Special designs for vaccum applications

Deployment in vacuum conditions represents a very special challenge for drive systems. Structural materials must be corrosion resistant and must not evaporate. The system must not have any gas cavities. The thermal expansion of different materials must be accommodated in the design. A situation just made for the vacuum-compatible version of the Harmonic Drive Gearbox. Depending on the vacuum rating and temperature range, either a special low-evaporation vacuum grease or a dry lubricant can be used. For the special adhesives used, evaporation characteristics are more important than bonding strength. These special units have been successfully tested in vacuum operation up to a negative pressure of 10^-12 mbar and over a temperature range of —160 bis +150 °C. The primary fields of application for these units are semiconductor production, satellite technology, photonics, electron microscopy and medical technology.

		Materials		1.4305 stainless steel housing 1.4305 stainless steel shaft
		Motor		PRECISTEP SA Phytron Elektronik GmbH
		Lubrication		Dry lubrication (teflon, copper, gold) Vacuum grease (Fomblin)
		Output bearing		X65Cr13 high alloy steel Dry lubrication Coated raceways Preloaded ball bearings
		Reduction gears		Nickel-iron-alloy Pure metallic components Wear resistant Corrosion resistant Coated gear wheels Zero backlash UHV compatible adhesives