The EuroTube Foundation provides the opportunity to apply technology innovation for its research infrastructure in Central Europe. For this purpose, EuroTube is entering into a partnership with the Swiss industrial company VAT, the world leader in the design and manufacturing of vacuum valves and ETH Zurich’s inspire AG, a research institute for mechatronic production systems and precision manufacturing, and a strategic partner of ETHZ.
Valves have a key functionality to control pressure differences between the atmosphere and the vacuum in the tube. In particular, the BigValve plays a role in the use of large-scale airlocks for operational and safety procedures. Advanced valve and closing mechanisms guarantee safe evacuation and passage across differently pressurized volumes in case of emergencies inside the transportation system. For the scaling of commercial vacuum transport lines, the development of market-ready valves is essential and today’s state-of-the-art requires new innovative and economic solutions that are comprehensively tested. As a pioneer and world leader in the vacuum industry, VAT is an ideal partner for the BigValve project. The collaboration between VAT and EuroTube will accelerate the development of valves for vacuum tubes that meet the demands and needs of future high-speed transportation applications.
Both parties are proud to announce that their concept and respective specialities are augmented by a federal Innosuisse grant that supports complementary research with ETH Zürich’s inspire AG. Inspire’s scientific prowess in additive manufacturing at Prof. Dr. Konrad Wegener’s Institute of Machine Tools and Manufacturing brings many additional and comprehensive in-house capabilities from high-precision machining to advanced materials to the applied research.