Number 12, February
2013
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What's Here for You:
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Vibration
Isolation News is designed to keep our customers
and friends up-to-date on the latest products and
applications facilitating improved measurements, images
and nanomanufacturing. We are an OEM supplier to leading
manufacturers of scanning probe microscopes, micro-hardness
testers and other sensitive instruments, and we have
users at more than 200 leading universities
and private and government laboratories in 42
countries.
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Minus
K Technology currently builds
vibration
isolators to handle payloads from
3 lbs to 10,000 lbs (per isolator).
When you need the best isolation for your dollar.
Our
patented technology will provide you true 1/2 Hz performance.
Give
us your challenge.
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As
a method for vibration isolation, the traditional
air table is now being challenged by the more compact
effective Negative-Stiffness vibration isolators,
developed by Minus K Technology
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Excerpted
from Cleanroom Technology Magazine:
For
almost 40 years pneumatic vibration isolators - air
tables - have I been the mainstay fur stabilizing
industry and academia's most critical micro-engineering
instrumentation. But just as technology has been migrating
steadily from micro to nano, so has the need for more
precise vibration isolation in microelectronics fabrication,
industrial laser/ optical systems and biological research.
These
so-called "passive system" air tables are
now being seriously challenged by the newer Negative-Stiffness
vibration isolators. Negative-Stiffness isolation
is rapidly gaining popularity in industrial and laboratory
environments, mainly because of its ability to isolate
vibration effectively in diverse and challenging environments.
Because
of their very high isolation efficiencies, Negative-Stiffness
vibration isolation systems enable vibration-sensitive
instruments, such as scanning probe microscopes, micro-hardness
testers, profilers and scanning electron microscopes,
to operate in harsh conditions and severe vibration
environments that would not be practical with top-performance
air tables and other pneumatic isolation systems.
Negative-Stiffness
isolators employ a different and completely mechanical
concept in low-frequency vibration isolation. Vertical-motion
isolation is provided by a stiff spring that supports
a weight load, combined with a Negative-Stiffness
mechanism. The net vertical stiffness is made very
low without affecting the static load-supporting capability
of the spring.
Low
Hertz perturbations: An air table will amplify
vibrations in a typical range of 2-7Hz; this is because
of the natural frequencies at which air tables resonate.
All isolators will amplify at their resonant frequency,
and then they will start isolating. So with an air
table, any vibration in that range could not only
fail to be mitigated, it could be amplified. The low
cycle perturbations would just come straight through
to the instrument.
Negative-Stiffness
isolators resonate at 0.5Hz, At this frequency there
is almost no energy present. It would be very unusual
to find a significant vibration at 0.5 Hz.
Image
clarity: Negative-Stiffness vibration isolation
can reduce vibration noise levels in Atomic Force
Microscopes, for example, by a factor of 2 to 3 when
compared with top-performance air tables. This is
significant for noise levels in the sub-Angstrom range.
This results in clearer images and features not discernible
with pneumatic isolation systems.
Severe
vibration environments: As nano-cquiprnent becomes
more prevalent, lab sites are being set up in much
more severe vibration-prone environments, such as
upper floors of buildings and cleanrooms. Such severe
vibration locations are too extreme for pneumatic
isolators to do their job effectively. But Negative-Stiffness
isolators perform well in such environments, producing
much better images and data than can be obtained with
even the best high-performance air tables.
Maintenance
and expense: Because Negative-Stiffness isolators
utilize simple elastic structures and viscoelastic
materials that deform, their isolation performance
does not degrade with micromotions typical of lab
floors and fabrication rooms, as do conventional pneumatic
isolators. Negative-Stiffness isolators are also comparable
in price to air isolators or lower priced for many
applications.
As
industrial researchers and universities continue to
broaden their nanotech work, necessitating more sensitive
equipment and expanded lab facilities, vibration-handicapped
environments will become more prevalent, and a better
vibration isolation solution will be required than
that provided by air tables for the past half-century.
It appears Negative-Stiffness vibration isolation
will fill that void.
Check
out the whole article at:
https://minusk.com/content/in-the-news/Cleanroom_Technology_0412.html
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Featured
Product: The CM-1 Minus K's new Compact Large
Capacity Isolator |
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The
new CM-1 is a compact high capacity, low-frequency
negative-stiffness isolator. As with all Minus
K isolators, they are completely passive and use
no air or electricity. The isolators can be combined
into multi isolator systems to support heavy payloads
while taking up very little room themselves.
The
CM-1 isolators can be placed on pedestals to bring
them to an appropriate height to retrofit your
existing air table, enabling you to keep your
existing table top and achieve much better isolation.
The
CM-1 isolators come in several capacity ranges
to match your vibration-sensitive instruments
such as SPMs (AFMS, STMs, etc), micro-hardness
testers, profilers, interferometers, electron
microscopes, or other imaging systems.
If
needed, the CM-1 isolators can be customized to
achieve user specific needs. Eg., different horizontal
and vertical frequencies, damping, etc. They can
also be made cleanroom and vacuum. compatible.
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Specifications: |
Weight:
Approximately 26 lb (11.8 kg) |
Dimensions:
7.875" W x 7.875" D x 8.5"
H (200mm W x 200mm D x 216mm H)
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Load
Capacities (approximate): |
Model |
Payload
Range* |
Price**
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200CM-1 |
50 - 200 lbs (22.7 - 90.7 kg)
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$3,475
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500CM-1 |
200 - 500 lbs (90.7 - 226.8
kg)
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$3,525
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800CM-1 |
500 - 800 lbs (226.8 - 362.9
kg)
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$3,675
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*Contact
Minus K for custom payload ranges. |
**For International Orders, A Handling
Fee of 5% is Added.
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Performance |
- Horizontal
frequencies are weight dependent.
- Horizontal
frequency of 0.5 Hz is achieved at the upper
limit of the payload range.
- Vertical
frequency is tunable to 0.5 Hz throughout
the payload range.
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https://minusk.com/content/products/standard/cm1-low-frequency-cubic-vibration-isolation-isolators.html
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Minus
K Technology is 20 Years Old
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Minus
K® Technology, Inc. was founded in 1993 to develop,
manufacture and market our state-of-the-art vibration
isolation products based on our patented negative-stiffness
technology.
Dr.
David L. Platus is President, Founder and is the principal
inventor of the technology. Prior to founding Minus
K® Technology he worked in the nuclear, aerospace
and defense industries conducting and directing analysis
and design projects in structural-mechanical systems.
He became an independent consultant in 1988. Dr. Platus
holds over 20 patents related to shock and vibration
isolation.
The
Minus K® products, formerly sold under the trade
name Nano-K®, represent an important enabling
technology. By reducing building and floor vibrations
to unprecedented levels these systems enable vibration
sensitive instruments and equipment to perform at
unprecedented levels. They are used in a broad spectrum
of applications including nanotechnology, biological
sciences, semiconductors, materials research, zero-g
simulation of spacecraft, and high-end audio. Minus
K® is an OEM supplier to leading manufactures
of scanning probe microscopes, micro-hardness testers
and other vibration-sensitive instruments and equipment.
We
are happy to celebrate this milestone of 20 years
in business with our customers and friends.
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News:
Minus K Technology Is Veteran Owned and Certified California
Small Business |
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Minus
K
is a Veteran Owned Small Business.and
a certified State of California Small Business. All our
products are proudly made in the USA.
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Veteran Owned Small Business
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Proudly Made in the USA
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California Certified Small Business
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Upcoming Meetings and Webinars:
Meeting: |
Sponsor: |
Dates: |
Location: |
The12th International Nanotechnology Exhibition
& Conference |
ICS Convention Design, Inc |
Jan.
30, 2013 -
Feb. 1, 2013 |
Tokyo, Japan
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http://www.nanotechexpo.jp/en |
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Biophysical Society 57th Annual Meeting
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Visit
Minus K Booth #311 at this exhibit |
Feb.
2, 2013 -
Feb. 6, 2013 |
Philadelphia, PA |
http://www.biophysics.org/2013meeting/Main/tabid/3523/Default.aspx |
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2013
APS March Meeting
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APS |
Mar.
18, 2013 -
Mar. 22, 2013 |
Baltimore,
MD |
http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/ |
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2013
MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit
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Material
Reseach Society |
Apr.
2, 2013 -
Apr. 3, 2013 |
San
Francisco , CA |
http://www.mrs.org/spring2013/ |
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NSTI NanoTech 2013 |
Visit
Minus K Booth #218 at this exhibit
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May.
12, 2013 -
May. 15, 2013 |
Washington, D.C. |
http://www.techconnectworld.com/Nanotech2013/ |
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Spacecraft Expo 2013
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Visit
Minus K Booth #7016 at this exhibit
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May.
21, 2013 -
May. 23, 2013 |
Long Beach, CA |
http://www.spacetechexpo.com/ |
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SPIE
Optics & Photonics 2013
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Visit
the Minus K Booth at this exhibit |
Aug.
27, 2013 -
Aug.. 29, 2013 |
San
Diego, CA |
http://spie.org/optics-photonics.xml |
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We
want to hear from you:
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Tell
us if you have had a great experience with our isolators.
Work with us on an article about how negative-stiffness
has helped you. Don't be shy. Share your application with
our readers.
Do you have an application in a New Field? What applications
are of Interest to You?
Email
us at newsletter@minusk.com
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460 Hindry Ave., Unit C Inglewood, CA 90301
Tel: 310-348-9656 Fax: 310-348-9638
Contact Us www.MinusK.com
© Minus K Technology Inc., Vibration Isolation
Systems. All rights reserved.
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