Vacuum Pressure Measurement in Industrial Environments

Abstract

SummaryHigh accuracy and reproducibility are the basis for outstanding product quality in the manufacturing of vacuum pressure gauges. Selective product and process controls supported by statistical process control (SPC) ensure success. Automated calibration processes traceable to the National Measuring Institute (NMI) are necessitated by the high product volume and the requirement for complete traceability. Even in industrial use under mostly non‐ideal surrounding conditions, the devices must deliver stable and accurate measured values in all production processes. Using the example of hot‐filament ionization gauges, it is shown how design modifications in the production process have reduced the measurement uncertainties of the devices from one generation to the next. In another example, the introduction of a second baffle in a capacitance diaphragm gauge, led to significant reductions in sensor drift.