AVL, MKS Announce OEM Agreement MKS Multigas 2030HS® FTIR to Be Integrated into AVL SESAM-FTIR System


Wilmington, MA, October 31, 2006 - MKS Instruments, Inc. (Nasdaq: MKSI), a leading provider of process control technologies for improving productivity in advanced manufacturing processes, joins AVL Emission Test Systems GmbH, a major supplier of automotive emissions testing systems, to announce an OEM agreement integrating MKS' Multigas 2030HS High Speed FTIR analyzer into AVL's SESAM-FTIR Exhaust Gas Measurement System. Presented at the Automotive Testing Expo in Detroit last week, AVL's new SESAM-FTIR product offering brings new levels of speed, reliability and ruggedness to exhaust gas measurement.

The incorporation of the MKS 2030HS into the AVL SESAM-FTIR (System for Emission Sampling And Measurement) will reduce the cost of ownership through reduced maintenance and increased ease of integration with test bed automation systems. The integrated system will facilitate the transportation, fuel and after-treatment manufacturers' research, especially related to transient component and concentration variations occurring in advanced automotive chemistries and methodologies needed to meet new federal emissions regulations.

The MKS 2030HS is a field-proven Fourier Transform InfraRed gas analyzer (FTIR) that can simultaneously monitor 20+ traditional and non-traditional combustion gases. The system's patented, fast-scanning FTIR provides high resolution (0.5 cm-1) data at acquisition rates up to 5 Hz, with detection limits typically below 1 ppm. The 2030HS can speciate NOx and hydrocarbons, and can quantify NH3 and Isocyanic acid, which traditional analyzers do not monitor. The system comes fully equipped for automotive applications with calibrations for 191ºC.

AVL's SESAM-FTIR has a proven track record as a reliable and valuable system for the development of tomorrow's engines with advanced exhaust gas after-treatment systems (e.g. DPF, SCR, CRT). The SESAM-FTIR system provides invaluable data for research requiring exhaust emission measurements in engine and chassis dynamometer tests, for online exhaust evaluation under transient engine operation, and for the development of catalytic converters, NOx storage catalysts and fuel cells. SESAM-FTIR provides for fully automated operation with an intuitive user interface.

About MKS
MKS Instruments is a leading worldwide provider of process control solutions for advanced manufacturing processes such as semiconductor device manufacturing and thin-film manufacturing for flat panel displays, optical storage media, architectural glass and electro-optical products. We also provide technology for biopharmaceutical and medical imaging equipment.

Our instruments, components and subsystems incorporate sophisticated technologies to power, measure, control and monitor increasingly complex gas-related semiconductor manufacturing processes, thereby enhancing our customers' uptime, yield and throughput, and improving their productivity and return on invested capital.

About AVL
AVL is the world's largest privately-owned and independent company for the development of powertrain systems with combustion engines as well as instrumentation and test systems. The high-tech company AVL employs 3,440 people worldwide. Turnover in 2005 was 507 million Euro. Close contact with the customer is guaranteed through affiliates and representatives in all major countries worldwide.

Lisa Condon
MKS Instruments, Inc.
Phone: 978-284-4050
Fax: 978-284-4999
Lisa_Condon@mksinst.com

Andrea Arnold
AVL North America, Inc.
Phone: 248-765-1264
Fax: 734-414-9692
andrea.arnold@avlna.com

All Topics