The distinction between damping and isolation for an optical top or optical bench was explained in a previous video. In the following video, Jake outlines the various vibration isolation solutions, like the regular Gimbal Piston Air Isolator or the MaxDamp isolator, as well as typical applications for each.
TMC’s Gimbal Piston® Air Isolators are commonly standard on CleanBench tables and CleanTop optical tops. In side-by-side testing, the Gimbal Piston regularly outperformed alternative air isolators.
It provides excellent low-frequency vibration isolation in all axes and retains its performance characteristics even when excitation levels are extremely low. The Gimbal Piston uses proprietary dampening techniques to stabilize top-heavy weights and swiftly dissipate tabletop disruptions.
A cutaway image of TMC’s Gimbal Piston® isolator is shown below. It has two air chambers rather than one. A tiny aperture links them together. The air is pushed through this aperture as the piston goes up and down, providing a damping effect on the payload.
This sort of damping is particularly effective for big piston displacements and less effective for small displacements. This enables the payload to settle quickly without sacrificing small-amplitude vibration isolation capabilities.
Image Credit: TMC Vibration Control
TMC’s MaxDamp isolators employ a unique technique: multi-axis viscous fluid damping (Patent No. 5,918,862). For applications that require it, these isolators can increase damping to near critical levels.
To transport wafers, semiconductor inspection equipment frequently uses highly fast-moving stages. MaxDamp isolators enable the payload to swiftly settle following a stage motion while still offering excellent vibration isolation.
Patch clamping, in-vitro fertilization, confocal microscopy and optical microscopes all employ the CleanBench with Gimbal Piston Isolators. The MaxDamp Isolators have a quicker settling time for more demanding applications.
The MaxDamp isolators take half as long as the Gimbal Piston Air Isolators to settle. This is suitable for robotics, applications that use moving stages, or any application that involves forces shifting from the top down.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by TMC Vibration Control.
For more information on this source, please visit TMC Vibration Control .