Online Catalog Fast Entry Order History Get Quote View Cart Logout

Frequently Asked Questions - Summary
 Flanges & Fittings  Vacuum Measurement  Motion & Manipulation
 Valves  Viewport & Glass  Thin Film Deposition
 Roughing Components  Feedthroughs   Chambers
 Flanges & Fittings
 Why use silver plated bolts?
 Why have a "dished head" on a wire seal flange?
 Why are there no leak check grooves on Mini flanges?
 Why are there no leak check grooves on flanges larger than 10" O.D.?
 Why use a gasket material other than copper?
 Can a copper gasket be used more than once?
 What is the difference between a matte finish and an electropolished finish on vacuum tubing?
 Why would someone choose a metal seal system over an elastomer seal system and vice versa?
 What is a plate nut and where is it used?
 Why use a "rotatable" flange if it can't rotate after being installed?
 What is the difference between a flexible coupling and a flexible hose?
 What is the difference between formed bellows and welded bellows?
 
 Valves
 What is a roughing port used for?
 Are "pneumatic" and "electropneumatic" the same thing or different?
 What does "Air Open / Spring Close" mean?
 Why can a gate valve be baked to a higher temperature with the gate open than with the gate closed?
 Can a leaky welded bellows be repaired?
 What is the difference between a MESA valve and a MESC valve?
 Why use a rectangular valve?
 What do the abbreviations "NO" and "NC" mean on valve drawings?
 What electrical requirements are necessary for actuating a solenoid?
 Can a gate valve with metal seal port flanges have clearance holes rather than tapped holes?
 
 Roughing Components
 What effect does a molecular sieve trap have on the pumpdown time of a vacuum system?
 Can a single piece coaxial trap be cleaned and reused?
 What is the advantage of a coaxial trap with replaceable filter over a single piece coaxial trap?
 What is a foreline?
 What is the advantage of a cryogenic sorption pump over a mechanical roughing pump?
 When would a PVC roughing line be appropriate?
 Could a section of rubber tubing be used for a roughing line?
 Why have a special up-to-air valve?
 
 Vacuum Measurements
 Why use a Bourdon gauge?
 What does "not rated for oxygen service" mean?
 How can I identify the type of filament on my nude ionization gauge tube?
 What is the difference between a four-pin and an eight-pin thermocouple gauge tube?
 
 Viewport and Glass
 What can cause a viewport to crack?
 What does "nonmagnetic glass" mean?
 What does "zero profile" mean?
 Can a viewport be repaired?
 Why does a shutter angle depend on the mounting of the shutter?
 Can a double-ended glass adapter be used as an electrical break?
 
 Feedthroughs
 What is a "floating shield"?
 Can a BNC connector be used on an MHV feedthrough?
 Are electrical feedthroughs available with conductor materials other than copper?
 What problems will be encountered in trying to shorten the pins on a standard multipin power feedthrough?
 Is there a trick to putting a ceramic disc on a multipin feedthrough?
 Can a general purpose liquid feedthrough be used for cryogenic applications?
 
 Motion and Manipulation
 Can a motor drive be added to a rotary feedthrough?
 How does a "Tunnel Access" feedthrough work?
 What is the difference between Quick-Access Doors with clearance holes and those with tapped holes?
 Why are some in-vacuum accessory screws non-vented?
 Why is a linear guide rod standard on some load-lock systems and not on others?
 How does a differentially pumped seal work?
 Thin Film Deposition
  Why use a crucible liner?
  What is the difference between direct and indirect watercooling?
  What does "CE compliant" mean?
  How many sources can a single programmable sweeper control?
  How many sources can a single power supply operate?
  How many sources can a single source controller operate?
  What components make up a typical evaporation system?
  What questions will MDC ask me if I call to discuss an e-beam source purchase?
  What is the difference between e-Vap® and Re-Vap™?
  What is the minimum vacuum operating pressure?
  What are the consumable components of an electron beam system?
  Can the e-Vap® 100 be used for multi-layer or thick layer deposition?
  Is the e-Vap® 3000 available with more than one pocket?
  Are the MDC e-Vap® crucible sizes the same as other e-beam source crucible sizes?
  Is on-site installation assistance available?
 
 Chambers
 Why use a base well instead of a more versatile combination of collar and baseplate?
 Why have metal seal flanges on a feedthrough collar that uses an elastomer as its main seal?
 How can a mixture of metal seal and elastomer seal components be attached to a feedthrough collar?
 What modifications can be made to a surface science analysis chamber?