Waters Corp. to Acquire Wyatt Technology: Week in Brief: 02/17/23

Waters Corp. entered into an agreement to acquire Wyatt Technology, a developer of light-scattering and field-flow fractionation technology, for $1.36 billion in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023. Waters Corp. is a provider of analytical instruments and software related to chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis for the life, materials, and food sciences industries.

O PORRIÑO, Spain — PULSATE, a European Union initiative to boost the adoption of laser-based advanced and additive manufacturing technology, named the beneficiaries of its second open call for technology transfer experiments. The selected projects are now participating in a 13-month support program that began in January. The list of projects, announced earlier this year, can be found here.

Aerotech's cleanroom expansion, along with recent investments in new facilities and equipment, supports growing demand for high-precision motion control equipment for the semiconductor and microelectronics industries, among others. Courtesy of Aerotech.

PITTSBURGH — Precision motion control and automation solutions provider Aerotech Inc. will increase the space of its cleanroom facility to 6500 sq ft, more than doubling the size of the space. The cleanroom expansion, along with recent investments in new facilities and equipment, is designed to support growing demand for high-precision motion control equipment in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries, among others, the company said.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Linton Crystal Technologies (LCT) will produce semiconductor and solar manufacturing equipment in the U.S., the company said, with efforts currently underway to secure a site after the company announced a groundbreaking U.S. manufacturing investment. Linton is also developing an international service team to support customers worldwide as the industry looks to grow and improve processes and efficiency. Linton Crystal Technologies is a U.S. company with Chinese ownership. LCT plans to break ground on the endeavor in the second quarter of 2023.

LONDON — Optical computing startup Lumai was awarded an Innovate UK Smart Grant to commercialize its work in all-optical network training and deep optics for faster, more efficient computing. Lumai is a spinout of the University of Oxford working to develop all-optical neural networks for next-generation artificial intelligence. The company will use the £1.1 million ($1.3 million) grant to create advanced optical computing processors where the information flow and calculations are not dependent on electronic processing.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Medical technology manufacturer FYR Medical raised $2.6 million in a series A funding round to develop extended reality digital loupes that deploy light-field technology designed to reduce the eye strain and fatigue associated with many currently available augmented reality and virtual reality headsets. Commercial launch of the technology is expected in the second half of 2023.

FARNBOROUGH, England — BAE Systems and Leonardo UK received U.S. government approval to develop an interoperable aircraft survivability suite consisting of BAE Systems’ AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System and Leonardo’s Miysis Directed Infrared Countermeasure System. The combined capability will serve to enhance aircraft survivability against advanced threats.

A helicopter uses a directed energy system to defend itself against an airborne threat. Courtesy of BAE Systems.

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — With a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB) is leading a collaboration with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to establish a Quantum Information Science and Engineering program. The NSF-funded program, called QuAPB, will be located on the UAPB campus and will be a first-of-its-kind quantum center in the region. As the lead institution on the grant, UAPB will receive $3.5 million. The funding will enable UAPB to provide quantum laboratory and course content for bachelor’s and master’s degree students.

MILWAUKEE — Johnson Controls, a designer of smart and sustainable buildings; PURO Lighting, a subsidiary of Applied UV; and Ushio America established a research collaboration to study the efficacy and safety of filtered far-UVC disinfection technology. Far-UVC is a narrow band of UVC light centered at 222 nm, which is proven to inactivate pathogens at levels that are safe for human exposure and can be used in spaces where people are present. The planned research will allow for a better understanding of the possible impact the elimination of pathogens has on the surrounding air.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Sidus Space, a space-as-a-service company, was awarded a multimillion dollar agreement with The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) to deploy and test TNO’s laser communications technology aboard a Sidus LizzieSat satellite. As part of the $2.5 million agreement, TNO will design and deliver HemiCAT, a high-efficiency miniature communications laser terminal, which Sidus will integrate into LizzieSat, its hybrid 3D printed satellite. Sidus will manage all aspects of integration, deployment, and operations, including procuring a launch and operating HemiCAT in orbit.