How clean is clean enough? When it comes to successfully developing and manufacturing complex modules and machines, for high-tech OEMs in semicon or analytical markets, the bar for cleanliness is definitely high. To meet ever stricter demands for cleanliness, NTS regards contamination control as a core competence.

We invest heavily in generating relevant knowledge and the necessary equipment, and in applying them to development and manufacturing processes, for customers. We use our expertise in clean environments and vacuum systems, to ensure our customers can rely on the end product, and stay ahead of the curve. Our standards, for cleanliness needs, are set to meet both current and future challenges.

Contamination Control and Vacuum Technology

At NTS, we often work on high-precision mechanical and mechatronic systems that operate in highly conditioned environments. Often these systems have vacuum subsystems or require some form of contamination monitoring. We apply our in-depth knowledge and experience in manufacturing and assembling vacuum modules and systems. Vacuum environments by default must be clean. Working at nanometer precision, or for instance in high voltage fields under vacuum means that even little amounts of contamination can interrupt production processes and reduce machine lifetime. That’s why our strategic partners are very much willing to share their R&D path and cleanliness requirements with us, to enable optimal results.

Our Multi-focus Approach

We focus on all the parameters that contribute to achieving cleanliness – infrastructure facilities, work culture and knowledge sharing

Infrastructure and Cleanroom Facilities

To facilitate the increasing demand for cleanroom assembly, we have been increasing our high-end cleanroom capacity world-wide. Our facilities are equipped with several ISO 6 cleanrooms and cleaner mini environments. Capacity is available at our sites in the Netherlands, Shanghai, the Czech Republic and Singapore. Several sites also have on-site advanced fine cleaning lines. In some of our customer’s projects, we have reduced particle count to ‘undetectable’ levels.

Cleanliness as Work Culture

In order to prevent contamination, cleanliness is a ‘way of living’ at NTS. Besides physical infrastructure, we also focus on the human part of the equation, as a prerequisite to achieve optimal cleanliness results. Procedures and rules cannot prevent all risks. Creating awareness and taking ownership of cleanliness is a major factor to obtain ultraclean results. We organize special cleanliness training for all personnel in order to create the optimal work environment for clean products

Knowledge Sharing

Cleanliness is the sum of successive steps in a manufacturing flow or supply chain. Therefore knowledge sharing is important when multiple suppliers are working together on a delicate product. As a member of the Dutch VCCN (Vereniging Contamination Control Nederland), we are working together to ensure we have a common technical language across the industry, to help improve expertise and supply chain efficiency.

NTS also established its Cleanliness Competence Team (CCT) in order to build up, secure and disseminate cleanliness competence and to set design guidelines. Cleanliness as a core competence is embedded in all layers of the organization and the team works closely with all other NTS competences.