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ConFlat® (CF) UHV Flanges (Aluminum A2219)

The CF (ConFlat) flange is the most widely used for high vacuum and UHV applications. Many gauges, instruments, accessories and feedthroughs are available on this flange system.

Blank (Blind) Flange: A blank (blind) flange is essentially a solid plate or disc-shaped fitting used in vacuum systems. It can be machined to create a customized fitting or to close off an unused section of tubing or a port on a vacuum chamber.

The seal mechanism is a knife-edge that is machined below the flange's flat surface. As the bolts of a flange-pair are tightened, the knife-edges make annular grooves on each side of a soft metal gasket. The extruded metal fills all the machining marks and surface defects in the flange, yielding a leak-tight seal. The CF seal operates from 760 torr (10³ mbar) to < 1 x 10^-13 Torr (< 1.3 x 10^-13 mbar), and within the temperature range -196° C to 450° C (depending on material). Flange sizes in North America are normally referenced by their outside diameter (O.D.). However, in Europe and much of Asia, the nominal internal diameter (nominal I.D.) of the largest tube that can be welded to a bored flange is usually referenced in their nomenclature.

Aluminum Features:

• Lightweight and non-magnetic for applications sensitive to magnetic materials
• Good thermal conductivity
• Lower residual radioactivity than flanges manufactured from ferrous materials
• General properties of aluminum and the surface preparation of these flanges yield low outgassing rates
• Knife-edges of flanges coated with CrN for added hardness
• CrN coating maximum temperature on the knife edges is 150°C
• Aluminum flanges require the use of aluminum gaskets