Manufacturing of precision vacuum components, direct drives and CNC contract machining through to cleanroom-assembled assemblies
ALMA driving elements GmbH
Schollbrunn · Wertheim-BestenheidNew on Amplifa
Expertise in Vacuum and Drive Technology
ALMA driving elements GmbH develops and manufactures customised components and systems for drive technology requirements in vacuum technology. The product portfolio includes rotary vacuum feedthroughs with ferrofluidic seals, vacuum direct drives (torque and voice coil systems), degassed vacuum screws M2–M12, lockable ball screw nuts and torsionally rigid metal bellows couplings. In addition, the company offers contract machining of milled, drilled and turned parts up to a length of 5,500 mm and workpiece weights up to 5 t. The value chain ranges from design and CNC precision machining through joining techniques, surface treatment and cleaning to cleanroom assembly in its own ISO-5 cleanroom. Materials are primarily stainless steel grades such as 1.4301, 1.4401, 1.4404 and 1.4571, as well as titanium, aluminium, copper, Hastelloy and Inconel. Customers are found among others in semiconductor manufacturing, thin-film and vacuum coating, LED/OLED and solar module manufacturing, optics, aerospace as well as research, synchrotrons and electron microscopy. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in Schollbrunn (headquarters) and Wertheim-Bestenheid (production).
- Site
- Schollbrunn
- Processes
- CNC milling (precision machining, milled parts), CNC turning (turned parts), Drilling, Sawing (band saws), MIG/MAG welding, TIG welding, Vacuum-tight welded and brazed/soldered joints, Hard and soft soldering/brazing (brazing line)
- Materials
- Stainless steel, Titanium, Aluminium, Hastelloy, Inconel, Copper, Steel, Copper seal (CF flange)
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1979
- Industries
- Semiconductor manufacturing, Thin-film and vacuum coating, LED/OLED manufacturing, Solar module manufacturing, Research and surface analytics, Optics
- 01
Design and development
- 02
Sawing
- 03
CNC milling
- 04
CNC turning
- 05
Joining techniques (MIG/MAG and TIG welding, soldering/brazing)
- 06
Surface treatment (blasting, fine grinding, electropolishing, anodising)
- 07
Cleaning (HCA cleaning, ultrasonic, cleanroom fine cleaning)
- 08
Cleanroom assembly (ISO 5)
- 09
Testing (3D coordinate measurement, leak testing)
- 10
Packaging and shipping
Materials and Processes
Stainless steel
Standard material for corrosion-resistant vacuum screws and precision parts for HV/UHV applications.
Stainless steel
Molybdenum-containing grade with higher corrosion resistance and lower magnetisability.
Stainless steel
Low magnetic permeability for magnetically sensitive setups in analytics and synchrotrons.
Stainless steel
Standard material for metal bellows, easily weldable, corrosion-resistant and bakeable.
Stainless steel
Material of the vacuum version ANS-A2 lockable ball screw nuts.
Titanium
Non-magnetisable and lightweight, for applications with the most stringent magnetic requirements.
Aluminium
Lightweight material for hubs and components, especially on the atmosphere side.
Copper
Material for soldered/brazed joints and CF copper seals.
Hastelloy
Bellows material for higher temperatures, aggressive media and high load-cycle counts.
Inconel
Bellows material for thermally and mechanically highly stressed vacuum applications.
Steel
Material for welded assemblies and ball screw nuts in general mechanical engineering.
Locations
Schollbrunn
DEHeadquarters, assembly, administration, sales
- ISO-5 cleanroom
- UCA cleaning system
- 2 climate-controlled measuring rooms
- Flow boxes (ISO 6)
Wertheim-Bestenheid
DEProduction site
- Hermle C50 U MT (5-axis, with turning function)
- Keppler HDC 3000
- Soraluce FL 6000
- Kunzmann BA 1000
- Traub TNA/TNE/TNL lathes
- Gildemeister CTX 500
- Kasto band saws
- TIG/MAG welding stations (1,200 x 5,500 mm)
- Brazing line
- Blasting systems
- Overhead crane up to 5 t
Products and Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC milling (precision machining, milled parts)Machining | – | 5,500 mm | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminium |
| CNC turning (turned parts)Machining | – | Ø 950 mm | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminium |
| DrillingMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sawing (band saws)Machining | – | max. Ø 420 mm | – | – | – |
| MIG/MAG weldingJoining | – | 5,500 mm (welding station) | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminium |
| TIG weldingJoining | – | 5,500 mm (welding station) | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminium |
| Vacuum-tight welded and brazed/soldered jointsJoining | – | – | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel, Copper |
| Hard and soft soldering/brazing (brazing line)Joining | – | 3,000 mm × 200 mm | – | – | Copper |
| Blasting (glass bead blasting, sand/rough blasting)Surface | – | 6,000 mm × 345 mm × 265 mm | – | – | – |
| Fine grinding and manual finishingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| ElectropolishingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| AnodisingSurface | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Silver plating / gold plating of screws (surface finishing)Surface | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel, Titanium, Aluminium |
| Kolsterising (Bodycote process, external finishing)Surface | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel |
| Thread rolling (cold forming of threads)Forming | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel |
| Heat treatment (defined, partly external)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cleaning (HCA cleaning, spray washing system, ultrasonic cleaning, osmosis water rinsing)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cleanroom fine cleaning to UCV requirements (airlock ISO 7, cleaning ISO 6,Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Vacuum drying / bake-out in vacuum ovenHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly of assemblies incl. pneumatics, hydraulics, electricsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cleanroom assembly Ultra-Clean-Assembly (ISO-5 cleanroom)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hybrid assembly under flow boxes (ISO 6)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Coordinate measuring services (3D coordinate measuring machine, precision measuring room, cleanroom)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Helium leak testingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Fluorescence measurement, particle counting, light microscopy, tensiometer, white-light/UV visualTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Design & development servicesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of rotary vacuum feedthroughs (ferrofluidic seals, customised)Machining | – | 245 mm (design size) × Ø 600 mm (housing) | – | – | Stainless steel |
| Manufacture of vacuum direct drives (torque motors, voice coil/moving magnet)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of vacuum screws (M2–M12, degassed, UHV-suitable)Machining | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel A2 (1.4301), Stainless steel A4 (1.4401), 316L, Titanium, Aluminium |
| Manufacture of lockable ball screw nuts (ANS, ANS-LH, ANS-A2, ANSB, ANSK, WAK)Machining | – | – | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel 1.4305 |
| Manufacture of torsionally rigid metal bellows couplingsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel 1.4571, 1.4404 (316L), Hastelloy, Inconel, Aluminium |
| Contract machining (milled, drilled, turned parts)Machining | – | 5,500 mm | 5 t (workpiece weights) | – | – |
24 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milling machine | Deckel FP 6 NC | 1 | X 1,000, Y 550, Z 500 mm | – | – |
| Machining centre | Traub CSK 300 | 2 | X 400, Y 300, Z 400 mm | – | – |
| Machining centre | WF (Weingärtner?) WF 650 | 2 | X 650, Y 500, Z 450 mm | – | – |
| Machining centre | Kunzmann BA 1000 | 1 | X 1,020, Y 620, Z 610 mm | – | – |
| Machining centre (5-axis, with turning function) | Hermle C50 U MT | 1 | X 1,000, Y 1,100, Z 750, Ø 950 x 600 mm | – | – |
| Machining centre | Keppler HDC 3000 | 1 | X 3,000, Y 1,500, Z 1,400 mm, rotary table 1,250 x 1,600 mm | – | – |
| Travelling-column machining centre | Soraluce FL 6000 | 1 | X 5,500, Y 1,800/2,300, Z 1,200 mm, rotary table 1,500 x 1,500 mm | – | – |
| CNC lathe | Gildemeister CTX 500 | 1 | Ø 400 x 1,065 mm | – | – |
| CNC lathe | Traub TNA 300 | 2 | Ø 275 x 450 mm | – | – |
| CNC lathe | Traub TNE 300 | 1 | Ø 275 x 450 mm | – | – |
| CNC lathe | Traub TNA 400 | 1 | Ø 400 x 1,050 mm | – | – |
| CNC lathe | Traub TNA 500 | 1 | Ø 620 x 1,050 mm | – | – |
| CNC lathe (sliding headstock turning) | Traub TNL 18 | 1 | Ø 20 x 1,050 mm | – | – |
| Conventional lathe | Meuser M4S | 1 | Ø 730 x 1,000 mm, chuck Ø 680 mm | – | – |
| Conventional lathe | Meuser M1L | 1 | Ø 275 x 950 mm | – | – |
| Band saw | Kasto SSB 260 VA | 1 | max. Ø 260 mm | – | – |
| Band saw | Kasto HBA 420 AU | 1 | max. Ø 420 mm | – | – |
| Blasting system | – | 1 | Cabin W 1,300 x H 470 x D 1,000 mm, max. workpiece L 2,500 x W 345 x H 265 mm | – | – |
| Blasting system (large parts) | – | 1 | max. length 6,000 mm | – | – |
| TIG/MAG welding stations | – | – | 1,200 x 5,500 mm | – | – |
| Brazing line | – | 1 | 200 x 3,000 mm | – | – |
| Ultrasonic cleaning system | UCA cleaning system | – | – | – | – |
| Overhead crane | – | 1 | up to 5 t | – | – |
| ISO-5 cleanroom | – | 1 | – | – | Schollbrunn |
Additional services
Quality Management
The quality management system is certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (BSI, FM 756666). Testing facilities include 3D coordinate measuring machines in two climate-controlled measuring rooms as well as helium leak testing, fluorescence measurement, particle counting, light microscopy and a tensiometer.
| Evidence | Schollbrunn |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |
Company History
- 1979
Founding of ALMA Mechanik Metallteile GmbH
Occupancy of a new production facility in Wertheim-Bestenheid
GQM certification to DIN EN ISO 9001
Occupancy of an additional building in Schollbrunn (today headquarters, assembly, administration, sales)
Introduction of SAP R/3 and 3D CAD design
ALMA driving elements GmbH takes over the business operations of ALMA Mechanik Metallteile
Extension of a production hall for large-volume milling
Establishment of an ISO-5 cleanroom and a UCA cleaning system
Construction of 2 climate-controlled measuring rooms
New QM certification to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015