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'Pocket Chemistry Lab' Moves Closer to Market
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Technology Commercialization
'Pocket Chemistry Lab' Moves Closer to Market
With an exclusive license on a NIST invention, Saddleback Aerospace Inc., of Los Alamitos, Calif., is developing a miniaturized device for making quick, quantitative detection of a variety of organic and inorganic substances. The Miniaturized Flow-Injection Immuno-Assay, which will be about the size of a paperback book, will give fast and accurate answers to tests on health, food quality, biological or chemical weapons, illicit drugs and environmental contamination.
Implementing a NIST-invented and patented process, the MFIIA device uses dye-filled liposomes that selectively bind to the particular substance being measured. The process involves mixing a liquid sample with liposomes and injecting the mix into the device. An internal micro-pump will meter the precise amount of sample necessary for an analysis. Dye released from the liposomes indicates how much of a particular substance is present.
Capable of measuring compounds in parts per billion, the system is more sensitive than existing field assay techniques and as sensitive as some current laboratory tests. Using different cartridges, the MFIIA can be used to detect a wide variety of substances. The time to produce test results will typically range from less than one minute to a few minutes.
Saddleback Aerospace is now developing a prototype and anticipates having a commercial version to market in the spring of 1999. The easy-to-operate device will have a keypad for entering sample information and a display for reading test results. The device will sell for between $2,000 and $3,000. Each test on the MFIIA is expected to cost between $1 and $3.
For more information, contact Chris Hassapis, Saddleback Aerospace Inc., 10523 Humbolt St., Los Alamitos, Calif. 90720, (562) 598-3700.
Media Contact:
Linda Joy (301) 975-4403
Research Partnership
NIST and Astralux Extend CRADA on Gallium Nitride Films
NIST and Astralux Inc., of Boulder, Colo., recently signed a document extending their cooperative research and development agreement to process gallium nitride films on silicon carbide and sapphire substrates for use in industrial devices. Gallium nitride and its alloys are important to NIST because they can be made into light-emitting diodes and diode lasers in the green-to-ultraviolet range of the spectrum. Industrial interest is high because of applications in display technology, optical memory and specialty detectors and transistors.
Building upon work conducted under the original NIST/Astralux partnership, the CRADA extension will enable NIST personnel to develop a basic understanding of gallium nitride processing and device development. The new project will focus on the development of transistors designed for high temperature operation and solar-blind ultraviolet detectors. The CRADA partners hope to take these devices from the current exploratory stage to a successful demonstration. Once that goal has been reached, Astralux will assume full responsibility for production of the gallium nitride devices.
For more information, contact Kris Bertness, NIST, MS 815.04, Boulder, Colo. 80303-3328, (303) 497-5069, or Jacques Pankove, Astralux Inc., 2500 Central Ave., Boulder, Colo. 80301-2845, (303) 413-1440.
Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder) (303) 497-3246
MEP Benefits
Report Shows Network Making Difference for Manufacturers
Although most centers in the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership network have been in operation for only a few years, they already are showing a significant return on investment, says a new NIST report summarizing the MEP and its accomplishments. The NIST MEP is a nationwide network of manufacturing extension centers to provide services to smaller manufacturers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Using data from a survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, firms served by MEP centers in fiscal year 1997 expect to increase sales by nearly $214 million and to show savings of $31 million in inventory and $27 million in labor and material. The companies directly attribute these benefits to the services provided by the manufacturing extension centers.
The report also describes the MEP centers' efforts to reduce their dependence on federal funding and to generate additional revenues. However, some strategies to offset lost public revenue, such as focusing on larger projects or repeat business, could compromise the basic mission of the MEP. Without public support, centers would "be driven to shift their focus to larger manufacturers," says the report. The report recommends that centers strike an appropriate balance between their public mission and generating revenue.
The complete text of Review of Mission and Operations of Regional Centers of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership is available on NIST's World Wide Web site at http://www.nist.gov/director/mepreport.htm. For information about the MEP, call (800) MEP-4MFG (637-4634).
Media Contact:
Jan Kosko (301) 975-2767
Manufacturing Conference
Demos to Showcase Electronic Commerce
Experimental electronic commerce applications will be among the research products showcased at the Annual National Manufacturing Technology Conference to be held on April 21-22, 1998, at NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md.
"Electronic Commerce for Next Generation Manufacturing Systems" will feature on-line demonstrations of emerging business and manufacturing capabilities being developed at NIST and at universities and industries around the country. Three technical tracks--electronic commerce, advanced processes, and distributed and virtual applications--will be devoted to reviewing the progress of selected projects and to discussing future objectives. The wrap-up session on the second day will assess the status of the Integrated Manufacturing Technology Roadmapping Initiative. Sponsored by four federal agencies, the initiative aims to define long-term technology needs in four high-impact areas: information systems, modeling and simulation, processes and equipment, and enterprise integration.
Featured speakers include Deputy Secretary of Commerce Robert Mallett and Randy Whiting, president of CommerceNet, an industry association with a membership of more than 500 organizations interested in using the Internet to conduct business.
Conference information can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.mel.nist.gov/docs/mfgconf/mfgcon.htm. Registration information also is available from Lori Phillips, (301) 975-4513. For technical information, contact Mark Luce, (301) 975-2159.
Media Contact:
Mark Bello (301) 975-3776
Laboratory Improvement
Detailed Facilities Plan Submitted to Congress
Within the next five years--as the measurement and standards needs of U.S. industry continue to escalate--more than 80 percent of the 30-to-45-year-old laboratory facilities at NIST's Gaithersburg, Md., and Boulder, Colo., sites will fail to meet those needs unless major renovations, maintenance upgrades and new construction take place. Congress recognized in its fiscal year 1998 appropriation for NIST that time is critical. Therefore, legislators approved $95 million for facilities improvements with a substantial portion contingent on NIST submitting a detailed facilities plan. The plan explains and prioritizes office and laboratory space requirements, maintenance projects, new construction projects, and renovation projects.
Once the NIST Facilities Improvement Plan is approved by Congress--and if advanced appropriations are provided this year--NIST intends to use $63 million of the FY 1998 funds to start on one of its highest priority projects--construction of the Advanced Measurement Laboratory in Gaithersburg, Md. This state-of-the-art metrology facility will provide flexible, world-class research space for NIST programs requiring the most stringent environmental controls.
To further work on the AML, the FY 1999 NIST budget request for construction and renovation includes $40 million. An additional $16.7 million would be used to address the highest priority projects among a substantial backlog of critical safety and maintenance needs. The complete text and graphics of the NIST Facilities Improvement Plan is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/facilities/facplan.htm. The document is downloadable as an Adobe Acrobat file.
Media Contact:
Michael Newman (301) 975-3025
Information Technology
New Report Highlights NIST's 1997 IT Accomplishments
Measurement science, or metrology, has been an important factor in the advancement of commerce and the development of useful, standard products in almost all technical areas. Mastering measurements for information technology is necessary before a technical infrastructure for IT will be complete. A new report, Information Technology Laboratory Technical Accomplishments 1997, describes some of the areas in which NIST's Information Technology Laboratory is working with industry to develop this much-needed technical infrastructure.
Among other goals, ITL works to improve the quality of software, overcome barriers to the interoperability of emerging network technologies and develop ways to measure the performance of high-performance computing and communications systems. ITL researchers also strive to develop safeguards for the integrity, confidentiality, reliability and availability of information resources by providing leadership, for example, in areas of emerging standards, such as public key infrastructure, role-based access control and advanced encryption.
In addition to descriptions of active programs and projects, the report highlights industry interactions and collaborations, discusses international activities and lists patents, publications and electronic resources.
The information in this publication is available on the Web at http://www.itl.nist.gov under "ITL Presents." For a printed copy, send a self-addressed mailing label to Elizabeth Lennon, B263 Technology Bldg., NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, or e-mail your address as it would appear on a mailing label to elizabeth.lennon@nist.gov.
Media Contact:
Anne Enright Shepherd (301) 975-4858
U.S. Department of Commerce
Technology Administration
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Editor: Michael Newman
HTML conversion: Crissy Wines
Last updated: March 16, 1998
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