NASA Preferred Reliability Practices: Vacuum Seals Design Criteria

From the Office of The Chief Engineer at NASA - NASA's Preferred Practices.
Courtesy of BCE (Belilove Company-Engineers).

Download the full Vacuum Seals Design Criteria document here.

NASA Preferred Reliability Practices Vacuum Seals Design Criteria from Belilove Company-Engineers

Welcome to BCE

BCE (Belilove Company-Engineers) has over 60 years experience as a California based manufacturer, value added component integrator, and distributor serving the analytical instrumentation, semiconductor, photovoltaic, medical equipment, plastics processing, foodservice equipment, packaging, and aerospace industries. 

BCE offers custom electrical heaters, sensors, controls and custom vacuum feedthroughs for sale. Supported by their wealth of knowledge and experience, BCE will assist you with your electric heating, vacuum feedthrough, and ceramic substrate needs.

http://www.belilove.com | (510) 274-1990

Vacuum Technology and Vacuum Design Handbook for Accelerator Technicians

A handbook titled "Vacuum Technology and Vacuum Design Handbook for Accelerator Technicians" published in 2011 and downloaded from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory website, is a compilation of information gathered from over 50 years of direct hands-on experience to applicable information widely available from the vacuum technology industry.

It seeks to address common and specific vacuum technology problems while clarifying the design standards and philosophies adopted for use in the ANSTO accelerator facilities.

The link to the Vacuum Technology and Vacuum Design Handbook for Accelerator Technicians PDF can be found here.

Happy Fourth of July from BCE

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

THOMAS JEFFERSON, Declaration of Independence

Thermal Solutions Designed for Aerospace

Advanced electric heating elements and thermal systems designed and manufactured for application-specific requirements in the harsh operating environment of outer space.

Experience, precision, and reliability. BCE.

http://heater.belilove.com | (510) 274-1990

9 Pin Vacuum Feedthrough

Nine pin circular feedthroughs (often called instrumentation feedthroughs) are commonly used for the transmission of low power electrical signals. They are designed for applications where typical Subminiature Type-D connections will not fit, or where there is little space. The circular geometry allows the installation of this feedthrough into very small vacuum flanges. They are often used in instrumentation applications such as semiconductor processing, electron microscopy, and a variety of analyzers.

Nine Berrylium-Copper alloy contacts, Gold plated per ASTM B488-01, are sealed and electrically insulated in a 304 stainless steel shell using the latest in ceramic bonding technology. Multiple contact configurations are available.

Specifications:

• Leak Rate: 2X10 - 10  CC/Sec HE At One Atmosphere
• Laser Welded Assembly
• Hermetic Ceramic Seal for Contacts
• Temperature Rating: -65°C To 300°C
• Voltage: 750 AC RMS
• Current: 7 Amps
• Compact, Fits Easily into Complex Assemblies
• Adapts to Different Signals
• Mating UHV Connectors and Cables Available

For more information, visit http://www.belilove.com/feedthrough.

Rapid Infrared Heating Reduces Energy Use, Improves Material Properties in Aluminum Forging

Batch-type infrared (IR) furnace.

The preheating of metal billets prior to hot forging as an opportunity for significant energy savings in the U.S. forging industry. Aluminum billet preheating is traditionally slow, costly, and energy intensive. Rapid infrared heating offers a faster, cheaper, and less-energy-intensive alternative to the gas-fired convection ovens that traditionally preheat forgings to above 800°F.

In a Department of Energy sponsored project, a scaled up a laboratory based, batch-type infrared (IR) furnace (see image) to create an optimized, hybrid, continuous IR furnace for industrial forging.

Demonstration of this IR furnace reduced preheating times for aluminum forgings from 1-6 hours to 14-18 minutes. The infrared pretreatment was 75% more energy efficient than conventional ovens, and the system proved robust under industrial conditions. The IR furnace demonstrated a downtime of less than 5% over three years of use in preheating billets. 

For any questions or applications about industrial electric heating visit http://heaters.belilove.com or call (510) 274-1990.