TMC Reasons 4-12

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Reasons 4-12 for Choosing
TMC Optical Tops (continued)

4. Additionally, to avoid excessive epoxy being squeezed into the plastic cups, imitative designs use only the thinnest layer of epoxy between the top skin and plastic layer. The thinness of this layer can produce “voids” when the top is bonded by trapping air, significantly weakening the bond.	5. TMC employs a proprietary process to clean our machined skins to a level that is virtually “sterilized.” This ensures the cleanest threaded holes and superb epoxy bonding. Furthermore, the cleaning station is in an entranceway to a clean, finishing building so that the cleaned top never sees a heavy, industrial machining environment. In the CleanTop ^® II design, no machining, grinding or sanding of any kind is performed subsequent to this cleaning process.	6. TMC top skins are stretcher-leveled, stress-relieved, and pressure-bonded against a precision-lapped granite plate, without subsequent grinding—avoiding heat and stress. The finished top is flat within ±0.005 in. (0.13 mm) within the normal hole pattern area, guaranteed. TMC top skin (above) and competitive design top skin (below) after grinding
7. Top surfaces of TMC tops are lightly sanded with an orbital pattern to remove burrs and provide a non-glare, non-reflecting finish, without inducing internal stress. TMC no-glare surface (above). Ground surface of competitive design creates reflection and glare (below).	8. Standard mounting holes in TMC tops are tapped, either 1/4–20 on 1 in. centers or M6 on 25 mm centers. Imperial 1/4-20 tapped holes on 1 in. staggered centers and metric M6 on 25mm staggered centers are available at a nominal additional fee. Custom patterns, including large through-holes for cables, etc., are easily accomplished with our multiple 2,000-watt laser machining centers. Click here to read more about our new DoubleDensity ™ optical tops.	9. All TMC mounting holes are in register with open cells in the honeycomb core (a given with CleanTop^® II but not necessarily with other designs). This assures that the core is not damaged by subsequent drilling and tapping during manufacture, that the structural integrity of the assembly is maintained, and that all mounting screws can be inserted to full depth without obstruction. TMC registered holes (shown without CleanTop^® II cups.) (top) Competitive non-registered holes (bottom).
10. Every hole in a TMC top is lead-screw-tapped, the most precise method known, and there are no inserts. Inserts can loosen, and top skins can be distorted when inserts are pressed into undersized holes. TMC countersunk holes (above) versus non-countersunk holes in competitive design (below)	11. TMC mounting holes are slightly countersunk to remove ridges and burrs. Every TMC mounting screw can be finger-tightened at first insertion – no wrench is needed.	12. TMC’s broadband dry damping approach is the only logical one for an optical top. Others use "tuned" dampers which only work on a discrete frequency. Structural resonances are not discrete and therefore not eliminated but rather "split" into two resonances by tuned dampers.
See the next 8 reasons to choose a TMC Optical Top >>> <<< See the first 3 reasons to choose a TMC Optical Top