The latest and largest investment in terms of dimensions has recently been integrated into our machine park. With the successful commissioning of the Correa Magna-75 travelling column milling machine, even the largest components can now be manufactured at NTG. Mechanical components up to a length of 7.5m and a height of up to 4m with a total weight of up to 20t can be milled with highest precision in one clamping.

The insertion process turned out to be much more complex than expected. The ground-level arrangement of the machine’s plate fields required a 4m-deep foundation. This was additionally secured with 47 concrete piles sunk into the ground to a depth of up to 7m. The construction for the foundation itself took more than 7 months. The actual installation of the machine also required measured work, as the tower of the machine extends up to a few centimeters below the hall crane.

The flexibility of NTG’s own production is considerably increased by this investment and meets the most demanding requirements. We are also happy to provide the machine for the production of your components. We are looking forward to your inquiries 

Here you can see the Correa Magna 75 travelling column milling machine in action

Technical data:
Travels:   (x,y,z): 7.500 x 1.500 x 4.000 mm – 5 axes
spindle motor: 52 kW – 1.375 Nm – 6.000 rpm
1st plate field: 4.500 x 3.000 x 300 mm
2nd plate field: 1.500 x 3.000 x 300 mm
rotary table: ø 2.000 mm – 20 t
Linear axis: W=1,500 mm – 20t

Our contribution to the EU-funded project MYRTE for the transmutation of radioactive fission residues was the engineering construction of a 4 m long RFQ structure to reduce protons to an energy of 1.5 MeV for further acceleration in subsequent structures. This RFQ has now been successfully tested with beam. More information can be found here:
https://www.sckcen.be/en/news/myrrha-protons-accelerated-successfully

Pushing the limits: 40µm Sub-Aperture Ion Beam Processing

For 30 years we have been dealing with ion beam processing systems for the production of ultra-precise optical surfaces. State-of-the-Art are machinable optics diameters in a range of 5 mm – 2000 mm with freely definable shapes.

Now we are pushing the limits towards smaller optics with sizes of <1 mm to 5 mm. These optics are mandatory for key technologies in the growth markets of medical technology, physical metrology, communication technology, energy technology, analytical chemistry, laser technology and aerospace technology. Highly curved and free-form elements enable compact efficient systems.

Our new tool, an RF-driven ion beam source, features an ion beam cross section of 40 µm (Gaussian shape FWHM) with a central removal of >40nm/s. This allows a high-volume ablation and enables efficient processing of micro-optical components with the highest demands on roughness and shape accuracy. A newly designed 5-grid extraction system enables flexible beam size for ion energies up to 3 keV. Customized systems for higher energies or larger beams can be developed based on beam dynamics simulations. Maintenance intervals in the range of 2000 hours enable long term processing of multiple optics in one run.

The first system was commissioned at a customer site in 11/2020. Further machines are under construction and will be delivered this year.

Further informations can be downloaded here: IBF5

This was the title of Dr. David Schäfer’s presentation at the 10th Wetzlar Autumn Conference on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 – one of the few face-to-face events that took place this year.

For 30 years we have been dealing with ion beam processing systems for the production of ultra-precise optical surfaces. State-of-the-Art are machinable optics diameters in a range of 5 mm – 2000 mm with freely definable shapes.

Now we are pushing the limits towards smaller optics with sizes of <1 mm to 5 mm. These optics are mandatory for key technologies in the growth markets of medical technology, physical metrology, communication technology, energy technology, analytical chemistry, laser technology and aerospace technology. Highly curved and free-form elements enable compact efficient systems.

Our new tool, an RF-driven ion beam source, features an ion beam cross section of 40 µm (Gaussian shape FWHM) with a central removal of >40nm/s. This allows a high-volume ablation and enables efficient processing of micro-optical components with the highest demands on roughness and shape accuracy. A newly designed 5-grid extraction system enables flexible beam size for ion energies up to 3 keV. Customized systems for higher energies or larger beams can be developed based on beam dynamics simulations. Maintenance intervals in the range of 2000 hours enable long term processing of multiple optics in one run.

The first system was commissioned at a customer site in 11/2020. Further machines are under construction and will be delivered this year.

The complete presentation by Dr. David Schäfer can be found here: Pushing the limits: 40µm sub-aperture ion beam processing

Here you can find an article about our smallest and youngest ion beam processing machine: IBF 5