Type II Faraday Cage

Type II Faraday Cage offers improved access
and simplified assembly

It's“ window-shade” type retracting front panel is easier to operate than hinged doors
and causes less disturbance when adjusted. This front panel may be positioned anywhere between fully opened and closed and stays in position without a fastener. 

This cage incorporates the same stainless steel frame and copper-mesh material as previous versions. It mounts to (and requires) TMC’s full-perimeter enclosures and mounts to our 63-500 Series tables.
Our 40 in. tall Type II Faraday Cages now include a 2 in. diameter hole in the base of the side and rear panels which eases cable interface to the interior of the cage. The hole is sleeved with a rounded rubber liner to shield sharp edges and assure long life. In addition, we now offer a new version of our armrest pads that is compatible with our cages and adhere with Velcro straps rather than clips or magnets.
BenchTop Faraday Cage – We now offer the same line of 40 in. tall cages with a baseplate which allows the cage to be used on a bench-top without a corresponding TMC table. The base of the cage is a reinforced stainless steel plate which can support a compact vibration isolation system,
microscope, or other instrument.

TableTop™ A-P – Vibration Isolation for Small Spaces

TMC’s new TableTop™ A-P is a lightweight, modular vibration isolation system that combines exceptional low-frequency passive isolation with an optional Q-Damp™ active damping module. Its compact design (less than 50 pounds) is portable, and its passive vibration isolation is comparable to TMC’s full-size industry standard 63-500 Series high-performance lab table. “The TableTop™ A-P offers the best vibration isolation solution when sensitive work is performed, such as scanning probe microscopy, bench-top metrology or interferometry, in a noisy, less than optimal work area,” said Steve Ryan, TMC vice president, marketing. “It is easily upgradeable to active damping,requiring 10 minutes and a screwdriver.” The Q-Damp active damping module significantly im-proves the performance of the passive system by canceling the resonant amplification of the A-P ’s air isolator.

The patented TableTop A-P is compatible with TMC’s BenchTop Faraday Cage. The newly designed, 40-inch-tall cage includes a baseplate of reinforced stainless steel that supports the compact A-P. The cage also features a “window-shade” type retracting panel and 2-inch diameter holes for cable passage.

Zebrafish Star in Exploratorium Video

More than half a million visitors a year can now view the amazing development of live zebrafish embryos at San Francisco’s Exploratorium thanks to two Vibration Isolation Laboratory Tables donated by TMC.

Part of the museum’s Microscope Imaging Station, the exhibit features a time-lapse video, taken under a microscope, of a transparent zebrafish maturing from a single cell to a fully developed hatching egg. It was essential that the image remain completely motionless for the entire 61 hours of the embryo's development. Most imaging applications require only a few seconds of quiescent performance.

TMC's 63-500 Series Table is perfect for this application, providing extremely efficient vibration isolation of floor noise both vertically and horizontally. In addition to the isotropic nature of the isolation, the Gimbal Piston™ vibration isolation system works well with light mass loads and maintains the efficient isolator performance down to the low amplitude input levels typical of building floor vibrations. The table was specifically designed for use with optical microscopes such as the Zeiss Axiocam 200M inverted microscope used in this exhibit.

The time-lapse sequencing was accomplished by outfitting the microscope with a digital CCD camera attachment that took a photograph every six minutes. A sequence of 610 photos over the 61-hour period was compiled to create the time-lapse sequence that shows the development of the zebrafish embryo from a single cell through hatching. Videos of other organisms, such as worms and fruit flies that also provide spectacular images, are planned for the exhibit.

The Imaging Station was a particularly challenging vibration isolation problem due to a combination of factors. Complicating the requirement that the image remain vibration free for 61 hours was the Exploratorium’s location. The museum is situated in San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts Building, built in 1915.

The exhibit is located on the more recently constructed mezzanine level, an area appropriate for light office space but not at all suited to sensitive time-lapse photography. The corrugated steel floor is supported by lightweight steel beams and steel stanchions.

The problem of the lightweight, resonant, high-ambient-vibration floor is compounded by the excessive surrounding foot traffic. Approximately 600,000 people visit the Exploratorium every year. Most visitors are children who run and jump within feet of the exhibit. This “onboard” source of noise excites the light, resonant floor into a severe vibration environment, hardly suitable for precision microscopy.

Major support for this project came from the National Institutes of Health and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, with additional support from Carl Zeiss Microscopes, Technical Instruments, and Universal Imaging, as well as Technical Manufacturing Corporation.

The Exploratorum was established in 1969 as an interactive science museum. It is a leader in informal science and has been training mathematics and science teachers and students for more than 25 years.