Vacuum
Technology, Inc.
| COMPANY/LOCATION: |
Vacuum Technology, Inc., Oak Ridge, Tennessee |
| PRODUCT: |
Residual gas analyzers and mass spectrometers for analyzing residual
gases in a vacuum environment |
| YEARS IN BUSINESS: |
8 |
EMPLOYEES:
ANNUAL SALES: |
12
More than $1 million |
| SITUATION: |
Vacuum Technology planned to bid on a contract to manufacture sampling
equipment for a Russian customer. The contract was to design and build
a subsampling device for transferring small quantities of uranium hexafluoride
(UF6). The sampling device had to be vacuum tight and be able to withstand
the highly corrosive properties of UF6. Getting the contract required high-
quality welding and an understanding of how UF6 is handled. |
| PROJECT: |
Vacuum Technology staff needed a few days of consulting to allow it
to demonstrate to the Russians design expertise, the ability to build the
sampling device, and critical knowledge of how to handle a toxic and highly
corrosive material. Through the Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology,
Oak Ridge staff members, some of whom co-authored the UF6 handling criteria
for the American Society for Testing and Materials, Vacuum Technology received
the assistance needed to demonstrate their capabilities to design and build
the sampling device. |
| RESULTS: |
The company was selected for the contract and is now in the final
design phase of a $200,000 contract, one that would not have been granted
without the service provided through ORCMT.
George Solomon, president and one of the founders of Vacuum Technology,
said that ORCMT provided access to information and experience that was
crucial to their winning the contract. "It made our job much easier.
It is certainly a source of technology and experience that can be transferred
to the private sector. They are keeping us well informed. We certainly
support the keeping of the 4-day consulting service," Solomon said. |
Technical assistances provided to the private sector by the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and its manufacturing extension
partners throughout the United States.
|
