The corona virus is changing our daily life and work in a way never before seen. Since the restrictions in public life currently continue to be largely maintained and can only be eased gradually, the pressure on global medical research to develop drugs, therapies and ultimately a vaccine against this novel virus is increasing. LAUDA, as a manufacturer of temperature control units and systems as well as laboratory equipment, contributes to the solution in dealing with COVID-19. As a long-standing supplier of professional temperature control technology with over 60 years of experience, LAUDA equips laboratories all over the world with highly accurate and reliable temperature control and laboratory technology. In times of the Corona Pandemic, an even more important part of LAUDA's expertise is found in the area of pharmaceutical production of active ingredients.

LAUDA temperature control units support companies in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, for example in the commercial production of pharmaceutically and biotechnologically produced active ingredients - this becomes important, for example, in the production of a vaccine against the coronavirus in large quantities. An important step in this process is the temperature control of bioreactors. Here, microorganisms are cultivated under the best possible conditions, for example in the range of body temperature to 37 to 38 °C, and then suddenly cooled down. "In the field of bioproduction, we have been supplying all well-known customers for years. Especially our Integral process thermostats and the Variocool recirculating coolers with additional heating have become a kind of gold standard in the temperature control of bioreactors," explains Dr. Gunther Wobser, President and CEO of LAUDA.

For the mass production of a possible vaccine or supporting medication, the industrial division of LAUDA develops heating and cooling lyses for scale-up processes. These include process cooling systems for so-called "Freeze & Thaw" processes, in which active ingredients are deep-frozen in large tanks and shipped for further processing. "We are currently receiving enquiries from major technology companies in the USA who are using our industrial cooling systems for research on COVID-19," says Dr. Marc Stricker, the COO responsible for this area.

In addition to production, the storage of active ingredients plays an important role in combating the pandemic. LAUDA cryogenic equipment is used, for example, in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of vaccines and medications in order to store samples safely and over a long period of time.

LAUDA also offers solutions in the area of preparatory steps: "In the area of laboratory technology, we are currently receiving an increasing number of enquiries about LAUDA-GFL stills", explains Dr. Gunther Wobser. The distillation apparatuses of the youngest LAUDA subsidiary are used for the production of purified water for the manufacture of disinfectants as well as for the supply of autoclaves for sterilisation/autoclaving, e.g. of surgical instruments, components or tubes of respirators. So-called overhead shakers also help in the fight against coronavirus - the shakers are used to produce solutions for test kits for the extraction of DNA and RNA from a variety of sample materials such as serum, plasma, oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal swabs (mouth, throat or nose) or other respiratory samples.

However, LAUDA's contribution does not end with its products and services. The company has also offered its support to the Corona Task Force for Medical Technology of the state of Baden-Württemberg, as well as to the well-known medical technology company Dräger in the production of urgently required medical devices. LAUDA also helped Corona helpers of the Main-Tauber Kreis with donations in their solidarity against the consequences of CO-VID-19: "We take the virus very seriously in our own company as well and have initiated strict rules and safety measures to protect the health of our employees and at the same time ensure the availability of our temperature control units worldwide," says Dr. Gunther Wobser. "Fortunately, we can still guarantee this at present. All of our employees are working flat out, either on site or from their home offices, to deliver first-class quality under the given restrictions for those who are urgently dependent on our products in the fight against COVID-19," adds CFO Dr. Mario Englert. "We are proud to be able to contribute to the solution of the Corona crisis with our daily work".

The LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GmbH & Co. KG, the world market leader for precise temperature control, has renewed its support for the Saxon technology start-up watttron. Together with other renowned investors, LAUDA is providing fresh capital of EUR 3.4 million in addition to expertise. LAUDA is thus underlining the importance of the successful cooperation with the young company from Freital near Dresden, which began in 2018. The multi-award-winning start-up company develops and manufactures intelligent heating systems that are able to heat with pinpoint accuracy. This is particularly important in the packaging industry, as the innovative process can save energy and material. Together with LAUDA, marketing opportunities in the fields of analysis, bio and laboratory technology and on the North American market are being worked on. In addition, both companies are working on a prototype that is not only capable of heating with pixel accuracy, but also of cooling.

With the current financing round, watttron aims to accelerate its own development, gain new partners on a global level and open up new industries such as biotechnology, chemistry or 3D electronics. LAUDA as a partner firmly believes in the success of the young company and is convinced of the joint partnership: »We have been watttron's cooperation partner for around two years because we have already seen and actively support the benefits of the patented heating technology beyond the packaging market in 2018«, says Dr. Gunther Wobser, President and CEO of LAUDA. »The positive development of recent years has confirmed our decision to continue investing in watttron.«

Thermoelectric process thermostats, which are used in the temperature control of etching processes in the semiconductor industry, have been a permanent feature of LAUDA’s comprehensive portfolio since its acquisition by Noah Precision (now LAUDA-Noah) in 2014. Now the global market leader has fully revised and expanded the former POU product line with the new “Semistat” series.

The new LAUDA Semistat product line comprises three models: LAUDA's Semistat S 1200 is an affordable entry-level device that offers an even smaller footprint than its predecessor – with the same cooling output of 1.2 kW at 20°C. Meanwhile, the newly developed Semistat S 2400 retains the mechanical and hydraulic structure of the product line. The process thermostat also incorporates the latest innovations from the thermoelectrics sector, such as the latest generation of high-performance Peltier elements, which guarantees a higher power density and greater reliability. With the Semistat 4400, LAUDA has brought a whole new performance class with 4.4 kW cooling output to market. This process thermostat is specially designed for applications using 300 mm wafers with a high cooling output requirement at low temperatures.

Thermoelectric process thermostats for the semiconductor industry from -20 to 90 °C

Semistat process thermostats have been optimized for precision temperature control in plasma etching applications in the semiconductor industry. Defined areas are removed from the surface of the wafers during the etching process. A dynamic temperature controller keeps the wafer chucks located inside the plasma etching chamber at a constant temperature, to prevent temperature drift. The constant temperature is crucial in maintaining a stable etching profile and producing a high-quality surface. Peltier technology realizes the two main advantages of Semistat thermostats: energy and space savings combined with maximum long-term operational stability.

The new process thermostats are extremely energy-efficient because they only control the temperature and consume energy when there is a need to regulate the temperature inside the etching chamber. Since the Peltier element is the only component used for heating and cooling, it is possible to minimize the space requirements of the thermostat. The compact design and optional underfloor installation ensure that minimal space is occupied in the cost-intensive cleanroom. A small internal fluid volume and short hose connections from the device to the application mean that less energy is required to control the fluid temperature. The low volume of the temperature control fluid, in particular, allows rapid temperature changes. Semistat temperature control systems use up to 90 percent less energy than compressor-based systems.

Like its established predecessor, the Semitat product line has a working temperature range of -20 to 90°C and offers a high temperature stability of ±0.1 K. With cooling outputs from 1.2 to 4.4 kW, the water-cooled devices can be used in combination with a large variety of chamber and platform models.

The most important functions of LAUDA Semistat process thermostats

• Compressor and refrigerant-free system with low energy consumption
• Smallest footprint in the industry
• Extremely low volume of heat transfer fluid
• Use of perfluorinated fluids
• Improved accessibility and minimal cleanroom use
• No filters or DI components required
• High reliability and low operating costs
• Locally exchangeable modules for easy troubleshooting
• Dynamic, stable temperature control at the point of use
• Temperature drift prevention for stable etching profiles
• Improved wafer-to-wafer stability