Vibration control fit for a new generation of chips
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As microprocessors continually get smaller , manufacturing becomes more accurate , working on the nanometer scale which is highly intolerant to disruption . To create the environment needed to facilitate precision manufacturing , it is essential to control vibration , temperature , humidity and particulates . Here ’ s how vibration control specialist , Mason UK , designed a sophisticated vibration isolation system to ensure conditions at an advanced manufacturing site in Ireland were ideal for high-precision manufacturing .
Mason UK was commissioned to provide vibration isolation support at a vast site upgrade project in Ireland . In fact , the site is one of the most technologically advanced manufacturing locations in Europe and the facility has undergone an upgrade that has enabled production of 14nm process technology .
However , these cutting-edge chips could not be realised without very precise manufacturing conditions . This requires a vast array of heating , cooling and filtration systems , all of which must be correctly isolated , since even exceptionally low levels of vibration can cause errors in fabrication . To achieve the stable environment required in the fabrication clean rooms , mechanical processes such as cooling , heating , ventilation and filtering systems are necessary — all of which generate unwanted vibration at every pump , fan , valve , duct and pipe support . Systems are vast , some ducts being over four metres in diameter , so the project is challenging .
MEETING THE SPECIFICATION Mason UK was brought on board by the contractor early to support the design . What makes this project unique is the scale of the facility and volume of vibration control required . As a result , not only the vibration but factors such as wind loading , thermal expansion and the clash of services in a crowded area had to be considered .
As one of the biggest construction projects that Ireland has ever seen , the shear amount of product that Mason UK supplied was staggering . In total the vibration specialist has so far supplied 3800 spring mounts , 1600 hangers and 400 flexible pipe connectors for the site . With such an unprecedented undertaking ahead , it is little wonder that there was a very onerous specification .
“ The first requirement is ensuring quality of the engineering design , for example , specifying a particular spring geometry or housings made in a certain way ,” explained Adam Fox , director at Mason UK . “ The second requirement is ensuring the product has the correct vibration isolation properties . This is determined