Laboratory Equipments #4954863

Nor-Cal Products uses the most up-to-date equipment and procedures for the inspection of vacuum chambers. Every weld is leak checked with a helium mass spectrometer to insure leak rates of 1x10-9 mbar lsec. or less. Mechanical inspection is accomplished with a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). We can provide our customers with CMM inspection reports of their chambers on request.Our chamber qualification and test equipment is available to customers for an additional fee who request residual gas analysis (RGA) scans and leak checks of their chamber after vacuum baking. The test equipment includes vacuum pumps, gauges, RGA, quartz heaters, nitrogen back fill and a leak detector. Chamber bake out is achieved with high intensity infrared radiant lamps that are strategically placed throughout the chamber. Baking under vacuum removes high and low molecular weight volatile compounds. Non-water cooled UHV chambers are typically baked for at least 24 hours at 150C. (The maximum temperature of system components such as seals, chamber materials, valves, etc. may limit maximum baking temperatures.) Uniform bakeout temperature is achieved by wrapping the associated system components in high temperature fiberglass materials.After cool down our RGA will provide partial pressure data, determining the level of residual volatile compounds. Typical scans produce atomic mass levels below 1x10-9 mbar for atomic masses greater than or equal to 44. Total system pressures are between 5x10-9 and 7x10-10 mbar. Chamber design, seals and pumps used, and the maximum bake temperature over time effect the residual gas composition and ultimate pressures reached. Following chamber scanning, chambers are leak tested using a NIST traceable helium mass spectrometer leak detector with a final allowable leak rate of 1x10-10 mbar lsec. or less.

Nor-Cal Products, the premier manufacturer of stainless steel vacuum chambers, also manufactures welded aluminum chambers for high and ultra-high vacuum (UHV) applications. Aluminum provides several advantages over stainless steel for the researcher or vacuum equipment manufacturer. Some of the benefits include lower material cost, lighter weight, faster machining, high thermal conductivity, low nuclear activation, low magnetic permeability, and low carbon and hydrogen outgassing. Aluminum plate, spheres or roll ups are welded with DC andor AC GTAW or MIG. Welders are qualified to AWS D1.2D1.2M:2003 and ASME Section IX testing requirements. Flanges are either aluminum for high-vacuum or utilize aluminum-to-stainless steel, explosion bonded transitions or CF flanges for ultra-high vacuum. Aluminum electropolish is also available to produce a pure aluminum oxide layer for extreme UHV applications. Nor-Cal can fabricate chambers up to approximately five by five by five feet with wall thicknesses ranging from .065 to 2.0 inches. As with all other Nor-Cal components, these chambers are leak checked with a helium mass spectrometer. CMM reports and RGA scans are also available upon request.

Bell Jars are available in a variety of sizes and can be used in combination with our Baseplates and Feedthrough Collars. The belljars are supplied with a single dovetail grooved base flange which can mate to a feedthrough collar or baseplate. A 4" ID glass viewport as well as a lifting lug are included. Standard material construction is 304 SS with a glass bead finish.

Nor-Cal Products, Inc. load lock chambers are provided with a six inch CF flange for mounting to the gate valve, a six inch Add-A-Door with 7056 glass viewport, a 2.75 inch CF flange for attachment of the linear feedthrough, and two 2.75 inch CF flanges for pumping. Standard finish is electropolished. Custom sizes can be supplied upon request.

The SAC-12 is a standard platform vacuum chamber designed for surface science studies. The geometric design offers maximum flexibility for various experiments and includes 17 different ports for feedthroughs, viewports, manipulators, gauges, etc.