Test & measurement
Vibration control fit for a new generation of chips
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.
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.
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ason 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
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 3,800 spring mounts, 1,600 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,” explains Adam Fox, director at Mason UK. “The second requirement is ensuring the product has the correct vibration
isolation properties. This is determined initially by the location in the building and the experienced product selection of the Mason UK engineering team. “The closer you get to the fabrication, the more
urgent the need for vibration isolation. Similarly, the higher up you go in the building, the more lightweight the structure gets, and more vibration isolation is necessary. Down in the foundations, vibration is minimal, but if you’re on the roof, that roof structure can be quite sympathetic to vibration. The vibration isolation properties can also be equipment driven. By and large, the bigger the diameter of your pipe, the bigger your pump or your ducting gets and the more energy it is able to carry. Consequently, larger pipes require a higher level of vibration isolation.”
DESIGN SUPPORT LIKE NO OTHER Not only was Mason UK brought on board to supply the vibration control products, but the team was also invited to conduct associated design work. Mason UK has unrivalled design
April 2022 Instrumentation Monthly
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