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CUSTOM STAINLESS STEEL VACUUM CHAMBERS

The vacuum chamber is one of the most challenging pieces of process equipment to make. Welds must be completely airtight. Distortion due to high loads can create leak paths around access ports, and material outgassing can affect the process being performed. Experience is essential to avoid problems.   Meyer Tool has the experience needed to avoid these problems with vacuum chambers.

Design Considerations for a Vacuum Chamber

​We have been designing and building custom vacuum chambers for over 40 years.  During that time we have accumulated a wealth of expertise and insight.  The first step is to designing custom vacuum chambers is defining the chamber’s intended purpose. Key considerations include:

  • Level of vacuum required
  • Process to be performed
  • Need for heating or cooling
  • Capacity
  • Requirements for doors, viewing ports and feed-throughs
 
Material outgassing affects both pump-down time and processing conditions inside the vacuum chamber. A stainless steel vacuum chamber yields the lowest outgassing rate, although aluminum performs almost as well. The disadvantage of aluminum is that moisture bonds to the surface whenever the doors are opened. This increases pump-down time and reduces maximum chamber throughput.
 
Vacuum chamber geometry is another critical aspect. A sphere forms the strongest shape and is easy to keep clean inside. However, spheres and hemispheres present manufacturing challenges, especially in larger sizes. For this reason, a custom vacuum chamber often takes a cylindrical shape.
 
Surface finish has a big impact on how well the vacuum chamber performs by influencing both cleanliness and desorption rate. Polishing operations are usually needed after machining to achieve the desired condition.

Extensive Vacuum Chamber Experience

​At Meyer Tool & Mfg., we have built custom vacuum chambers for a wide range of industries and applications. Many vacuum chambers are used for applying functional and decorative coatings via PVD and CVD. Others are at work in National Labs and the nuclear, semiconductor and engineered diamond industries. The stainless steel vacuum chamber is the most popular type.  We have also built vacuum chambers from aluminum, Inconel®, copper and many exotic alloys.
 
As a vertically integrated operation, we execute every task involved in building a vacuum chamber. Our expertise spans vacuum chamber design, machining, fabrication, welding and inspection. We can machine chamber components to exacting tolerances. What’s more, our welders are ASME Section IX certified. That means they're able to produce the ultrahigh vacuum quality welds needed when building your vacuum chambers.

Talk to Vacuum Chamber Experts

​The vacuum chamber is the critical piece of equipment in many research activities and high-technology manufacturing processes.  Don't cut corners when you need a custom vacuum chamber — talk to the technical specialists at Meyer Tool.  Call 708-425-9080 or complete our project request form to be connected to someone who understands your requirements.