Nov 18, 2022 Project News What Moves the World The origin of gravitational waves is to be studied in more detail with the construction of a network of detectors. The new LIGO India detector relies on VAT technology to create one of the largest vacuum systems in the world. Read more
Nov 04, 2022 Project News Watching Atoms Dance The unique X-ray flashes of the European XFEL make it possible to render ultrafast chemical reactions visible to the human eye. To ensure that the atoms are disturbed as little as possible during their "dance", the very best vacuum conditions are required. Read more
Sep 29, 2022 Project News Metal Layer by Metal Layer In terms of solidity, 3D metal prints are no longer inferior to current cast or forged materials. Vacuum and its precise controllability play a key role in the printing process and the production of the required metal powder. Read more
Aug 19, 2022 Project News Higher Sensitivity in Mass Spectrometry TOFWERK's time-of-flight mass spectrometers impress with their incredible precision – VAT Vacuum Valve Technology supports this. For more than a decade, TOFWERK and VAT have enjoyed a productive development cooperation. Read more
Jul 28, 2022 Project News The most brilliant light of Thailand With the help of the SIAM Photon Source, Thailand provides a unique synchrotron infrastructure in the ASEAN region. VAT technology allows to extend the capabilities of the 1.2 GeV storage ring continuously. Read more
Jul 13, 2022 Project News World’s Most Powerful Heavy-Ion Accelerator Operates VAT Vacuum Valves for Hunt for Rare Isotopes The world's most powerful heavy-ion accelerator was inaugurated on May 2, 2022, at Michigan State University's Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Fast closing valves from VAT help secure the ultra-high vacuum environment of the FRIB. Read more
May 11, 2022 Project News KATRIN Breaks 1-eV-Barrier in Unprecedented Measurement of Neutrino Mass As the world’s most sensitive scale for the measurement of neutrino mass, the international Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment has now reported a level of precision never achieved before. The suite of VAT valves developed for KATRIN continue to provide seamless performance despite the experiment’s radiation levels, extreme temperatures, and UHV environment. Read more
Mar 23, 2022 Project News CERN Opts to Increase Power with a “High Luminosity” LHC Upgrade A top priority of the European Strategy for Particle Physics to enable research to new frontiers of particle physics, CERN's the High-Luminosity LHC (“HiLumi”) project will multiply the power of CERN’s already mighty Large Hadron Collider. VAT all-metal valves are designed to withstand the demanding extreme UHV conditions. Read more
Mar 07, 2022 Project News Getter Thin Films in Synchrotrons Latest synchrotron facilities employ novel getter pump techniques to establish UHV conditions. VAT provides high-tech valves to control the coating process. Read more
Feb 09, 2022 Project News From High (Vacuum) Pressure to Nuclear Fusion Generating energy through controlled nuclear fusion has long been a dream of mankind. To get closer to this dream, an experimental fusion reactor is currently being built in southern France as part of the ITER project. As a certified supplier of all-metal and elastomer valves, VAT is closely involved in this ambitious research project. In the process, the valve professionals from Switzerland have achieved a truly great feat. Read more
Jan 27, 2022 Project News California Grapevines Under Drought Stress - X-Ray Diagnosis in Ultra-High Vacuum U.S. researcher Andrew McElrone investigates grape roots with particle accelerator at ALS research facility in Berkeley, California. The goal: sustainable water use strategy for grape growers. Read more
Dec 28, 2021 Project News Innovation in Mobility - No Electromobility Without a Vacuum Environment In the electromobility sector, technical innovation is becoming more important, particularly where battery production is concerned. Since vacuum and plasma technology plays a central role in numerous electromobility manufacturing processes, valve development is a vital part of this. Read more
Dec 14, 2021 Project News From Mini-LED to Micro-LED: A Small Step in Naming, but a Giant Leap for Display Technology Mini-LEDs instead of LEDs in flat panel displays have set a profound change in motion, and the next innovation is waiting in the wings: Micro-LEDs, a new challenge for VAT vacuum valves. Read more
Nov 25, 2021 Project News Ultra-High Vacuum Particle Accelerator Uncovers Potential Virus Vulnerabilities To effectively combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus, like other viruses, it is necessary to first elicit structural information from the virus, particle accelerators with VAT technology help to do this. Read more
Nov 10, 2021 Project News Higher Definition Atom Videos - World’s Brightest X-Ray Laser Upgrades with VAT Vacuum Valves VAT vacuum valves are part of the upgrade to the LCLS, an X-ray laser at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California (USA) that is so fast and precise, it can observe atoms in motion. Read more
Oct 07, 2021 Project News Using Transmutation to Disarm Long-Lived Fissile Material Where to put the highly radioactive nuclear waste? An innovative technology called transmutation is preparing to defuse the brisance of nuclear waste. VAT technology plays a key role in this. Read more
Sep 27, 2021 Project News Quantum Computing Relies on High-Tech Vacuum Valves Thanks to quantum technology, computing capacities and speeds are advancing into previously unknown dimensions and enabling a completely new approach to tasks. This offers new opportunities for research and industry. VAT technology is an important element in this. Read more
Aug 19, 2021 Project News All-Metal Valves Play an Important Role for Future Particle Research At the world-famous research facility, CERN, thoughts are turning to the future of particle research. There is no question about it: the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has produced sensational results worthy of a Nobel Prize. However, these results immediately raised further questions, the answers to which in turn require new developments in accelerators. Technology from VAT should also be part of this in the future because that technology is already delivering outstanding service in the LHC. Read more
Aug 18, 2021 Project News Less is More: Many Good Reasons Speak for Combo Vacuum Valves In complex vacuum systems, there is a lot to close, open, meter and control. Wherever many valves are used, the number of connection points, connectors and seals also increases. This requires installation time, space, and increases the vacuum volume to be controlled as well as the number of potential leakage points. Read more
Aug 05, 2021 Project News Looking for the Start of the Universe In 2019, the National Science Foundation (NSF) held a workshop for “Large Ultrahigh Vacuum Systems for Frontier Scientific Research Instrumentation” to help identify cost effective technologies to design, build and operate a new generation gravitational wave observatory based on the original LIGO concept.* This new design will be an order of magnitude more sensitive than the current generation systems in the USA (LIGO), EU (Virgo) and Japan (KAGRA) – and also MUCH larger. Read more
Jul 28, 2021 Project News Shrinking Particle Accelerators – Speeding Up Research In order to penetrate the innermost structures of matter and gain new insights, particle accelerators must become steadily more powerful and larger. This increases construction and operating costs. Researchers are trying to take an alternative path with plasma wave-driven accelerators and are thus defining new challenges for vacuum valves as well. Read more
Jul 15, 2021 Project News VAT Valves Enable Hyper Speeds for Hyperloop Projects The Hyperloop transportation concept – based on high-speed travel in a low-pressure tube – promises to revolutionize ground transportation. As a research partner to the EuroTube Foundation, VAT is developing large valve solutions that will help maintain the enormous vacuum volumes needed for the Hyperloop systems. Read more
Jul 08, 2021 Project News New Generation Solar Cells Gain Efficiency – and Shed Costs Solar cell technology is widely seen as crucial renewable energy source to help fight climate change. These expectations have been fueled to even greater levels by recent breakthroughs in solar cell efficiency. With a new generation of large transfer valves for solar cell production lines, VAT offers manufacturers the technological improvements needed to produce these high-performance solar cells. Read more
Jun 24, 2021 Project News VAT Vacuum Valves Help Satellites Get Fit for Space As the number of satellites in orbit increases, so does global demand for pre-launch testing under simulated space conditions. VAT recently delivered yet another large valve to a European satellite test center. Oversized VAT vacuum valves play a key role in helping simulate the extreme temperatures and pressures of outer space – to ensure that satellites are ready for lift-off. Read more
Jun 22, 2021 Project News Fast Track to Edge Welded Bellows Haag, June 2021, VAT has launched “Quick Spec Bellows”, a new online configuration and order service for welded metal bellows. The online service provides convenient configuration, quick price information and a guaranteed three-week delivery time ex works VAT Switzerland. Read more
Mar 28, 2021 Project News Hunting for the Building Blocks of the Universe – with VAT Vacuum Valves VAT has a long-term collaboration with CERN, the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Sector valves developed by a dedicated VAT team help keep the ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions within CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) intact. Read more