A Digital Publication By

The Engineered Solutions COMpany

December 2002

Industrial Controls Division • High Purity Controls Division Electronic Controls Division • Tescom Europe • Hankuk Tescom

Inside

Application StoryCompetitor Takes Back

Seat, continued

Product ProfileVA Wins, continued

LiteratureTradeshows

Unique Product ofthe Month

Web Site UpdateTescom UpdateMERSC Event WatchActivities Committee

AnnouncementsCertificate of RecognitionHoliday Schedule

Tescom UpdateMIS - Word Templates

AnnouncementsDecember Birthdays

Quotes & Stories

Becky Theiman –25 Years at Tescom!

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4

5

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w w w . t e s c o m . c o m

Application Story

Competitor’s Bellows Sensed Regulator Takes Back SeatTo Tescom’s Standard

By Tim Crowley, Northeast Sentrol, Tescom’s New England Distributor

Recently, Northeast Sentrol, Inc. (“Sentrol”) started working with an OEM on a nitrogenpressure control application. At the time of initial contact, there was no competition and the salewas almost a given for Sentrol and Tescom.

After providing initial pricing on theTescom 74-2400 Series and the 12 Seriesregulators, it became known to Sentrol thatthere would be competition from the Swagelok“ball” regulator which is a bellows sensedregulator. The bellows sensed regulatorperforms very well in varying flowapplications because the sensing element,a bellows, has a comparatively largersurface area. Compared to a Tescom diaphragmsensed regulator of similar size, a bellowssensed regulator has a significantly better droopcharacteristic. The stiffness of a stainless steel diaphragm andthe small surface area compared to a bellows makes it tough forTescom’s standard sensing element to compete with the moresensitive bellows sensed ball regulator.

64-2600 Series(standard spring

version)

64-2600 Series(pre-set version)

Product Profile

VA Valve Wins ‘BreakthroughProduct’ Of The Year Competition!

INDUSTRIAL CONTROLS DIVISION

A trade journal that targets the process control industrycalled Processing Magazine, sponsored a competition forthe best process related product of the year. It’s called the‘Fifth Annual Breakthrough Products of the Year’competition. Tescom submitted an essay which required aproduct description and a user testimonial. Here’s thesubmission that won the competition:

A 10,000 PSI ON/OFF VALVE IN A 3.2’’ PACKAGE!

Tescom Corporation’s breakthrough entry is a 10,000 psi valve that is only 3.17” high.Introduced in November, 2001, the VA Series Valve with its small profile is unique among its highpressure competitors. But what really blows away the competition, is the surprisingly long cyclelife (250,000+ cycles) achieved by a balanced poppet design. This creates an exceptionally lowcost of ownership and rare downtime.

continued on page 2

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NEW!

w w w . t e s c o m . c o m2December 2002

SEMICON JapanDecember 4-6, 2002Makuhari-MesseChiba, JAPANBooth 7-B001

SEMICON KoreaJanuary 21 - 23, 2003Convention & Exhibition

Centre (COEX)Seoul, KOREABooths 907/908

Underwater InterventionFebruary 10 - 12, 2003Ernest N. Morial Convention

CenterNew Orleans, Louisiana USABooth 508

National DesignMarch 3-6, 2003McCormick PlaceChicago, Illinois USABooth 7314

SEMICON ChinaMarch 12-14, 2003Shanghai New International

Expo CenterShanghai, CHINABooth TBA

Interphex New YorkMarch 31 - April 2, 2003Jacob K. Javits Convention

CenterNew York City, New York USABooth 2178

Tradeshows

Another interesting requirement of this application was that the regulator needed to be pre-setand not allowed to be adjusted once in service. This made the ball regulator even more attractivedue to its standard, pre-set configuration.

The application in question was to hold a set point of 45 psi, +/- 5 psi, at an inlet pressure of 70to 75 psi, with a flow rate of between 1 and 2 LPM of high purity nitrogen. A constant set pointwas needed because the high purity nitrogen was being used to float part of the machine as itmoved in and out of the process chamber. If the set point varied too much, the part would movearound more than desired. The solution had to be price sensitive, as the manufacturer of thebellows sensed regulator had come in at very competitive price. The OEM’s preference was for aregulator with a small footprint, which would not take up a lot of space in their tool. Additionally,the set point of 45 psi had to be held constant to +/- 5 psi despite the varying flow conditions.

After reviewing the application with the Regional Sales Manager, the Tescom Engineeringdepartment ran some initial flow/pressure tests and it was determined that the first choiceregulator, Tescom’s 12 Series, was not going to meet the application requirements. The 12 Serieswas the initial choice because of its small size.

Instead, Tescom recommended the 64-2600 Series regulator with a pre-set outlet pressure. Thelarger diaphragm sensing area of the 64-2600 provided a better opportunity to compete with theball regulator with respect to performance. Pre-setting the regulator at the factory to the desiredset point at the actual flow rate at the factory prior to shipment allowed the regulator to hold thedesired set point to +/- 5 psi as the flow increased or decreased within the customer’s flow range.To reduce the overall size of the 64-2600, Tescom developed a modification where the handknobwas removed and a shorter adjusting screw was used. The adjusting screw was capped off toprevent further adjustment in the field.

Tescom’s flexibility in manufacturing and desire to meet specific customer needs made the 64-2600 suitable for the application. The customer is extremely pleased with the performance ofthe regulator and has placed the part number on their tool’s bill of material. Since the initialrecommendation and field-testing, the customer has placed a blanket order for additional units.

Application Story

Competitor Takes Back Seat … continued

The VA was tested recently against four competing valve brands by Airgas Specialty Gases ofCheshire, Connecticut. Airgas was trying to find the most reliable valve for gas handling systemsto be used in their own facilities. According to Rob Shock, Director of Specialty Gas Automationat Airgas, “ Tescom’s [VA Series] valve held out the longest with 255,079 cycles. This isapproximately 128 times the life of the current [competitor’s] valve being used.”

Another great feature of this product is quick, easy maintenance. The VA Series allows you toleave the valve plumbed into your system while you remove just the dome to access all theinternal parts.

We believe compact size, long cycle life and easy repair make the VA Series Valve truly abreakthrough product! Optional 15,000 and 20,000 psi versions of the VA Series Valve are alsoavailable from Tescom.

Product Profile

VA Valve Wins … continued

LiteratureHOT OFF THE PRESS:

Industrial Controls Division

Click on link to access PDF file

• 26-2900 Series - #1387(catalog page revision)

• 54-2000 Series - #1597(catalog page revision)

PRINTED LITERATURE:To request printed literature,please contact Carol Zimmer atczimmer@tescom.com.

Credits: The VA Series was developed initially for a customer of Dave Sorenson, ICD RegionalManager, who needed a rugged, long lasting valve in a cycle testing process for automatic brakes. ToddLarson, ICD Applications Engineer, and Tom Bydalek, ICD Project Engineer, were instrumental in thedesign and development of this product.

HOLIDAY LUNCHEONThe luncheon is scheduled for Thursday,December 12th, from 12:00 - 12:45 p.m.

for first shift employees. Secondand third shift will scheduletheir time with theirsupervisors.

We are going to have it catered (the majority wanted a cateredluncheon according to the survey that was sent out).

The Activities Committee decided to treat everyone this year and we arepaying for the luncheon. We’re having turkey with all the fixings.

It is not necessary to make up your time allowed for the luncheon, howeverif you decide not to attend, please follow your normal work schedule. Ifyou have any questions, contact an Activities member or Lynn Gallup.

We appreciate everybody’s participation with the Activities Committeefunctions and hope you all enjoy the luncheon!

w w w . t e s c o m . c o m3December 2002

Announcements

Congratulationsto the following

Tescom Employees for theirdedication and years of service!

Years of Service

Becky Thieman . . . 25John Hoss . . . . . . . 20Jeff Zullig . . . . . . . . 15Linda Raines . . . . . 15

Tescom USAis closed on:

December 23 - 25, 2002Christmas

January 1, 2003New Year’s Day

Tescom Europeis closed on:

December 25 - 27, 2002Christmas

January 1, 2003New Year’s Day

Hankuk Tescomis closed on:

December 25, 2002Christmas

January 1, 2003New Year’s Day

PRODUCTS ICD addedlinks to the VJSeries to access

the PDF file and CAD drawing.

NEW HOME PAGE URL’sNew URL’s are being placed onour ads to track internet inquiriesfrom specific magazines. Thewww has been eliminated andreplaced with the abbreviation ofthat magazine. Example:http://ce.tescom.com is fromChemical Equipment.

Pressure and temperaturecycle test manifoldThis system was custom designed andmanufactured by Tescom’s Industrial andElectronic Controls Divisions. The primaryfunction of this manifold will be in thetesting of master brake cylinders andpressure sensors.

If you should have any questions about thismanifold, please contact ICD/ECD SystemsEngineer, Steve Wrobel at 763-241-3317.

Tescom Update

Product/Systemof the Month

M.E.R.S.C.Minnesota EmployeeRecreation &Services Council

CorporateDiscount Program for Minnesota Employees

Upcoming Events

Employee HolidayLuncheon

Thursday, December 12, 2002

Employee Holiday Party atSilver Springs Golf ClubSaturday, January 11, 2003

EVENT WATCH:Disney on Ice – December 4-8 at the Target CenterGolden Gopher Wrestling – January 3 at the

Target CenterChanhassen Dinner Theater TicketsMinnesota Timberwolves TicketsDiamond Limo – 25% OFF Holiday Tour

NewSection!

w w w . t e s c o m . c o m4December 2002

Announcements

DecemberBirthdays!

TESCOM USAHappy Birthday!

Lynn Gallup . . . . . . . . . . . 4Dennis Laiho . . . . . . . . . . 4Brian McFarlane. . . . . . . . 4Connie Kavanaugh. . . . . . 5Dave Sorenson . . . . . . . . 7Linda Nistler. . . . . . . . . . 13Steve Posterick . . . . . . . 14John Hoss . . . . . . . . . . . 15Rebecca Withrow. . . . . . 15Tammie Rivers . . . . . . . . 17Dale Schmitt . . . . . . . . . 17Joe Plante . . . . . . . . . . . 22Michael Hannon . . . . . . . 23Lou Arcuri . . . . . . . . . . . 24Dave Mosley . . . . . . . . . 26Jeffrey Cessna . . . . . . . . 26Robert Marquart. . . . . . . 27Gerald Couture . . . . . . . 28John Bistodeau . . . . . . . 29Kelly Barry . . . . . . . . . . . 31Carol Zimmer . . . . . . . . . 31Lance Peterson . . . . . . . 31

TESCOM EUROPEGlückwünsche zumGeburtstag!

Bernd Bohnhof . . . . . . . . 18Iain Johnston . . . . . . . . . 18Roland Weber . . . . . . . . 18Jens Hoffmann. . . . . . . . 20Michael Raith . . . . . . . . . 26Bärbel Reinhardt . . . . . . 28Björn Grieger . . . . . . . . . 29Jens Erdmann . . . . . . . . 30

MIS Management Information Systems

Tescom Word Templates

There are a wide variety of templates unique toTescom that can be used within the MS Wordapplication. Examples of some of the more globaltemplates available include Corporate and Divisionalfax templates, Tescom letterhead, Tescom memo,Tescom logo and work instruction templates.Employees have the ability to review positiondescriptions and position training plans in the Wordtemplate directory. There are also templates that arespecific to the divisions, such as Industrial Controlsand High Purity Controls Shipping Orders andQuality Assurance Receiving Inspection Reporttemplates. In addition, High Purity ControlsDivision maintains a separate directory in whichsome of their forms templates reside.

All Tescom employees have the ability to accessthe template directory in Word. Most users are already set up to open the Tescom templatedirectory when creating new Word documents. To determine if you are opening the Tescomtemplate directory, open the MS Word application. From the gray menu bar, click on Tools andthen Options. From the Options window, select the File Locations tab and click once onWorkgroup templates. The location for the Tescom template directory isQ:\APPS\MSOFFICE\TEMPLATE. If your location differs from this, please continue asfollows:

From the Options window, click on Modify.From the Modify Location window, click on the arrow in the Folder Name field.From the drop down list, locate Q:\APPS\MSOFFICE\TEMPLATE and click once on it to

select it. If it is not an option, manually type Q:\APPS\MSOFFICE\TEMPLATE in theFolder Name field.

Click on OK in the Modify Locations window.Click on OK in the Options window.

From the gray menu bar, select File and then New. When the General tab is selected, you willsee all of the global Tescom templates. The High Purity forms templates that are available can befound by clicking on the High Purity tab.

If you have any questions or are having difficulty bringing up the Tescom template directory inWord, please contact the Help Desk at Ext. 444.

Tescom Update

Wow! Wow!

[Winston Churchill’s] feelings about his family were laced with sentimentality. His home was anindependent kingdom, with its own laws, its own customs, even its own language. “Wow!” one of

them would say in greeting each other. When Churchill entered the front door he would cry: “Wow! Wow!” and his wife would callback an answering “Wow!” Then the children would rush into his arms and his eyes would mist over.

William Manchester, The Last Lion (Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1983), 36-37 1001 Great Stories & QuotesR. Kent Hughes

w w w . t e s c o m . c o m5December 2002

Becky Thieman has held the position of Credit Administrator for 24 of the 25years she has been at Tescom. Her responsibilities include evaluating the creditworthiness of prospective new customers, applying customer payments to theiraccounts, and collecting amounts from customers that are not received whendue. In addition to these duties, she has been responsible for preparing thehourly payroll for the previous four years.

Becky has been a loyal employee for 25 years and an employee her fellowworkers and supervisors can count on to get things done.

Congratulations Becky!

Becky Thieman’s 25th Anniversary!