline withBusak+Shambancouldn’t be easier.This service is not available through all localwebsites. Available for users in Europe andAsia. Coming soon in the Americas!

Searching couldn’t be easier

There are lots of search options:• By product • By item number• Full text search• Seal properties• Compound types• Approvals

You can even use a ‘wild card’ if you don’t quite knowwhat your are looking for.

for Quotation online!

27

Extras

All the information yourequire

Once you have the results of your search you can click through to an item information page. In a simple to view page you are given:

• Seal Dimensions• Technical capabilities• Institute approvals• Availability with daily stock figures

You can also access:• Installation drawings and illustrations• General product information• CAD files

Load up your cart

Once you have selected the items yourequire you can load up a shoppingcart. Via email you can requestquotation. Your local Busak+Shambanmarketing company will be informedof your requirement and contact youwithout delay.

The best option for the job

From your search list youcan do a full comparisonof up to four items.


Visit

and register NOW to viewthe Electronic Catalog

Part of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, a business area of the Trelleborg Group

Employees: 5700 (Trelleborg Sealing Solutions)

Research and Development Centers in Europe and America

Over 30 manufacturing plants worldwide

40 Marketing Companies worldwide

Quality Certifications: ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/TS 16949:2002

In-house polytetrafluor-ethylene, polyurethanedevelopment and elastomer development

More than 2000 material formulations

Worldwide distribution network

Contact your local Busak+Shamban Marketing Company at:


Busak+Shambanat a glance

Contact the editorial team:[email protected]

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