As in previous years, vacuum equipment developed in the previous twelve months was shown on several stands at the 51st Exhibition of Scientific Instruments and Apparatus organised by the Institute of Physics and The Physical Society and held at Alexandra Palace, London, from 17th to 20th April, 1967. The main interest was in the displays of the number of vacuum equipment manufacturers now marketing plant and accessories in Britain. Here the novelty of apparatus shown varied considerably from one manufacturer to another, chiefly because the old established firms had to show gear of more genuine originality than the younger firms who were able to exhibit products new to their programme but not really new in the development of vacuum technology. A survey of the vacuum equipment on show can be divided into three sections: (a) accessories developed by firms and research organisations not primarily interested in vacuum plant and components; (b) vacuum apparatus by Mullard Ltd and Associated Electrical Industries Ltd (Scientific Apparatus Department) to whom the marketing of such plant is an important but comparatively small part of their wide-scale activities in science and technology; and finally, (c) the UK firms of Edwards High Vacuum International Ltd, Vacuum Generators Ltd, Bir-Vat Ltd, NGN Ltd and Genevac Ltd to whom “vacuum” is basic “bread and butter” sales. In addition, exhibits were organised by Veeco Instruments who are a subsidiary of the American parent firm and E Leybold’s Nachfolger, the German firm, as part of the display by the Ministry of Scientific Research of the Federal Republic of Germany. Users of vacuum equipment have such a wide variety of interests that it is difficult during a visit to select all those items shown by organisations within category (a). The following list cannot therefore be claimed to be exhaustive. The Plessey Co Ltd apparatus for obtaining the velocity distribution amongst atoms evaporated in V(ICUO from “flash” and “oven” sources. The interest to cryogenic and cryopumping devotees of the range of liquid helium cryostats, the self-contained helium refrigerator and the mobile dispenser for liquid nitrogen of the British Oxygen Co Ltd and the first production model of the Mark III “Harwell” refrigerator capable of O.OS”K and a liquid nitrogen pump able to control delivery rate from 0 to 4 litre per min of the Oxford Instrument Co Ltd. The 10 kVA high temperature vacuum furnace in which a maximum temperature of 2400°C can be maintained at a pressure of 1O-5 torr of Spembly Technical Products Ltd. Montford Instruments Ltd space simulator. The air-lock chamber for an electron microscope developed by the University of Cambridge. The equipment for the production of single crystal layers of silicon of very high purity by evaporation in ultrahigh vacuum, a vacuum cleaving and surface decorating apparatus and an ion beam source for producing layers of silicon and of gallium Edwards’ new vacuum coater