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| About Us |
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Thank you for visiting our Web
site.
Saint-Gobain Crystals is a division of Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc.,
a subsidiary of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain headquartered in Paris, France. Our
Scintillation Products Business Unit of Saint-Gobain Crystals is a world
leader in the design and manufacture of materials and assemblies used in
radiation detection and measurement.
Our products are used in a broad spectrum of applications
including medical imaging, oil exploration, health physics, security and
safeguards, aerospace and astrophysics. Saint-Gobain Crystals has
approximately 400 employees in sales and manufacturing locations
worldwide. Our commitment is to research and innovation, and to meeting
the current and future needs of our customers.
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| Management Systems
of Saint-Gobain Crystals (Scintillation Products) in Ohio (U.S.A.), France
and India are registered to ISO
9001:2000. |
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History
1930s
Harshaw
Chemical Company, in the U.S., is the first major manufacturer to develop
and produce scintillation crystals.
1940s
Quartz &
Silice, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain in France, begins production of
optical crystals and scintillation crystals.
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Harshaw Chemical staff in 1930
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The original Purification Department at Bicron,
Newbury, Ohio
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1960s
In 1969
Bicron Corporation is established in the US and begins production of
NaI(Tl) scintillation ingots.
1970s
Bicron
produces the first 21" diameter NaI(Tl) ingot in 1974. In 1978, two
21" diameter furnaces are added.
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1980s
In 1980, two
26" diameter furnaces are added at Bicron, and the first G-style
production unit. The following year, the Electronics and Organics groups
are established within Bicron. Many materials production advances are made
including the 19" x 19" NaI(Tl) spectrometer, the first unsegmented 4
meter long plastic scintillator and the "plastic ball" detector
array. In 1989, Nippon Bicron is established as a trading company to
serve the Japanese detector market.
1990
Saint-Gobain purchases Bicron Corporation and the
Crystals and Detectors Division of Engelhard (which sold TLD products
under the brand name "Harshaw".)
1992
Crismatec-Grenoble is acquired by Saint-Gobain.
Crismatec becomes the new name for the Quartz & Silice entity.
1993
Bicron becomes
the entity name for the Solon and Newbury, Ohio plants.
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1997
A production
facility is opened in Bangalore, India: Bicron Products Private Limited
(BPPL).
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Manufacturing facility in Bangalore,
India
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1999
In the U.S,
Bicron acquires the Crystal Products Division of Union Carbide, TGM
Detectors and Gamma Laboratories.
2000
All of the
above mentioned businesses are brought together under the new business
name of Saint-Gobain Crystals & Detectors - reflecting the unity of
purpose and strong inter-site links of the component businesses
2003
Saint-Gobain
Crystals becomes name of a division of business units which include
Scintillation Products. Bicron® and Crismatec® continue as detector brand
names.
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