19SEPTEMBER 2024for seals over 200 years ago to meet the Industrial Revolutionand high- pressure environments. "Our absolute commitment tothe industry is to work with the clients on what they need versuswhat they ask for," she affirms. Striving to take this awarenessa notch higher, ASNA also educates its clients on different best-known methods (BKM) via books and technical advice.Under the Hood of ASNA's SMART SealingSolutionsASNA's design center in Fremont, CA, led by the company's ableengineering team, is dedicated to offer complete engineeringanalysis finite element analysis (FEA), FA and PA (Failureand Product Analyses), material recommendation, and sealingsolutions to address any demands of this industry. From design andprototyping to its installation, test, and production, we offer thenimbleness as well as thorough analyses this Industry demands.Helping the ASNA team in this endeavor is its proprietary software,ASNA Calculated Engineering (ACE®), which help in determiningthe optimal hardware conditions possible for materials and resultin the most reliable sealing solutions. Once the seals are designedand installed, ASNA's team--through its performance analysis--checks for any thermal/mechanical degradation, plasma chemicalattack, or any other inherent design flaws in their solution. Thus, ina nutshell, by delivering such custom-engineered solutions, ASNAdelivers sealing solutions that minimize application-specific surfaceexposure to heat and chemical environments, thus significantlyextending the lifetime of its seals.To best explain how these capabilities help ASNA's clients,Dalia shares an instance when a company was trying out differenttypes of seals available in the market but without any luck. Forinstance, they were using Fluoro-elastomer (FFKM) seals that arechemical resistant but do not stretch (less than 3 percent). Theseals were being applied in a high chemical, high-temperatureenvironment. As a result, while the chemical was not affectingthe seal, the wrong groove dimensions and over-stretch conditionscontributed to the imploding of the seal, which was observed asa melting effect but was actually extrusion outside the groove."FFKMs by their very backbone structure cannot stretch morethan 1-3 percent. Given the conditions of its application, this sealwas both over-stretched and in a non-round formation," statesDalia. After trying out different seals, they came to ASNA forhelp. "We started by evaluating the seals that were used inside thegroove with the help of ACE® and performed a systematic checkon the groove; then offered designs that included seals that are notonly made of the right materials but are also of the proper size.This certainly changed the client's perspective on how they shouldapproach sealing solutions. Training the customer not only helpedin reducing the mistakes but also mitigating the larger concernsof higher costs and the elusive hunt for defects that affect yields.With many similar success stories, ASNA is indeed stirringa world of difference to the semiconductor landscape, especiallywhen it comes to the hardware. The company wants to remaina trailblazer for its semiconductor-grade sealing solutions evenmoving forward. Thus, to move in that direction that Dalia laidout during the inception of the company, she has also co-foundeda semiconductor, components, and instruments subsystems(SCIS) technology community--one of the Special InterestGroups (SIG) inside of the SEMI organization as reportedpreviously. This specific community is indeed acceleratingthe semiconductor market in the right direction as its missionrevolves around constantly conceptualizing, developing, andproviding the right parameters for semiconductor applications,how to measure them, with specific guidelines aimed in utilizingthe right methodology for evaluating and optimizing productsthat serve this market. At the same time, this special group isalso connecting like-minded members for new ways to optimizeperformance of these products to improve yields and uptime in avery challenging manufacturing process. With such progressivestrides, one would definitely say that the future shines bright forASNA and the semiconductor market it proudly serves. True to its vision of inspiring the world with `SMART sealing EXPERIENCE,' the company lays a lot of emphasis on educating its clients on the relevance of using the right seals for the right applications
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