Vacuum Technologies Applications
Scientific instruments, high-energy physics, semiconductor fabrication
equipment, research and industrial processes and devices that require
seals, such as equipment that contains gas or liquid, pressure vessels,
or packaging that must protect its contents from exposure to the
environment. Quality assurance in automotive, aerospace, packaging,
electronics manufacturing, power generation, telecommunications,
semiconductor processing, and many other industries.
Customers include:
- suppliers of life science and healthcare equipment such as mass
spectrometers and cancer therapy systems
- manufacturers of systems used in thin-film coating of plasma
displays, optical lenses, CDs, and disk drives
- manufacturers of architectural glass and decorative chrome
- semiconductor equipment manufacturers, and
- government and university research labs.
Life Science
Manufacturers of instrumentation used in biopharmaceutical and
genomics research have stringent performance and system integration
requirements that Varian, Inc. is highly qualified to meet. Varian,
Inc. provides engineering advice and vacuum expertise to help OEMs
design specific, tailored vacuum systems for their products.
Varian vacuum pumps (ion, turbomolecular, diffusion, and primary),
gauges, and valves are used by manufacturers of mass spectrometers
(MS) worldwide. Varian, Inc.’s Turbo-V401/301 NSF is a split
flow pump designed to deliver tailored solutions for analytical
instrumentation. Other scientific instrumentation where vacuum pumps
are needed include LC/MS (liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometeres),
MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted, laser desorption time-of-flight mass
spectrometer), ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer),
and isotope ratio instruments. Vacuum pumps are also critical components
in linear accelerators for cancer therapy, blood gas analyzers,
and scanning electron microscopes.
Vacuum Technologies adapted its Helitest™ portable leak
detector to address the challenging requirements of pharmaceutical
companies testing bio-vessels and bioreactors for low-level leakage.
Used to help eliminate lost product due to bacteria entering through
undiscovered leaks in vessels, the Helitest™ is one example
of Varian, Inc. adapting core technologies to create innovative
solutions for life science-related markets and applications.
Industrial
Presently, industrial applications are the largest segment served
by Vacuum Technologies. It is growing rapidly as more manufacturers
see the advantages of processing under vacuum. As a leading supplier
of high- and ultra-high vacuum products, Varian, Inc. is participating
in this expansion. Quality and productivity initiatives in the automotive
industry require refined vacuum and more sophisticated chambers
and control systems for depositing thin films of metals. Automotive
leak-test systems now use helium mass spectrometer leak detectors
for checking air conditioners and transmissions. The company also
pioneered a customer-specific, e-commerce capability for a major
customer that allows scientists to easily purchase Varian’s
products online at negotiated prices. This purchasing capability
is being marketed to other large customers, as well.
Vacuum is also being used in processes of increasing sophistication,
such as the manufacture of CDs and DVDs. Architectural glass for
windows is coated under vacuum to meet specific optical requirements.
Food packaging and processing, decorative coatings on perfume bottles,
and TV screens require vacuum processing. From lowly razor blades
to machine tools to fashionable eyeglass frames, processing under
vacuum ensures that they are rugged and resistant to corrosion.
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