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Machine Shop

The PSL machine shop has large and small project assembly capabilities with a high bay 11.6m (38') wide × 67m (220') long × 4.6m (15') high with a 5-ton traveling bridge crane, a 5-ton gantry crane and several clean rooms for assembly purposes. A complete ultra-high vacuum area includes services for UHV processes, a clean room, and a high sensitivity helium mass spectrometer leak detector. The welding shop offers state-of-the-art ultra-high vacuum (UHV), welding, brazing, and soldering on a wide variety of metals. The experienced instrument makers operate a variety of small and large machine tools and equipment for fabricating and assembling high-tech prototypical research instruments. In addition to the fabrication of new instruments and parts, the PSL instrument shop repairs, maintains and upgrades new and used scientific research equipment.

 

Major equipment in the PSL machine shop

Hermle CNC mill photo Four-axis CNC precision universal milling and boring machine (horizontal and vertical spindles) with travels of x=850mm (33.4"), y=630mm (24.8"), and z=500mm (19.7")
Fadal CNC mill photo Three-axis CNC precision milling machine with travels of x=508mm (20"), y=406mm (16"), and z=508mm (20"); table size is 406mm (16") × 749mm (29.5)"
Hitachi CNC lathe photo CNC lathe, 380mm (15") diameter swing over the bed; 210mm (8.25") turning/cutting diameter; 380mm (15") cutting length; 51mm (2") diameter bar capacity through chuck; 1 micron (0.000,040") repeatability
Fadal CNC Mill photo Fryer tool room mill model MB-14 (4-axis CNC or manual operation), travel 1016mm (40 inches) by 508mm (20inches) by 559mm (22 inches)
  • Mastercam ® CAD/CAM 3-d software for interfacing with the CNC equipment
  • Horizontal boring mill with travels up to 1562mm (61.5") x 1905mm (75") × 1232mm (48.5")
  • Vertical turret lathe, capacity 1575mm (62") diameter, 1270mm (50") high
  • Lathes, capacity up to 1524mm (60") between centers, 1219mm (48") swing over the bed
  • Cylindrical external precision grinder, 254mm (10") × 1219mm (48")
  • Surface grinder, 203mm (8") × 609mm (24")
  • Universal grinder, 406mm (16"), internal/external taper capabilities
  • Power shear, 3048mm (10') width, mild steel capacity of 6.4mm (1/4")
  • Power punch, 15 tons, or 19mm (3/4") diameter hole in 6.4mm (1/4") thick steel
  • Numerous other saws, grinders, smaller mills, toolroom lathes, and sheet metal fab tools
  • Inspection equipment including large surface plates, optical comparator, optical flats, precision levels, etc.
  • Painting facilities
  • Ovens for curing b-stage composites and heat treating metals
  • Coil construction facilities
  • Wide variety of materials in stock including standard and exotic

For the more unusual measurements we frequently perform sub-arc-second or near-nanometer measurements in house.

Welding Shop

  • Specialized Welding
    Specialized in welding new ultra high vacuum chambers and chamber components. Also the repair or modification of used vacuum equipment and other scientific instruments.
  • Materials
    Stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, carbon and alloy steel, and other specialty metals covering a wide range of thicknesses and sizes.
  • Metal Joining
    Tungsten inert gas (TIG), gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), metal inert gas (MIG), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), manual shielded arc welding, brazing, and soldering.
  • Metal Removal
    Oxy-fuel flame cutting, plasma arc cutting, and air carbon arc cutting.

Shop Supervisor -- Bill Cotter
(608)877-2214