High precision breadboards, benches and structural parts made of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)
for Optics, Precision mechanics, Lasers, Sensors, Detectors, Spectrographs, Your application …
Structures made from CFRP have been used for aerospace and space structures due to their low weight, high strength and good thermal stability for years. CarbonVision combines the beneficial material properties with a modern manufacturing technology to high-end breadboards.
Our breadboards follow exactly the needs of our customers and present state-of-the-art products in carbon fiber technology. Creating Performance Technology is CarbonVision’s mission. All its breadboards and structural parts refine high-quality products and allow for more efficient use in science and industries. This enhances the quality of research and preserves the continuous development.
Optical Breadboards made from Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) provide a similar thermal stability to Super Invar but at a lower cost and are inherently non-magnetic. Since time immemorial, steel breadboards have been the only game in town.
✗ Optical Breadboards made from stainless steel are stiff, but heavy.
✗ Breadboards made from Aluminium are lightweight but with a large thermal expansion.
✗ Breadboards made from INVAR offer a low thermal expansion but are very expensive.
✓ Breadboards made from CFRP are stiff, lightweight and offer low thermal expansion at reasonable costs.
Superior material properties, conceptional excellence combined with state-of-the-art composite technology and – last but not least – our close cooperation with partners in research and science create the benefits of superior products.
Benefits
Increasing performance by reduced weight.
The use of high strength or high modulus carbon fibers reduces weight significantly while keeping the stiffness high. The low weight of our breadboards allows expanded application ranges for precisely mounted devices on breadboards. For use in mobile services in the field, in labs with limited floor capacities or in complex test set-ups with breadboards mounted „on top“,
Up to 75 % less weight in comparison to steel breadboards enhance your performance capabilities.
Superior thermal stability enhances high precision measurements.
The coefficient of thermal expansion for carbon fiber composites is typically only 1/10 th of those made of steel. By selecting specific fibers or resins and by orientation of carbon fibers into optimised directions, the coefficient can even be less. For applications with varying thermal environments, the time for the thermal adaptation of the test set-up will be reduced significantly, which gives you more time for testing and measurements.
Damping
Minimising vibrations is a key for success in high performance applications.
The physical properties of carbon fibers embedded into a resin matrix, complemented by the advantages of the orthotropic behavior of carbon fibere composites, facilitate damping coefficients of up to 60 % higher than steel. Supplementary added, adaptive elements inside the carbon fiber tubes, allow to modulate natural frequencies, which helps you to adapt breadboards to your varying dynamical needs.
Limiting the risks of contamination by an „open design“ concept
Our breadboards have an „open design“ when made for cleanroom applications. The carbon fiber tube which is located underneath each fixation element, allows easy cleaning by „pushing“ the particles out of the breadboard. In the CA-version, the side walls can be completely removed, enabling you to clean the breadboards entirely. No more hidden particles will impact your performance in the cleanroom.
Sophisticated devices need precise supports
We focus on manufacturing our breadboards for those areas, where precision is particularly needed – at the attachment locations of your devices. The raised mounting surfaces are ground to achieve a flatness of +/-50 µm or better. The lateral precision of +/- 100 µm is realised by the conceptional design and mounting processes when inserting the fixation elements. If you go for nano-precisioning platforms and stages, our high precision breadboards will be at your side.
Varying demands in the test set-ups require a flexible design
Our breadboards can be adapted for mounting components on the „back“ side easily. Particular fixing elements are inserted into the carbon fiber tubes, which enables you to mount components from the backside. The „open“ design in the CA-version covers and protects sensitive devices inside the stiff carbon „cage“ of the breadboard. Versatile objects can be installed with the help of mounting angles along the sides of the board.
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