"[Swagelok] came up with a whole solution." - Former Master Technologist at HP Labs (Video)

A story from the front lines of Silicon Valley materials research

“In less than two weeks they came up with a whole solution. And in the last five years I have [had] no more leaks in the system. That's the sort of capability and specialty that Swagelok can provide for us, and no one else can."

- Tan Ha, former Master Technologist, HP Labs

During his nearly four years as Master Technologist at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Tan Ha led development of HP Labs' Class 10 cleanroom nano-fabrication lab. 

"Essentially every piece of equipment has been replaced or re-engineered to meet the constantly changes needs and growing scope of research activities," Ha writes at LinkedIn. "....This cleanroom facility is used to develop the nonvolatile memory, nano-sensors, Silicon photonics, optical interconnect and Silicon nanowires."

Ha collaborated with Swagelok when he needed advanced fluid systems expertise. "One of the critical parts of the system is the cooling system for the substrate holder. Sometimes we heat it up to 1,000°C," Ha explains.

This particular system came with a cooling loop engineered by a German manufacturer. And it leaked." Right away, we opened the system and we saw the weakness in the piping system of the unit," Ha recalls. The challenge for Swagelok's engineers: what piping system should the unit have?

Tan Ha discusses how Swagelok Northern California is a high performance resource for HP Labs.

Swagelok listened carefully to Ha's needs and gathered detailed information on requirements. Then we proposed a water loop assembly with a stainless steel cover to protect the piping.

"In less than two weeks they came up with a whole solution. And in the last five years I have had no more leaks in the system," Ha said. "That's the sort of capability and specialty that Swagelok can provide for us, and no one else can."

What's next: You can leverage our fluid system expertise and assembly capabilities the way HP Laboratories did. Get started at our Assembly Services ("Build It for Me") page! And while you're here, download our "7 Ways to Reduce Assembly Risks and Costs" ebook for valuable tips.

(Prefer to talk live? Please give us a call at 510-933-6200.)

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• Swagelok in Action: Get a Panel Assembly That You Can Stand By (blog article)
• Check My Design (Design Optimizaton Service)
• Optimizing a Chiller Box Design (case study)