Research and development
We offer a range of vacuum products to meet the challenges of today’s research and development laboratories. Collaboration with major scientific instrument manufacturers, universities and major research institutes, national laboratories and industrial R&D facilities, together with the engineers and scientists, ensures a deep understanding of research and the role that vacuum plays. Our focus on technological advancement in vacuum as well as investment in manufacturing facilities around the world, enables us to develop innovative products for many R&D scientists.
From the earliest days of Torricelli, through the electric lamp and the electron tube to today’s state-of-the-art electronic devices, developments in vacuum technology have gone hand-in-hand with development in scientific understanding, technical innovation and new products.
Examples of on-going vacuum enabled R&D applications:
- Health care where gene sequencing and protein research continue to drive mass spectrometry. As genetic differences among individuals are found, researchers use these techniques to develop more effective and personalized drugs.
- Research on renewable energies using e.g. fusion technology, Solar photovoltaics efficiency improvements, hydrogen economy and fuel cells
- Developing optical technologies for smallest structures in chemistry and semiconductors, e.g. free electron lasers
- Particle physics and basic research, where the need for clean, highly evacuated beam lines and chambers has always been a challenge, for example CERN large hadron collider and the search for the Higgs boson
- Fundamental research in nuclear physics, e.g. heavy ion research and search for heavier elements
- Space simulation chambers and astrophysics e.g. telescopes
- Nanostructures and micro-mechanical devices – their research and development of industrial scale processes
- Extending Moore’s law to the limits of CMOS-based FET semiconductor technology and wherever that leads beyond
- Accelerator technology for research and medical therapy
Edwards is the technology leader in the manufacture of vacuum pumps and systems, with products specifically designed to meet the evolving challenges of laboratory markets. With more than ninety years of experience in scientific applications, we have a deep understanding of research processes and the role that vacuum plays. This experience, coupled with innovative technologies and collaborative engineering, enables us to offer a broad range of pumping solutions that reduce cost while enhancing performance.