TMC’s CleanBench™ Industry Standard 63 Series Vibration Isolation Lab Tables

TMC has introduced the next generation vibration isolation lab table - CleanBench™ which combines TMC’s Gimbal Piston™ air vibration isolation system and other recent, patent pending, improvements to the table tops.

With a more compact design, guided thread lead-ins, improved ergonomics and stability, CleanBench™ is suitable for different applications including metrology, interferometry, patch-clamping, confocal microscopy, and AFM.

The CleanBench™ has 50 mm, 2 in. thick platforms consisting of sandwiched layers of steel and core material rigid epoxy attached into a seamless, stainless steel shell with circular edges, thus avoiding the need for a grid of tapped holes. A “scaled-down” steel honeycomb optical top construction can be used if users require a grid of holes to fasten their payload or positioning equipment.

However, such tops appear bulky, raising the center-of-mass of the payload and reducing the stability. By contrast, the CleanBench™ provides high performance, superior damping, stiffness and flatness in a clean stainless steel shell. The beveled lead-ins ensure convenient thread engagement, and a unique core cross-section results in a smooth surface or a grid of imperial (1/4-20 on 1-inch) or metric (M6 on 25 mm) tapped holes.

A standard feature of the CleanBench™ is TMC’s Gimbal Piston Air Isolator, which offers excellent low frequency vibration isolation across all axes and avoids degradation in performance even under extremely low input levels of excitation. Through proprietary damping techniques, the Gimbal Piston can stabilize top-heavy payloads and rapidly eliminates disturbances of the isolated table top.

Benefits of CleanBench™

The key benefits of CleanBench™ are as follows:

Unique, new table-top design integrates the main aspects of TMC’s CleanTop^® steel honeycomb tops with TMC’s ultra-stiff, damped, layered platform design

High stability, specifically for small size tables. Greater stability for relatively top-heavy payloads is facilitated through the low profile, high density tops that are lower than the overall floating center-of-mass

Guided thread lead-ins align screws with tapped holes

Reduced table-top thickness facilitates ergonomic design

Gimbal Piston delivers excellent low frequency vibration isolation

OnTrak™ option simplifies table rigging and installation

Performance of CleanBench™

Structural damping determines the rate of decay of an excited resonance in a table top. Damping can be easily measured by hitting the table top using a hammer and measuring the decay through an accelerometer and oscilloscope or spectrum analyzer. It can also be measured using the height of a resonance peak in the “compliance curve”.

The reciprocal measurement of the dynamic stiffness of a table top yields compliance. The data are achieved based on the input of a measured force to the table top using a calibrated hammer and measurement of resultant acceleration (or displacement) with an accelerometer. Compliance is defined as the ratio of displacement to force expressed in terms of frequency.

Accessories of CleanBench™

The following are the list of accessories available with CleanBench™:

Fixed full-perimeter enclosure – A welded-steel structure that covers the table top in order to provide non-isolated support for Faraday cages or other special fixtures. It is not suitable for use with support bars or sliding shelves.

Retractable casters – They have a total weight capacity of 1000lb, and can be fixed to the bottom of the table legs. These are required while using the OnTrak™ feature.

Adjustable armrest pads – These are bolted to the front support bar. Pads that can be attached to the full perimeter enclosure are also available.

Subshelf – It provides additional storage, and can be mounted below the isolated table top.

White laminate sliding shelves – These shelves can slide freely from side to side, and are provided with built-in stops to prevent sliding out of slots.

TMC’s precision height control valves – They are provided with a small “dead band” that reduces the use of bottled air supply.

Adjustable steel front support bar – It is mounted on the table’s front legs, and can be brought to center along the length of the table or cantilevered to either side, thereby ensuring a wider sliding shelf.

Adjustable steel rear support bar - It is mounted on the table’s rear legs, and can be cantilevered to either side like the front support bar.

Faraday Cage – It is designed for shielding purpose in electro-physiology type applications. It includes a steel frame and bronze-mesh material which form a full-perimeter enclosure. A 2 in. (50 mm) diameter hole in the base of the side and rear panels eases cable interface to the interior of the cage.

Specifications

Isolator natural frequency:

High Input: Vertical = 1.2 Hz; Horizontal = 1.0 Hz

Low Input: Vertical = 1.5 - 2.0 Hz; Horizontal = 1.2 - 1.7 Hz

Isolation efficiency @ 5 Hz:

Vertical = 70 - 85%

Horizontal = 75 - 90%

Isolation efficiency @ 10 Hz:

Vertical = 90 - 97%

Horizontal = 90 - 97%

Recommended load capacity: 350 lb (160 kg)

Finish: Medium texture black powder coat frame, stainless steel top

Facilities required: 80 psi (5.4 bar) nitrogen or air

Shipping weight: Approximately 600 lb (272 kg)

Height control valves: repeatability standard valve +/- 0.050 in. (1.3 mm); Precision valve: +/- 0.005 in. (0.13 mm)

TMC’s CleanBench™ Industry Standard 63 Series Vibration Isolation Lab Tables

CleanBench™ (With Gimbal Piston™ Vibration Isolation)Unique new table-top design (patent pending)CleanBench™ smooth topCleanBench™ with tapped holesAdjustable Steel Front Support BarRetractable CastersAdjustable Armrest PadsWhite Laminate Sliding ShelvesTMC’s Precision Height Control ValvesFaraday Cage