Aluminum Vacuum Products

A New Generation of Ultra High Vacuum Systems:

THINK IN ALUMINUM

Atlas Technologies provides a full line of high vacuum and ultra high vacuum (UHV) products that allow you to fully utilize the exciting physical properties of aluminum and capitalize on its compelling cost of ownership advantages.

Aluminum Ultra High Vacuum Systems: From design, though manufacture through pumping all the way through RGA analysis, Atlas supplies complete aluminum UHV systems.

Aluminum UHV Chambers: Atlas manufactures standard and as well as custom ultra high vacuum chambers that meet your specific needs. From complex extruded to Monocoque ‘hog-out', explore the many aluminum chamber geometries we offer.

Aluminum Flanges: The Atlas Flange TM is the secret to successful use of aluminum for UHV systems. Our Atlas Flanges TM have a robust stainless steel knife mounted directly on an aluminum body. The stainless knife edge and face provides a rugged sealing surface for crushing copper gaskets while maintaining a uniform coefficient of thermal expansion that prevents leakage during bake-out when mating with other stainless flanges.

Aluminum Face Seal Fittings: The Atlas AT-VCR TM is a robust tube or pipe face seal fitting with a stainless sealing surface on aluminum body for reliable all metal sealing on aluminum gas lines.

Aluminum Ultra High Vacuum Reference Library: We have collected some helpful reference information on using aluminum in vacuum including welding, design, mechanical and vacuum performance information.

Exciting Physical Properties of Aluminum UHV:

The Rules Have Changed…

With the dramatically different physical properties than their stainless steel counterparts, aluminum ultra high vacuum (UHV) chambers are now poised to revolutionize the vacuum industry. These properties when looked at in sum offer compelling physical and cost of ownership advantages over stainless steel.

•  Aluminum requires less pumping than stainless steel. This is because there is inherently less hydrogen and carbon in aluminum. Furthermore aluminum forms a tenacious oxide that reduces diffusion of vacuum contaminates. Less pumping requires less expensive pumps this translates directly to a lower overall cost when compared to stainless.

•  Reduce cycle time because of fast bake-out and fast pump-down. With 3 x higher thermal conductivity and 21 x the thermal diffusivity, aluminum UHV chambers heat quickly and spread the heat very uniformly. This means aluminum ultra high vacuum systems offer a fast and complete bake-out.

•  Low contamination since aluminum has less carbon and hydrogen than stainless steel. Carbon deposition is a costly problem in ultra high vacuum optics (synchrotron grating, mirror and monochromators) and semiconductor applications. Aluminum has out gassing rates of less than 10 –13 Torr liter/sec cm 2 .

•  High vibration dampening, aluminum has a little over 1/3 the Young's modulus of stainless. This means that aluminum UHV chambers will attenuate vibration faster than stainless steel UHV chambers. This makes aluminum a better material for precision synchrotron, semiconductor and physics applications where excess vibration can have disastrous consequences.

•  Aluminum Machines 5x faster than stainless Because aluminum chambers can be machined so easily you can have vacuum chamber features actually fit your needs rather than having to modify your needs to fit the chamber. Tell us what you are looking for and we will suggest a design to meet your needs.

•  Excellent thermal properties, aluminum is excellent heat sink material with 3x greater thermal conductivity. Aluminum is capable of diffusing heat with 21 x the thermal conductivity and has a low thermal emissivity.

•  Compact design reduces costly floor space. Atlas designs aluminum vacuum chambers can that consume 40% less floor space than their stainless counter parts.

•  Light weight because aluminum is 1/3 the weight of stainless steel, less expensive support structure is often required this includes less expensive optical tables…. Aluminum's lighter weight also reduces shipping costs.

•  Can be extruded , elaborate shapes such as complex beam tubes, cooling fins and or modularity can be applied directly to aluminum vacuum ultra high vacuum systems. Contact us for the recommended UHV grade aluminum extruded alloys.

•  Low nuclear activation , Aluminum has a very short neutron activated half life measured in the order of hours, compared to stainless which is measured in many thousands of years. This short half life offers huge disposal savings and immeasurable savings in reduced exposure to staff.

•  Non-magnetic, aluminum is essentially magnetically transparent. With very low magnetic permeability aluminum UHV systems offer very little disruption to electron and ion optics.

•  Chemical resistance, aluminum can be anodized with a hard oxide surface making it chemically resistive to many chemicals.

Low Cost of Ownership for Aluminum UHV

High performance aluminum vacuum systems and using the Atlas Flange TM cost less than stainless steel systems when all costs are considered.

•  Lower over all cost of manufacturing due to compact design and fast machining

•  Smaller pumping requirements due to thermal properties of bake out, reduced out gassing properties of aluminum as well as reduced volume and surface areas

•  Reduced cycle time because of fast bake out and pump down

•  Reduced floor space and support structure due to compact design and light weight

•  Reduced shipping cost because of the light weight and small physical sizes

•  Reduced cost of disposal when nuclear activation is an issue