Vacuum solutions from research to mass production

Paul Boughton

The full-line vacuum portfolio offered by Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum supports all manufacturing processes within coating and industrial applications in the rough, medium, high and ultra-high vacuum regime. Pumping technologies, systems and services include components, standardised systems and fully customized vacuum solutions. The product range comprises oil sealed rotary vane and piston pumps, dry compressing and oil-free pumps, vacuum boosters, turbo-molecular, oil diffusion and cryogenic vacuum pumps, as well as standard and customised research coating systems. Repair and remanufacturing of all brands of vacuum pumps complement the vacuum portfolio.

From the research stages of coatings and nano-technologies, Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum offers customers optimized vacuum solutions, driving down cost of ownership and enhancing production reliability and profitability. Today, full system integration of all components is one of the most important requirements for the design and operation of a vacuum system posed by customers in industry, R&D and analytical business fields, avoiding complicated piping and superfluous cabling.

The new, magnetically levitated turbo molecular pumps TURBOVAC MAGiNTEGRA of Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum can do without the space usually needed for a separate frequency converter and provide a compact, flexible design, excellent vacuum performance and a standardized program of accessories. These offer maintenance-free operations in most industrial processes, such as display-, solar-, coating-, and R&D applications. Robust and reliable, the MAGiNTEGRA pumps are resistant against process particles and deposits. Process induced shock venting is tolerated to a high degree as well as assembly in any position and angle. The rotationally symmetrical and space saving housing is combined with a frequency converter which can be mounted flexibly as well.

Due to the 5-axis magnetically levitated bearings the TURBOVAC MAGiNTEGRA requires hardly any maintenance and shows a high degree of safety against hydrocarbons, especially when even low contamination of remaining bearing lubricants or greases are not compatible with sensitive manufacturing processes. Another remarkable advantage of the MAGiNTEGRA pumps is the operation at extremely low vibration levels which is of high importance in some applications. Of course, the TURBOVAC MAGiNTEGRA provides modern state-of the art communication interfaces and an intelligent monitoring of pump parameters, including self-protection functions in case of operational disturbances. The MAGiNTEGRA complements the high fore vacuum expertise of the established DRYVAC standardized pump systems used in PV manufacturing processes.

The DRYVAC combines the screw technology pumping principle with a very compact design – offering additional advantages to the customer. In the standard vertical combination with a RUVAC Roots pump, the footprint at the production line is minimised. In addition, the pump combination can be executed horizontally which extremely minimizes the height of the system.

For research and development purposes and pilot production, the well known UNIVEX line of universal experimentation PVD vacuum coating systems are available in configurations of varying chamber capacities utilising bell jars, stainless steel box chambers and cluster tool configurations, UNIVEX is offered with many standard features and options including high vacuum pump systems, power supplies, PLC, a variety of substrate holders, film thickness and vacuum measurement, cooling & heating systems, feedthroughs, view windows and gas admission. Various models of thermal and electron beam evaporators, DC and RF sputtering sources, organic evaporators and load lock versions are available.

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