Edwards Spectra-G Abatement System Wins Best Product Award

Plant Engineering China recognises the Spectra-G 3000 in the Environmental Health category for its role in LED production

CRAWLEY, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Edwards Group Limited (NASDAQ: EVAC), a leading manufacturer of sophisticated vacuum products and abatement systems and a leading provider of related value-added services, announced today that the Spectra-G™ 3000 abatement system has won Plant Engineering China magazine’s 2012 Best Product of the Year award in the Environmental Health category for its role in reducing pollution and costs of light emitting diode (LED) manufacturing.

“The Spectra-G 3000 allows global LED manufacturers to reduce the impact of their operations on the environment and, at the same time, lower their operating costs. It is great to see Edwards being recognised for its commitment to offering state-of-the-art technology with an environmental responsibility.”

“We are very pleased to be selected for this prestigious award,” said Shao Wei, Global Market Sector Manager - LED at Edwards. “The Spectra-G 3000 allows global LED manufacturers to reduce the impact of their operations on the environment and, at the same time, lower their operating costs. It is great to see Edwards being recognised for its commitment to offering state-of-the-art technology with an environmental responsibility.”

China’s 12th Five-Year Plan focuses on reducing energy consumption and improving the environment. It provides preferential treatment for developing energy-efficient technology and also includes mandatory targets for carbon emissions, nitride pollution in water supplies and nitrogen oxide pollution in air.

The adoption of energy-efficient LEDs for general lighting and specialty applications, such as backlit flat panel displays (FPD) for computers and televisions, is expected to contribute significantly to reductions in energy consumption and (indirectly) carbon emissions. However, large-scale LED manufacturing has the potential to generate nitride and NO_x emissions that must be abated.

Edwards’ Spectra-G 3000 system is an advanced gas abatement system specifically designed to handle the large flows of ammonia (NH₃) and hydrogen (H₂) found in the metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) processes used to manufacture LEDs. Using a combustion process, it converts these gases to harmless nitrogen (N₂) and water vapour (H₂O). Since the process uses no external water it completely eliminates nitride contamination of the water supply, and careful control of the combustion process keeps NO_x emissions well below permitted levels. Combustion of hydrogen eliminates the risk of fire or explosion downstream in the manufacturing facility.

The system also offers significant reductions in total cost of ownership as most of the energy is supplied by burning the ammonia and hydrogen from the MOCVD process. This greatly reduces the cost of fuel and the release of carbon from hydrocarbon fuels. Air is used rather than water for post-combustion cooling, so the hot air can be passed through a heat-exchanger to capture and re-use the heat, further reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the manufacturing facility. Finally, the system’s robust design and the simplicity of the combustion process minimise maintenance costs.

Please visit: www.edwardsvacuum.com for more information about Edwards’ Spectra-G abatement systems. For more information about Plant Engineering China’s 2012 Best Product of the Year award please visit: http://webcast.planteng.cn/534/Content.aspx.

Or, contact the Edwards China Office:

Edwards Technologies Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd

301, Building 7

No. 3000, Longdong Avenue

Zhangjiang JiDianGang Phase 1

Pudong, Shanghai

China - 201 203

Tel (Toll Free): 400 111 9618 or Tel : [phone]

About Edwards

Edwards is a leading manufacturer of sophisticated vacuum products and abatement systems and a leading provider of related value-added services for the manufacture of semiconductors, flat panel displays, LEDs and solar cells and a leader in vacuum technology for industrial, pharmaceutical, chemical, scientific, process, glass coating and food packaging industries as well as a wide range of R&D applications.

Edwards has over 3,300 full-time employees and over 600 temporary workers operating in approximately 30 countries worldwide engaged in the design, manufacture and support of high technology vacuum and exhaust management equipment.

Edwards’ American Depositary Shares trade on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol EVAC. Further information about Edwards can be found at www.edwardsvacuum.com.