Data tape, processing

It is interesting to trace the development of instrument automation over the relatively brief period of the past ten to fifteen years. Early in this period, a truly automated instrument was a rare and expensive item built around a costly dedicated minicomputer. Automated data collection and analysis from any instrument which was not automated at the factory was usually accomplished by digitizing the data and storing it on a transportable media such as paper tape. These data were then delivered and fed to a timeshare system of some sort on which the data reduction program ran and which printed a report and sometimes a plot of the data. Often a considerable time delay occured between the generation and the analysis of the data. The scientist was at the mercy of the computer elite who could implement his data logger and provide the necessary computer resources to analyze his data. The process was expensive, both in time and in money. 

The host computer is a mainframe that is used for data storage, process optimization calculations, and applying advanced process control approaches. Attached to the host computer is the data storage unit (usually a magnetic tape system) where archived data are stored. 

Numerical design and drawing data may be in the form of magnetic tape or disk for numerically controlled machines. Clearly you would not enter into a contract unless you had the type of NC machines required to process this data. 

In terms of records in electronic format, the requirements are much the same as for paper records. There will be some extra work involved if the final record is in an electronic format. The integrity of records has to be maintained over the normal retention period. This can pose a problem for electronic records because not only has the integrity to be maintained but the readability also has to be assured. It may be necessary to move/transfer the records to a new/different system. Every five years, or as recommended by the media manufacturer, it is reasonable to check the stored tapes and transfer the information to a new tape. There should be checks built into the transfer process to ensure that the integrity of the material is retained. It is important that this process is validated to ensure that there is no loss of information or changes to the data. 

Perfluoropolyethers emerged on the market in the early 1970s. The first perfluoropolyether was the homopolymer of hexafluoropropylene oxide produced by DuPont, which has the structure [—CF2CF(CF3)0—] and this new lubricant material was called Krytox.31,32 Krytox was and is used in most of the vacuum pumps and diffusion oil pumps for the microelectronics industry because it does not produce any hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon vapor contamination. It also has important applications in the lubrication of computer tapes and in other data processing as well as military and space applications. 

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