INDUSTRY NEWS
SPI Lasers Joins Trumpf Group
Machine tool and laser manufacturer Trumpf has announced it has assumed control of SPI Lasers. The bid submitted by Trumpf became effective after shareholders of SPI Lasers approved the sale of more than 90% of the company’s shares to Trumpf. “Both companies will benefit from the acquisition,” says Peter Leibinger, vice chairman of the managing board and head of Trumpf’s Laser Technology and Electronics Division. Specializing in the manufacture of fibre laser systems, SPI Lasers has an international distribution network. “The acquisition offers SPI Lasers and Trumpf the opportunity to enjoy excellent market growth in the field of fibre lasers in the future,” says Leibinger. Trumpf intends to maintain and expand the merchant laser sales channel established by SPI Lasers. It is expected that other OEM products will be marketed through this channel over time.
For more information, contact Trumpf GmbH + Co. KG, Postfach 14 50, 71252 Ditzingen, Germany; phone +49 7156 303 30992; e-mail: ingo.schnaitmann@de.trumpf.com; Internet: www.trumpf.com.
Dymax Acquires Tridak
Dymax, a manufacturer of advanced light-curing adhesives, coatings, and curing equipment based in Frankfurt, Germany, has acquired Tridak (Torrington, CT, USA), which designs and manufactures standard and custom equipment for dispensing and filling materials such as adhesive, paste, solvent, lubricant, and dental materials. The acquisition expands Dymax’s capabilities to supply adhesives and other materials as well as the systems to dispense and cure them. Both companies will continue to offer custom product-development services.
For more information, contact Dymax Europe GmbH, Trakehner Str., D-60487 Frankfurt, Germany; phone: +49 6971 653 568; fax: +49 6971 653 830; e-mail: dymaxinfo@dymax.de; Internet: www.dymax.de.
NuSil and Ciba Collaborate to Develop Antimicrobial Silicone Materials
NuSil Technology, a manufacturer of silicone-based materials, and Ciba, a provider of antimicrobial products to the medical device industry, have announced their agreement to jointly provide antimicrobial products for use in medical device and healthcare-related silicone products. The goal of the collaboration between NuSil and Ciba is to develop custom medical silicone materials incorporated with a microbial defense system. That system would offer built-in broad-range protection against the growth of microorganisms that is specific to device application needs.
“The mission of our collaboration with Ciba is to provide a new, unique class of products to help customers develop safe and effective products,” explains Brian Nash, NuSil Technology’s vice president of marketing and sales.
For more information, contact NuSil Technology, 2740 route des Crêtes, 06560, Sophia Antipolis, France; phone: +33 4 9296 9331; fax +33 4 9296 0637; e-mail: nusil.sophia@nusil.com; Internet: www.nusil.com.
Boston Scientific Acquires Labcoat Ltd.
Boston Scientific Corp. has announced that it has acquired Labcoat Ltd., a privately held, development-stage drug-eluting stent technology company located in Galway, Ireland. Labcoat has developed a novel technology for coating drug-eluting stents that uses precisely metered droplets of a biodegradable polymer and drug formulation to create a thin coating confined to the outer surface of a coronary stent. This proprietary technology is designed to significantly reduce the amount of polymer and drug to which the vessel wall is exposed, while minimizing polymer and drug on the inner surface of the stent where endothelial cell growth is required for healing. Once the drug has been delivered, the biodegradable coating resorbs, leaving behind only the bare-metal stent. This approach is intended to provide the same degree of restenosis reduction as a conventional drug-eluting stent, but will result in faster and more complete vessel healing after stent implantation.
For more information, contact Boston Scientific, Le Capitole, 55 Avenue des Champs Pierreux, Nanterre Cedex, 92729, France; phone: +1 888 272 1001; Internet: www.bostonscientific.com.
Filtrona Extrusion Completes Mexico Plant Expansion
Filtrona Extrusion has reported that it has completed a multi-million-dollar expansion of its facility in Monterrey, Mexico, to enable the company to better service its customers with manufacturing operations in Mexico and to reduce freight costs. The 100,000-sq-ft addition to the facility, which now employs more than 70 people, brings total capacity to 125,000 sq ft. The plant, located in an industrial park in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, has 13 extrusion lines, a 22,000-sq-ft Class 100,000 cleanroom, and a 3000-sq-ft Class 100,000 subassembly area. The expansion reportedly makes the company the largest custom medical tubing extruder in Mexico.
For more information, contact Filtrona Extrusion, Postbus 1, NL-9285 ZV Buitenpost, Netherlands; phone: +31 511 541700; fax: +31 511 543332; e-mail: masssales@filtrona.com; Internet: www.filtronaextrusion.com.
New Centre for Electronic Imaging Research to Open
Image sensor specialist e2v has announced the formation of a Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI) at the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK. The CEI will be dedicated to the research and development of advanced technologies for electronic image sensing and provide knowledge exchange between industry and academia. The Open University and e2v will invest £3 million over five years in new research activity through the e2v CEI. The CEI will focus on the development of technology opportunities in space and terrestrial imaging and plans to extend the scope to health.
For more information, contact e2v technologies, 106 Waterhouse Lane, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 2QU, UK; phone: +44 1245 493493; e-mail: enquiries@e2v.com; Internet: www.e2v.com.
Q Chip Moves to New Facility
Microencapsulation product developer Q Chip has established a new corporate headquarters and R&D facility in Cardiff, Wales, UK. The company also has announced that it is using the more than £2 million of funding it raised in 2007 to expand its line of encapsulated polymerase chain reaction reagents and selection of microspheres for peptide delivery and cell encapsulation. In addition, the company is using the funding to further the development of its proprietary MicroPlant microfluidic device, which produces uniform microspheres that encapsulate the reagents needed to perform a polymerase chain reaction.
For more information, contact Q Chip Ltd., Oddfellows House, 19 Newport Rd., Cardiff, CF24 0AA, Wales, UK; phone: +44 29 2048 0180; fax: +44 29 2048 4131; Internet: www.q-chip.com.
Fischer Connectors Establishes New Headquarters
In response to increasing market demand, Fischer Connectors S.A. has moved its headquarters and primary production centre to new facilities along the lake of Geneva in Saint-Prex, Switzerland, located 10 km from its former location in Apples, Switzerland. With 15,500 sq m of space, the new three-story building has been designed to optimize production and logistics. According to the firm, the facility, which is now fully functional, has been equipped with the latest production and communication technologies.
For more information, contact Fischer Connectors S.A., Ch. du Glapin 20, CH-1162 Saint-Prex, Switzerland; phone: +41 21 800 95 95; fax: +41 21 800 39 24; e-mail: mail@fischerconnectors.ch; Internet: www.fischerconnectors.com.
DSM Dyneema Expands Manufacture of Medical-Grade Fibre
To help medical device companies develop new clinical approaches to improve patient outcomes, DSM Dyneema has announced that it is increasing manufacturing capacity of its Dyneema Purity material. The proprietary medical-grade ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene fibre is suited for use in medical applications requiring maximum strength and minimum weight. The company will create its first line for manufacturing the fibre at its facility in Greenville, NC, USA.
For more information, contact DSM Dyneema, Mauritslaan 49, Urmond, P.O. Box 1163, 6160 BD Geleen, Netherlands; phone: +31 464 767 981; e-mail: info.dyneema@dsm.com; Internet: www.dsm.com.
