The all-metal vacuum valves featuring VATRING technology developed by VAT Vakuumventile AG are being used by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the USA for its vacuum gauge by the name of CAVS. According to a press release issued by the valve specialists based in the St.GallenBodenseeArea, NIST researchers have developed a measuring device that eliminates the shortcomings of conventional vacuum sensors. The quantum-based vacuum gauge known as the Cold Atom Vacuum Standard (CAVS) uses all-metal vacuum valves developed by VAT from the canton of St.Gallen, because these offer the requisite precision and reliability for measurements in the quantum space.
NIST, which is headquartered in Gaithersburg in the US State of Maryland, was established in 1901 and today comes under the US Department of Commerce. The organization offers key services for measurements, standards, and legal metrology.
All-metal valves use stainless steel on both sealing sides. Known as “hard-on-hard” sealing, this inevitably leads to deformations, which ultimately limit the number of closing cycles and require frequent replacement, VAT writes in the press release. The VATRING technology that goes into the development of VAT all-metal valves is based on a stainless steel ring which, thanks to its shape, offers a dynamic sealing performance lacking in conventional “hard-on-hard” systems. According to VAT, the durability and precision of the valves ensure that the CAVS can repeatedly and reliably measure all pressure conditions.
Martin Greuter from the research department at VAT comments in the press release that “hard-on-hard” sealing valve solutions are increasingly important not only in the field of high-energy physics applications, but also in classic industrial applications.
