Tiny Silicon Chip Developed by Microstaq Will Revolutionize Car Technology
Microstaq’s MEMS valve technology will miniaturize automotive flow control systems and has the potential to revolutionize the entire world of flow control in the same way the transistor changed the electronic world.
Bellingham, WA (PRWEB) May 19, 2005 –- Microstaq engineers here have
developed a tiny, silicon chip capable of controlling the refrigerant system in
a car’s air-conditioner, and this chip’s broader applications hold the promise
of a fluid controls revolution similar to one that rocked the electronics world
with the invention of the transistor.
The Microstaq silicon valve is a
micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) product designed specifically for fluid
control across a number of flow control applications. This tiny silicon wafer,
about the size of a button, can control the flow of liquids, mists and gases at
high pressures and high flows, replacing a traditional valve as large as a
standard flashlight. Its lighter weight and smaller size coupled with its true
linear flow control characteristics have the potential to lead to increases in
vehicle fuel economy while reducing power consumption in every car, truck and
SUV that uses it.
Microstaq has been testing the fluid-control microvalve
on automotive air conditioners for the past three years at its labs in
Bellingham, 90 miles north of Seattle, and anticipates production to get
underway within two years.
Company cofounders Steve Booth and Jeff Chance
believe that their patented technology has broader applications for vehicle
stability control, transmission systems control and other automobile fluidic
systems.
“In a demanding world marketplace, product miniaturization
matters,” said Booth, also president of the company. “The market emergence of
transistors, for instance, revolutionized the electronics industry through the
miniaturization of electronic products. Now our powerful new silicon-based
microvalve MEMS technology promises to revolutionize the fluid control world
just as the transistor changed the electronics world.”
A typical
automobile has 50 valves that need to be opened and closed automatically and
regulated closely, he noted. In addition to controlling pressure, fluid-control
valves regulate the rate the flow of fluid i.e. how brake fluid, transmission
oil, refrigerants and other fluids are used in the car. Replacing the bulky
mechanical valve devices with Microstaq’s tiny electronic chip has the potential
to revolutionize automotive fluidic systems designs, leading to improved vehicle
mileage and reduced automotive greenhouse gas emissions.
Its cost, size,
weight, durability, performance and component integration capability offer
strong benefits for auto manufacturers and automotive systems
suppliers.
“It offers exciting cost savings for manufacturers and
suppliers, coupled with increased product functionality and environmental
benefits,” Booth said. “Even a half-mile-per-gallon increase in fuel efficiency
could translate into eliminating hundreds of thousands of metric tons of auto
emissions every year,” he added.
Microstaq’s proprietary,
pressure-balanced valve design uses advanced silicon wafer processing
technologies to fabricate a high-pressure, high flow capable microvalve as
compared to membrane or orifice-type microvalve designs. The Microstaq valve is
designed to operate in the harsh temperature and pressure environments typical
to many automotive flow control systems.
“There is great potential for
this microvalve to be on every car in the world,” added Jeff Chance, executive
vice president and COO.
Microstaq’s valve technology holds such great
promise that the company received a $2 million federal grant in 2001 from the
National Institute of Standards Technology’s Advanced Technology Program to
develop its unique microvalve for a car’s air conditioner.
About
Microstaq:
Microstaq (www.microstaq.com) is a privately held company founded in 2000
to bring MEMS technology to the flow control world of automotive systems.
Microstaq designs, develops and manufactures high-performance MEMS silicon valve
systems capable of operating in normal to extreme flow control
environments.
Cofounders Steve Booth and Jeff Chance were business
development and sales managers in the automotive air-conditioning and engine
cooling industry before founding the company to address flow control
opportunities in the air-conditioning and refrigeration industries. Formerly
known as Alumina Micro, the company moved to Bellingham in
2002.
Microstaq recognizes the benefits of business partnerships to
efficiently market its valve technology and seeks partnerships that will
successfully market its flow control technology into promising business sectors.
Contact:
Jeff Chance
Executive Vice President
360-734-8220
x102
www.microstaq.com
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb242111.htm